Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Virtue

December 15, 2017

Reimagining work in the coalfields

The American coal industry is facing serious challenges. In states like West Virginia, the effects have been particularly painful, causing many communities to struggle under a projected 23% decline in related jobs and leading vast numbers of residents to leave the state altogether. Continue Reading...
December 04, 2017

Christian freedom isn’t about choice

  As supporters of economic freedom, we frequently find ourselves in vigorous defense of personal choice, whether in business, trade, consumer goods, education, or otherwise. But while the elevation of economic choice is based on plenty of principle, not to mention historical and empirical analysis, we ought to be careful that our views about freedom aren’t confused or conflated in the process. Continue Reading...
November 30, 2017

The persistent advantage of private virtue

Several years ago, in a discussion on Charles Murray’s book Coming Apart, Ross Douthat included a brilliant observation about what he dubs the “persistent advantage of private virtue“: Finally, Murray makes a very convincing case . Continue Reading...
November 29, 2017

Against canned food drives: When gift-giving is wasteful

During a season such as Christmas, when hyper-consumerism and hyper-generosity often converge in strange and mysterious ways, how much of our gift-giving is inefficient or wasteful? It’s a question that economists continue to ponder, but to which many a gift-giver is prone to shrug. Continue Reading...
November 22, 2017

How gratitude empowers the free society

Despite being surrounded by unprecedented levels of opportunity and prosperity, we live in a profoundly anxious age, fearful of economic disruption even as we resist the pull to idolize status, wealth, and comfortability. Continue Reading...
October 06, 2017

‘Work Songs’: A new collection of hymns on work and vocation

In June of 2017, a group of 60 Christian creatives gathered in New York City to discuss and reflect on the intersection of worship and vocation. Known as the The Porter’s Gate Worship Project, the group is comprised of musicians, pastors, writers, and scholars, aiming to “reimagine and recreate worship that welcomes, reflects and impacts both community and the Church.” Continue Reading...
September 13, 2017

The consuming self as tyrant

“Consumerism is, quite precisely, the consuming of life by the things consumed. It is living in a manner that is measured by having rather than being.” -Richard John Neuhaus In a free economy, we each serve distinct roles as both producers and consumers. Continue Reading...