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January 18, 2013

We Should Affirm All Callings—Even Pastoral Ones

The winter issue of Leadership Journal is on vocation and callings. In the lead editorial, managing editor Drew Dyck reminds us that while it’s important to affirm the calling of lawyers, journalists, and plumbers, we need to remember that being a pastor is a calling too: I applaud this move toward a more holistic understanding of vocation. Continue Reading...
January 17, 2013

A Cookie for Me, But Not for Thee

There are some amazing economic and moral lessons, related to redistribution, zeo-sum fallacies, as well as virtue and desire, embedded in this Sesame Street video: Can you think of any other ways that both Ernie and Cookie Monster might have been able to be happy instead of sad? Continue Reading...
January 17, 2013

Happiness, work, and the eternal quest for meaning

In my cautionary post on the constant temptation to indulge in earthbound economics, I mentioned that even seemingly noble, intangible features such as “happiness” can be just as futile and vain when pursued on our own terms and for our own limited purposes. Continue Reading...
January 16, 2013

Debating Food Equality in New York

The Food Bank For New York recently released their annual report on the state of hunger in the city and the growing disparity between low-income New Yorkers and New York City’s professional class. Continue Reading...
January 16, 2013

Audio: Samuel Gregg Discusses ‘Becoming Europe’ on Relevant Radio

Recently  Samuel Gregg, was interviewed by Sheila Liaugminas of Relevant Radio. They discuss Gregg’s latest book, Becoming Europe. Listen to the interview here: [Audio:http://bonhoeffer.acton.org/acton_media/mp3/2013/2013-01-15_Gregg-3.mp3] Michael Novak, author of The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism, says this about the book: If you don’t know Samuel Gregg’s writing, you don’t know one of the top two or three writers on the free society today: free in its culture, free in its politics, and free in its economy. Continue Reading...
January 16, 2013

Audio: Ray Nothstine on Gun Control

Ray Nothstine, managing editor of Religion & Liberty, was recently on Relevant Radio with Drew Mariani to discuss the issue of gun control.  According to the Chicago Tribune: President Barack Obama unveiled a sweeping plan to reduce gun violence…that would require criminal background checks for all gun sales and a ban on military-style assault weapons. Continue Reading...
January 16, 2013

The Idle Ents

Last week I had the pleasure of participating in the First Kuyper Seminar, “Economics, Christianity & The Crisis: Towards a New Architectonic Critique,” held at the VU University Amsterdam. I gave a paper on “The Moral Challenges of Economic Equality and Diversity,” which focused on envy as a moral challenge particularly endemic to market economies: “Since envy arises out of inequality, envy and inequality go together. Continue Reading...