January 2015 Archives

January 08, 2015

Persecution Of Christians: Will It Get Worse?

2014 was a terrible year for persecution of Christians. In Syria, North Korea and Somalia, Christians are routinely imprisoned and killed. In Iraq, 2014 saw the passage of a law requiring Christians to convert or pay an exorbitant tax. Continue Reading...

January 08, 2015

Joseph Pearce on Religious Complexity in the Ukraine Conflict

John Couretas’s link today to the recent Christianity Today article on how Russian evangelicals “thank God for Putin,” reminded me of this excellent post last month from Joseph Pearce on the complexities of religious tribalism in the Ukraine crisis. Continue Reading...

January 08, 2015

Russian Evangelicals, Like Most Russians, ‘Thank God for Putin’

In Christianity Today, Mark R. Elliott offers an interesting and balanced report that goes a long way to explaining why “evangelicals in Russia have become ardent fans of President Vladimir Putin because of Russia’s efforts to maintain its influence in Ukraine, its takeover of Crimea in 2014, and the widespread Russian belief that the West is to blame for the present economic woes on the home front.” Continue Reading...

January 07, 2015

Why Human Dignity Matters in Economic Development (and Beyond)

“You have never met a mere mortal.” – C.S. Lewis God has called each of us to redemptive stewardship, crafting us in his own image that we might assume this calling in boldness and love. Continue Reading...

January 07, 2015

New Issue of the Journal of Markets & Morality (17.2)

The most recent issue of the Journal of Markets & Morality, volume 17, no. 2, has been published. The full content is available online now to subscribers and will be in the mail in the next few weeks. Continue Reading...

January 07, 2015

Downton Abbey Manners

I’m not one of those folks who are glued to the tube, but some things on television grab and hold my attention. One is Masterpiece Theatre’s Downton Abbey, that just began its fifth season in the United States this past Sunday night. Continue Reading...

January 07, 2015

There Are No ‘Black Leaders,’ Including Al Sharpton

Who are the leaders of the “white community”? Who are the leaders of the “Asian American community”? These questions seem silly given the fact that whites and Asians Americans are considered to be free thinking individuals who do not need ethnic leadership. Continue Reading...

January 07, 2015

Explainer: The Charlie Hebdo Terror Attack in Paris

What just happened in Paris? Today at 11:30 a.m. local time in Paris (5:30 a.m. ET), two gunmen wearing black hoods and carrying Kalashnikovs killed twelve people, including two police officers, and seriously wounded four others in an apparent terrorist attack on the offices of a French satirical news magazine that had published cartoons of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. Continue Reading...

January 07, 2015

Europe: ‘I’ve Fallen, And I Can’t Get Up’

Arthur Brooks is not the first to notice the demographic deterioration of Europe (Acton’s Sam Gregg wrote about it in his book, Becoming Europe), but Brooks points out that Europe isn’t just getting old, but “dotty” as well. Continue Reading...

January 06, 2015

Another Win for Religious Freedom

After a long fight, West Michigan Manufacturer, Autocam Medical LLC has finally received “permanent protection” from the controversial HHS Mandate or “abortion pill mandate.” In 2013, the company was told it had to comply with the mandate, despite owner John Kennedy’s and his family’s beliefs regarding the use of contraceptives and abortifacients. Continue Reading...