Posts by Jordan J. Ballor
September 25, 2019
In this week’s Acton Commentary I argue that pathos and politics isn’t enough to address the contemporary challenges of environmental stewardship in general and climate change in particular. I point to the necessity to recognize the gifts and responsibilities that God has given to humanity. Continue Reading...
September 04, 2019
A more robust vision of labor and solidarity
In this week’s Acton Commentary, “Your work is more than your job,” I try to provide a broader perspective on the dynamics of a proper “work-life balance.” My main point, as the title indicates, is that our paid work is just a part–an important part no doubt, but just a part–of our “work,” understood as the service that we are called to do for others. Continue Reading...
August 23, 2019
A Christian psychology, pedagogy, and anthropology
At the behest of one of the editors, we’ve included an appendix in the new volume in the Abraham Kuyper Collected Works in Public Theology series, On Education, and called it “Lemkes’ Wish.” Continue Reading...
August 16, 2019
Common grace and natural law
It has been a topic of much dispute in the last century or so of Protestant theology, but the status of natural law, and particularly its connection with the doctrine of common grace, continues to be of significance. Continue Reading...
August 07, 2019
Sphere sovereignty and limited (and legitimate) government
The Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper is well-known for his articulation of sphere sovereignty, and the following passage from the third volume of his Common Grace trilogy is a clear and balanced summary of this doctrine, particularly as it relates to the limits of government action. Continue Reading...
August 05, 2019
Milton Friedman on business as an enemy of enterprise
Milton Friedman is one half of the duo so often identified with “neoliberalism” (the other being Friedrich Hayek), the hegemonic power that is typically seen as constitutive of our contemporary age. Continue Reading...
July 08, 2019
Spider-Man: Distrust and Deepfakes
The latest addition the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is Spider-Man: Far from Home, which brings an end to Phase 3.
In this installment, we have an intriguing spin on the standard superhero motif of vocation and responsibility. Continue Reading...
June 26, 2019
Common grace, community, and culture
Earlier this year I had the honor of moderating a panel discussion, “Common Grace, Community, and Culture,” at the Kuyper Conference at Calvin College and Seminary.
The discussion featured J. Daryl Charles, with whom I have the pleasure of coediting the Common Grace volumes in the Kuyper series, Vincent Bacote of Wheaton College, and Jessica Joustra of Redeemer University College and TU Kampen. Continue Reading...
June 14, 2019
The Laymen’s Lounge: Everyday Theology for Everyday Life
I was happy to be interviewed recently for The Laymen’s Lounge, a new site focused on providing everyday theology to encourage and edify Christians in everyday life.
My interview is titled, “Work and the Mundane,” and I get some plugs in for resources by figures including Lester DeKoster, Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavinck, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Continue Reading...
June 06, 2019
Psalms in war time
As part of reflecting on the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day, I write about “The D-Day price and the Prince of Peace” over at Acton’s Transatlantic channel.
The Dutch theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper invoked Psalm 88:15 in his essay on the outbreak of World War I, “Your terrors,” (translated by Harry Van Dyke). Continue Reading...