Acton Institute Powerblog Archives

Post Tagged 'The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism'

December 04, 2025

The Economics of the Sacred: Politics as a Covenant Exercise

The lie that religion has no bearing on politics has yielded the kind of politics we have now: managerial, sterile, and devoid of moral conviction. The idea that political office could be a covenantal trust or that economic policy might have covenantal implications would strike most technocrats as medieval sentimentality; yet, the biblical worldview insists that public life is precisely where covenants are lived or broken. Continue Reading...
July 17, 2025

Novak in Nigeria: A Reflection on The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism

In the heart of Nigeria’s bustling markets and vibrant churches, a quiet but powerful yearning lives: the desire to build a better life through faith, freedom, and hard work. It’s a desire I have seen in the eyes of young students in Enugu, in the determination of women trading tomatoes on the streets of Aba, and in the quiet prayers of fathers hoping to send their children to school. Continue Reading...
July 15, 2021

A biblical theology of work, Part 2: Wealth creation

Wealth creation is a divine imperative, though one that generates significant responsibilities. The church fails on business and economics when leaders think only about the responsibilities of wealth and nothing at all about how that wealth is created – both are divine imperatives. Continue Reading...
November 21, 2012

Acton Commentary: Sacrifice and Self-Interest

In this week’s Acton Commentary, I take a look at the relationship between sacrifice and self-interest. One of the common complaints against market economies is that they foster selfishness. But as Paul Heyne points out, it is crucially important to distinguish between self-interest and selfishness: “Many of the most eminent and sophisticated theorists in the economics profession make no effort to distinguish between self-interest and selfishness or between rational behavior and greedy behavior.” Continue Reading...