Joe Carter

Joe Carter is a senior writer for The Gospel Coalition, author of The Life and Faith Field Guide for Parents, the editor of the NIV Lifehacks Bible, and coauthor of How to Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion from History’s Greatest Communicator. He also serves as an associate pastor at McLean Bible Church in Arlington, Va.

Posts by Joe Carter

June 06, 2012

Crony Capitalism and Congressional Connections

“It’s helpful to look at the track record of this bipartisan idea that government is smarter and better at picking winners and losers in the marketplace,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan at a recent hearing on efforts to combat cronyism and promote upward mobility. Continue Reading...
June 04, 2012

When is a Catholic College Not Catholic Enough for the Government?

What happens if a Catholic college doesn’t require students to attend Mass, doesn’t engage in “indoctrination” or “proselytizing”, and hires non-Catholic faculty? As John Garvey, president of the Catholic University of America, says, the government will likely determine the school is not “Catholic” enough for religious liberty protections: There is a pattern to these cases. Continue Reading...
June 01, 2012

On the Morality of Capitalism

“It is a common belief that capitalism ‘delivers the goods’ and creates prosperity,” says Isaac Morehouse, but does so only at the cost of our souls, our dignity and our humanity.” Continue Reading...
May 31, 2012

What is ‘Meaningful Work’?

Telling young people that some jobs are menial, says Thomas Sowell, is a huge disservice to them and to society: It was painful, for example, to see an internationally renowned scholar say that what low-income young people needed was “meaningful work.” Continue Reading...
May 30, 2012

Commentary: The Power of Market-Driven Diversity

In this week’s Acton Commentary (published May 30), Anthony Bradley argues that racial discrimination is no match for the power of competition: “While companies were free to discriminate against blacks it was not in their economic interests to do so because, at the end of the day, every company’s favorite color is green.”  Continue Reading...
May 30, 2012

Does God Always Side With the Poor and Oppose the Rich?

Does God side with the poor and oppose the rich? Glenn Sunshine looks at what the Bible says about the issue: So why are the poor described as blessed? The issue isn’t poverty per se, but rather the attitude of humility and reliance on God that it can produce in us, which is why Matthew’s version of the beatitude isn’t just “Blessed are the poor,” but “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Continue Reading...
May 29, 2012

Sandel’s Flawed Philosophy

Rev. Sirico’s new book is not the only recent entry on the topic of markets and morality (though from comparing reviews, it may be the best). Harvard political philosopher Michael Sandel also examines the subject in What Money Can’t Buy. Continue Reading...
May 25, 2012

A Liberal Wolf in Communitarian Clothing

The problem with communitarianism, claims Bradley C. S. Watson, is that it views religion as an instrumental good and individual virtue as destructive: Communitarianism comes to sight as a movement that sees, far more clearly than liberalism, that the private sphere and private goods are rooted in, and in turn have an effect on, public goods. Continue Reading...