Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Christian Social Thought

August 21, 2012

Inside Out

We all have our private internal worlds that we live in. Except for the windows of words or body language it is invisible to everyone else but is a precious part of our identity. Continue Reading...
August 20, 2012

Catholics and Orthodox Seek Reconciliation in Poland

On Friday, representatives from the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, including His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus and Metropolitan Josef Michalik, President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, signed a joint message committing to further work toward reconciliation between the Russian and Polish peoples and between the two churches. Continue Reading...
August 20, 2012

The Russian Punk Band and Religious Hate Crime

The all-girl Russian punk band, which in February pulled its juvenile, blasphemous stunt on the ambon of one of Russian Orthodoxy’s holiest places of worship, has generated an unending stream of twaddle from so many commentators who betray a deep, willfully ignorant grasp of Christianity and a perfectly secular mindset. Continue Reading...
August 16, 2012

Germany’s Lutheran Economics

While the economy of America is influenced by old British economists like Smith and Keynes, Germans are still being influenced by an even older, homegrown economist: Martin Luther. Even today Germany, though religiously diverse and politically secular, defines itself and its mission through the writings and actions of the 16th century reformer, who left a succinct definition of Lutheran society in his treatise “The Freedom of a Christian,” which he summarized in two sentences: “A Christian is a perfectly free Lord of all, subject to none, and a Christian is a perfectly dutiful servant of all.” Continue Reading...
August 15, 2012

The Vocation of the Politician

This morning the online publication Ethika Politika, the journal of the Center for Morality in Public Life, published my response to a previous article by Thomas Storck on natural law and political engagement. Continue Reading...
August 10, 2012

Cincinnati’s Promising Teacher Evaluation Method

Last week, I commented on Grand Rapids Public Schools’ new attendance policy and Michigan’s tenure reform bill. To summarize, while applauding GR Public’s new policy as effectively incentivizing students to show up to class and take their studies more seriously, I was skeptical about MI’s new bill which ties teacher evaluations to student performance. Continue Reading...
August 03, 2012

The Faith of a Young Entrepreneur

In 2010 Alexandra Abraham slipped on a wet floor and into a business idea. According to Forbes magazine, U.S. restaurants face an estimated $2 billion in “slip and fall” lawsuits each year. Continue Reading...