Jordan J. Ballor

Jordan J. Ballor (Dr. theol., University of Zurich; PhD, Calvin Theological Seminary) is director of research at the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy at First Liberty Institute.

Posts by Jordan J. Ballor

June 14, 2011

Global Problems, Global Solutions

There’s a saying that when goods cross borders, armies don’t (it’s the correlative to the observation attributed to Bastiat: “If goods cannot cross borders, armies will.”). The point is that trade tends to bring people together who might otherwise have cause to be hostile. Continue Reading...
June 01, 2011

The Return of Christian Europe?

Doubtful, at least on these terms. Does the institutional church have to officially advise the government in order to have influence? — European institutions “more open than ever” to church co-operation By Jonathan Luxmoore Warsaw, Poland (ENInews)–A senior ecumenist has welcomed growing co-operation between leaders of European institutions and churches, and predicted a growing advisory role for religious communities. Continue Reading...
May 25, 2011

Acton Commentary: Little Plots of Liberty

In this week’s Acton Commentary I briefly survey the prospects for urban gardens and farming in the city of Detroit. As Aaron M. Renn wrote in New Geography a few years ago, Detroit represents one of the places where significant urban innovation is possible. Continue Reading...
May 23, 2011

Bahnsen and Wilson on Ron Paul

David Bahnsen and Douglas Wilson have engaged in a fascinating conversation about Ron Paul. To follow the threads of critique and concern on either side, first read Bahnsen’s “The Undiscerning and Dangerous Appreciation of Ron Paul.” Continue Reading...
May 20, 2011

The West and the Rest

Over at the Comment site, I review Dambisa Moyo’s How the West was Lost: Fifty Years of Economic Folly—and the Stark Choices Ahead. In “War of the Worldviews,” I note that the strongest elements of Moyo’s work are related to her analysis of the causes and the trends of global economic power. Continue Reading...
May 19, 2011

Economic Recession and Charitable Giving

I’ve written a fair bit over recent months about trends in charitable giving and Christian tithing. One the latter point, I touched on the importance of tithing in my latest “On the Square” feature at the First Things site. Continue Reading...
May 13, 2011

Who Does Number 1 Work For?

David Lohmeyer has done it again. Following this gem from the original series, David has turned up a clip from Star Trek: The Next Generation in which Captain Picard quotes Lord Acton: David’s continuing mission? Continue Reading...
May 13, 2011

Subsidiarity, Funding, and the Arts

In today’s edition of Capital Commentary, HBU assistant professor of literature Micah Mattix explores the question, “How Might the Arts Be Funded?” He ably and briefly surveys the recent history of politics surrounding the NEA. Continue Reading...
May 09, 2011

Men Seeking Absolute Power

David Lohmeyer turned up this excellent clip from the original Star Trek series: Kirk opens the clip by referencing the Nazi “leader principle” (das Führerprinzip). Soon after Hitler’s election as chancellor in 1933, the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer gave a (partial) radio address and later lectured publicly on the topic of the “leader principle” and its meaning for the younger generation. Continue Reading...
May 06, 2011

Goodbye, steeple. Goodbye, people.

We might need an update to the children’s rhyme: “Here is the church, / here is the steeple, / open the doors, / and see all the people.” Before I got wrapped up in ongoing conversations here, there, and seemingly everywhere about the nation’s budget, I noted that the ripple effects from the economic downturn were beginning to hit churches in a serious way. Continue Reading...