Michael Matheson Miller

Michael Matheson Miller is a Senior Research Fellow at the Acton Institute

Posts by Michael Matheson Miller

Your Job Is Not Your Family

Welcome to our company—we are a family and we’re glad you’re part of it! You are not just a student here, you’re a member of the family. We’re not just a business. Continue Reading...

Constitution protects nonprofits despite political activism

A healthy state protects life, secures liberty, and defends property. A totalitarian state does the opposite: it arbitrarily kills, compels, and seizes property. J. D. Vance recently appeared on Fox News with Tucker Carlson to discuss a verbal altercation between Arizona State University students, one of whom was the recipient of a Ford Foundation fellowship. Continue Reading...

Following the crowd: Rene Girard on the denial of Peter

This week, June 29, was the solemn feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The Apostle Peter is remembered for many things: his declaration of Jesus as the Messiah; his boasting of fidelity, followed by his threefold denial of Christ; and his subsequent repentance and heroic martyrdom The late French anthropologist and former Stanford professor Rene Girard has an insightful discussion about the denial of Peter and the problem of scapegoating and contagion. Continue Reading...

Civil society in a time of pandemic

As the coronavirus spreads, federal, state, and local governments are wrestling with how to handle the crisis. So are civil associations, churches, businesses, and families. The role of civil society is often neglected, but it could be the most important. Continue Reading...

Think like Lenin

Gary Saul Morson has excellent and enlightening piece at the New Criterion on Vladimir Lenin and what he calls Leninthink.  “Lenin did more than anyone else to shape the last hundred years. Continue Reading...