Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Environmental Stewardship

July 10, 2019

Rev. Robert Sirico on Laudato Si

Climate change is a prominent and contentious topic in our current political sphere. Pope Francis offers a perspective on the issue, but church leaders have expressed differing opinions. As Christians, how should we approach environmental concerns? Continue Reading...
April 03, 2019

AOC and the New Eugenics

Here is a piece I wrote for the Stream on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her comments on climate change and whether “it is still ok to have children.” When an American politician asks if it is still okay to have children, this is something to notice. Continue Reading...
February 25, 2019

‘Is it OK to still have children?’

Is it morally permissible to have children? That question – which should have gone out with “What’s your sign?” or “Who shot J.R.?” in the 1980s – has come roaring back in a United States in which the birthrate continually hits new lows. Continue Reading...
February 11, 2019

A rule of thumb for the Green New Deal

I have a couple rules of thumb that I hope help me cut through some of the noise around various policy proposals and political debates. One has to do with budgetary reform (a topic I covered at some length last week): If the plan doesn’t engage with entitlements, then it isn’t really a serious proposal. Continue Reading...
February 07, 2019

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal is the same old socialist hooey

Official Washington is all atwitter today over the release of the “Green New Deal” by New York freshman Democrat Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey, also a Democrat. The proposal bundles many long-desired goals of the environmentalist movement into a neat legislative package, described by left-leaning Vox in this way: The resolution consists of a preamble, five goals, 14 projects, and 15 requirements. Continue Reading...
January 29, 2019

Climate change: Regulations vs. results

Christians believe we should be good stewards of the earth, and for some the issue has taken on apocalyptic dimensions. Yet faith leaders, including the leaders of multiple worldwide Christian communions, have ignored the most effective method for reducing carbon emissions while praising counterproductive policies. Continue Reading...
January 15, 2019

The irony of Patagonia’s tax cut ‘protest’

In response to the recent Republican-led tax reform—which reduced corporate taxes from 35% to 21%—many companies have responded by handing out surprise bonuses, increased 401(k) matches, and various wage bumps. For a company like Patagonia, however, the tax cuts have been labeled “irresponsible,” a symbol of the federal government’s reckless apathy. Continue Reading...