Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Acton Commentary

September 28, 2016

Utopias Denied: Arthur Koestler’s Darkness at Noon at 75

“In the world of literature,” says Bruce Edward Walker in this week’s Acton Commentary, “perhaps only Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn did more to expose the lies and cruelty of 20th century totalitarianism.” What makes Darkness at Noon such an enduring artistic work is Koestler’s firsthand knowledge of his source material. Continue Reading...
September 14, 2016

The soul of the polis

In this week’s Acton Commentary, “Piety and Politics: The Church’s Social Responsibility,” I take up the Kuyperian distinction between the church conceived as organism and as institute and point out some ways in which such ideas can help us navigate the dangerous waters of social and political engagement. Continue Reading...
September 07, 2016

Justice, Torah and the Minimum Wage

This question of whether government should mandate a higher minimum wage is not a new one, says Curt Biren in this week’s Acton Commentary. In fact, it comes up in ancient Jewish texts — related to property rights, labor law and charity law: Economists have studied the idea, but they often disagree on its impact. Continue Reading...
August 17, 2016

Millennials should read Solzhenitsyn

“The appeal of Bernie Sanders’ socialism is a puzzle to many, but it shouldn’t be, not if we understand how most people think about economics,” says Rev. Johannes Jacobse in this week’s Acton Commentary. Continue Reading...
August 10, 2016

Technology seen, and unseen

Although not everyone see its, technological progress has meant progress in human flourishing, notes Dylan Pahman in this week’s Acton Commentary. To answer the Luddites, first of all we must acknowledge that there is truth to what is seen. Continue Reading...
August 03, 2016

Rediscovering the beautiful

“An emphasis on the need for practical use is beneficial when applied to goods in the market, so as to meet the ever changing demands of the consumer,” says Caroline Roberts in this week’s Acton Commentary. Continue Reading...
July 27, 2016

Re-branding capitalism for millennials

“Over the last decade, millennials have been characterized as filled with a sense of entitlement, lazy, and disillusioned,” says Allison Gilbert in this week’s Acton Commentary. “In the past year they have acquired another label: socialist” Despite the fact that the Democratic Party has begun to adopt more policies of the far left — like the $15 minimum wage — many polls show that less than half of Sanders supporters say they will be voting for Clinton this fall. Continue Reading...
July 13, 2016

Nobel Laureates Plead with Greenpeace to Drop Opposition to GMOs

“A group of more than 100 Nobel Laureates have publicly declared Greenpeace’s anti-GMO campaign a crime against humanity,” says Allison Gilbert in this week’s Acton Commentary.  “These men and women say the science is clear — the world needs GMOs, and objecting to the production of genetically modified foods both denies scientific evidence and exacerbates the suffering of the world’s poor.” Continue Reading...