Jordan J. Ballor

Jordan J. Ballor (Dr. theol., University of Zurich; Ph.D., Calvin Theological Seminary) is executive director at the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy at First Liberty Institute.

Posts by Jordan J. Ballor

January 06, 2006

The population bomb (myth) explodes

Topping today’s Science/Nature section at BBC News, “Population size ‘green priority'”, by Richard Black. The article focuses on the thoughts of Professor Chris Rapley, Director of the British Antarctic Survey, who contends that the “current global population of six billion is unsustainably high.” Continue Reading...
January 04, 2006

‘Some stiff, righteous stuff’

The Real Clear Politics Blog passes along an op-ed from Bob Herbert, “Blowing the Whistle on Gangsta Culture,” a NYT Select item (subscription required). In the column, Herbert discusses the “profoundly self-destructive cultural influences that have spread like a cancer through much of the black community and beyond.” Continue Reading...
January 04, 2006

A case of common domain

The US government is getting set to open up a set of airwave frequencies, vacating the prime estate for obscure channels that will serve its purposes just as well. In addition, the newly available channels will provide a big boost to the capabilities of current wireless telecom providers. Continue Reading...
January 03, 2006

Brief Stark review

First item in this month’s Christianity Today Bookmarks. Conclusion: “Disconcertingly, Stark argues without qualification, nuance, and the balancing of perspectives that academics love so much. Nonetheless, he may be right.” Continue Reading...
January 03, 2006

PowerBlog top 5 of 2005

Here are the Top 5 Acton Institute PowerBlog posts of 2005 (by number of visits): The Ethics of ‘Price Gouging’, Monday, August 29, 2005 Benedict XVI on Markets and Morality, Thursday, May 5, 2005 Bono: Aid or Trade?, Continue Reading...
January 03, 2006

One man’s trash…

Sometimes one man’s trash is just trash. “Most people have no clue what’s involved with taking a garbage bag of stuff and getting it to the person who needs it,” said Lindy Garnette, executive director for SERVE Inc., Continue Reading...
January 02, 2006

The stewardship of space

As the newly-burgeoning field of space tourism takes the first steps towards reality, elements of the federal government are already pushing for stringent regulation. In a 60 Minutes report last night, the Ansari X Prize, “an extraordinary competition created in 1996 to stimulate private investment in space,” has spawned the new space race. Continue Reading...
December 30, 2005

Prayer for the future

O God our heavenly Father, you have blessed us and given us dominion over all the earth: Increase our reverence before the mystery of life; and give us new insight into your purposes for the human race, and new wisdom and determination in making provision for its future in accordance with your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Continue Reading...
December 29, 2005

Reason and revelation

Here’s what Shakespeare’s Hamlet has to say: “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy” (Hamlet, 1.V). To be sure, the immediate cause of Hamlet’s comment is the appearance of the ghost of his father. Continue Reading...
December 28, 2005

The church as country club

Jonathan Gruber, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says his research shows that “regular religious participation leads to better education, higher income and a lower chance of divorce. His results (based on data covering non-Hispanic white Americans of several Christian denominations, other faiths and none) imply that doubling church attendance raises someone’s income by almost 10%.” Continue Reading...