John Couretas

is a writer and editor based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Posts by John Couretas

March 25, 2015

The Greek Orthodox Bishop Who Stood Up to the Nazis

This is a doubly significant day in the nation of Greece in that not only is the Annunciation of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary) observed but also Independence Day. March 25 commemorates the start of the War of Greek Independence in 1821 against the Ottoman Empire and the tourkokratia or Turkish rule that is traced back to the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Continue Reading...
March 20, 2015

Putin’s Kleptocracy and Family Values

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T65SwzHAbes There will be some twists and turns here, so hold on. Earlier this month, the BBC highlighted what it called “YouTube sensation ‘I, Russian Occupier'” the hit propaganda film that “feels more like the opening sequence of a big budget Hollywood movie than a homemade political message.” Continue Reading...
March 17, 2015

Religion & Liberty: A Roundtable on Common Grace in Business

In the fall of 2014, business people, scholars, and theologians converged on the campus of Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the Symposium on Common Grace in Business. The event was conceived and co-sponsored by the Calvin business department and the Acton Institute as a way of highlighting Abraham Kuyper’s theological work on common grace – the grace God extends to everyone that enables him or her to do good – to the business world. Continue Reading...
March 16, 2015

Confucius a Capitalist?

When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of. Continue Reading...
March 12, 2015

Russia and Ukraine: An Exceptional Love Affair?

In a meeting with young historians last fall, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the annexation of Crimea (RT described this delicately as “the newly returned” Crimea) and reminded them that “Prince Vladimir [Sviatoslavich the Great] was baptized, and then he converted Russia. Continue Reading...
March 05, 2015

Hernando de Soto: Property Rights, Not Just Capitalism

The work of Hernando de Soto has been followed closely for years at Acton and more recently at PovertyCure. See the 2001 interview “The Poor are the Solution, Not the Problem” in Religion & Liberty and a short film clip of de Soto talking about property rights and rule of law at PovertyCure. Continue Reading...