How Michael Novak changed your life

Michael Novak died last Thursday at the age of 83. In a remembrance for The Hill, Acton Institute President Rev. Robert A. Sirico reflects on the passing of his friend and mentor, and how he changed all of our lives: Some of my most memorable conversations took place over what would become effectively known as the Salon Novak: dinner parties that Karen and I would orchestrate where we witnessed Clare Boothe Luce contending with Jack Kemp and Bill Bennett on the meaning of virtue; Irving Kristol, the godfather of neo-conservatism, and his wife Gertrude Himmelfarb, the historian and Victorian scholar, recount their own intellectual journeys from socialism; and became acquainted with Charles Krauthammer, Bob and Mary Ellen Bork, and Charles Murray. Continue Reading...

Michael J. Novak, Jr. [1933 – 2017]

Theologian, public intellectual, and close friend of the Acton Institute, Michael J. Novak Jr., passed away last night on February 17, 2017. Acton Institute President Rev. Robert A. Sirico reflects on the passing of his friend and mentor Michael Novak, who through his writings influenced scores of scholars and theologians to recognize the potential of the market economy and the centrality of the dignity of the human person. Continue Reading...

Samuel Gregg asks, ‘what good is money?’

While money’s purpose is to serve as a medium of exchange, this is not its only function. Samuel Gregg, in an article for Witherspoon Institute’s Public Discourse, defines the purpose of money and finance, in general, as well as its ability to serve the economy of the people. Continue Reading...

The human rights threat and the North Korean Regime

Update: The full interview is now available online. — What’s going on in North Korea? The First Issue of Religion & Liberty in 2017 will explore this question in depth. The main feature will be an interview with Suzanne Scholte, president of the Defense Forum Foundation. Continue Reading...