Rev. Ben Johnson

September 29, 2017

Lord Acton on conscience: The light of freedom

In the public imagination, Lord Acton is often restricted to his ubiquitous aphorism about power and corruption. This is a pity, as the nineteenth century essayist, historian, and parliamentarian held wide-ranging views about liberty as well-developed as they were penetrating. Continue Reading...

September 28, 2017

How do Western nations rank on economic freedom?

The Fraser Institute released its annual “Economic Freedom of the World” report this morning. The free market think tank rates every nation based on its “degree of freedom in five broad areas”: Area 1:Size of Government—As spending and taxation by government, and the size of government-controlled enterprises increase, government decision-making is substituted for individual choice and economic freedom is reduced. Continue Reading...

September 27, 2017

From mendicants to merchants: The monastic embrace of enterprise

“If a man does not work, neither shall he eat,” wrote the Apostle Paul in the New Testament. But what if your vocation demands that you own nothing and spend much of your time in contemplation of ethereal mysteries? Continue Reading...

September 26, 2017

Freedom and responsibility can turn back the tide of populism

“Today, populism is a global plague.” However, a thought-leader who played a pivotal role in weakening populism in Europe has shared the antidote in a speech to the European Liberty Forum in Budapest. Continue Reading...

September 25, 2017

Explainer: What you need to know about the 2017 German presidential elections

On Sunday, German voters cast their ballots for members of the national parliament, the Bundestag, and Angela Merkel appears poised to serve a fourth term as chancellor. But with a much-diminished number of supporters, fierce populist opposition, and warring coalition allies, her tenure could prove tenuous. Continue Reading...

September 22, 2017

Hurricanes as schools of charity

The only force greater than the destruction wrought by this summer’s hellish hurricanes is the solidarity written indelibly upon the human heart. The acts of charity they galvanize show the power of voluntary efforts springing from voluntarism, virtue, and compassion. Continue Reading...

September 20, 2017

The $15 minimum wage is most likely to hurt ‘economically weaker’ areas

The scenario is familiar: Ontario has passed legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and a new report warns that could increase unemployment. Significant evidence reinforces concerns that this well-intentioned change will harm the poor. Continue Reading...

September 18, 2017

Booth: This reform would improve the ecological, and human, environment

To be good citizens, faithful people must examine policies’ results, not just their intentions. One overly intrusive environmentalist policy alone has prevented the poor from accessing adequate housing and, ironically, reduced the diversity of the environment. Continue Reading...

September 13, 2017

‘Can people of faith hold public office?’: Transatlantic insights

Believing in a faith, to the point that it impacts one’s views in any way, is increasingly seen as a disqualification for public office. Two recent events raise the possibility that this unofficial employment test is part of a larger, civilizational shift taking place on both sides of the Atlantic. Continue Reading...