Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Public Policy

October 27, 2014

The Complexities of Airport Capitalism

Over at The Federalist today, I ruminate on a conversation I overheard at an airport recently. I was an innocent auditor, I assure you. In the words of Sam Gamgee to Gandalf, “I ain’t been droppin’ no eaves sir, honest.” Continue Reading...
October 21, 2014

A Prayer for the Aid of God in Vocation

At the conclusion of the English translation of Niels Hemmingsen’s The Way of Life (1578) (Latin: Via Vitae) is a series of short prayers. The selection includes one “for the aid of God in the needful businesses of our vocation.” Continue Reading...
October 20, 2014

The Welfare State and Intergenerational Injustice

Last Saturday The Imaginative Conservative published my essay, “Let’s Get Back to Robbing Peter: The Welfare State and Demographic Decline.” To add to what I say there, it should be a far more pressing concern to conscientious citizens that the US national debt has risen from $13 trillion in 2010 to nearly $18 trillion today. Continue Reading...
October 14, 2014

Triangulating Vocation

In a remarkable letter last week, noted by Joseph Sunde, Mike Rowe inveighed against the sloganeering that passes for vocational discernment in today’s popular culture. Mike singled out Hollywood as a particularly egregious offender: Every time I watch The Oscars, I cringe when some famous movie star – trophy in hand – starts to deconstruct the secret to happiness. Continue Reading...
October 13, 2014

The Challenges of the Financial Calling

In a talk he gave at Kuyper College for the launch of the new business leadership major some years back, Vincent Bacote made an insightful observation about the “people in the room” where things were decided leading up to and during the Global Financial Crisis. Continue Reading...
October 07, 2014

Catholic Group Launches Health Care Sharing Ministry

Throughout the history of the church, Christians have been actively involved in the provision and funding of health and medical resources. But for the past 50 years, these functions have been treated as political problems reserved for the state rather than matters to be addressed by the church. Continue Reading...
October 07, 2014

Church-Going States Give the Most to Charity

How much of their incomes do Americans give to charity? A report by Chronicle of Philanthropy that analyzed taxpayers’ IRS data to find the answer: On average, Americans give about 3 percent of their income to charity each year, according to the report released Monday. Continue Reading...
October 01, 2014

‘What Our Schools Need’

The Faith Movement, based in the United Kingdom, seeks to bring clergy, religious and lay faithful together to advance the Catholic faith, educating both believers and non-believers regarding the Church. Their website includes book reviews, and Eric Hester currently has a review of the Acton Institute’s Catholic Education in the West: Roots, Reality and Revival. Continue Reading...