Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Public Policy

September 30, 2019

6 ways to combat consumerism

The Gospel reading on Sunday was the story of Lazarus and the rich man. I often refer to this parable in discussions about poverty, because Augustine points out that it was not wealth that sent the rich man to hell, but his indifference. Continue Reading...
September 30, 2019

On mythical materialism

Secular materialists and atheists like Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris like to mock religious people for being superstitious and illogical: resorting to fanciful explanations of events by invoking the work of God or miracles. Continue Reading...
September 27, 2019

A word from the man who inspired Greta Thunberg

As the leader of a Christian think tank in Sweden, Per Ewert watched Greta Thunberg’s global crusade unfold earlier than most of the world. But when he saw her demonstrating outside parliament with her school strike movement, he got a jolt: The book Greta was reading was co-written by … him. Continue Reading...
September 25, 2019

Remember the trees

In this week’s Acton Commentary I argue that pathos and politics isn’t enough to address the contemporary challenges of environmental stewardship in general and climate change in particular. I point to the necessity to recognize the gifts and responsibilities that God has given to humanity. Continue Reading...
August 30, 2019

In praise of ‘garbagemen’

When I was twelve my family lived on a small, dry piece of land in rural Texas. Since we lived far outside of any city limits, we couldn’t rely on services like water (we had a well), sewage (we had a septic tank), or sanitation (we had a 12-year-old boy and a 50-gallon burn barrel). Continue Reading...
August 29, 2019

Three fallacies behind population control

One of the constant refrains in economic development—and now environment issues—is the topic of population control.   Evidence notwithstanding, the claim that population causes poverty and that the planet is facing a population explosion is taught as settled science—even in the face of serious population decline in some countries. Continue Reading...
August 28, 2019

Ignoring the invisible

I have been thinking a lot about all of the invisible things around us, important foundational things that we take for granted.  Because they don’t immediately manifest themselves to our attention we can forget about them if we are not careful. Continue Reading...