Women and the Academy Awards

Patricia Arquette’s passion is fabulous, says Elise Hilton in this week’s Acton Commentary, but she’s wrong on economics: Ms. Arquette’s passion is fabulous, and I’m sure that’s what makes her a great actor. Continue Reading...

Fossil Fuel Divestment: Economically Reckless and Morally Callous

“Who cares about the suffering and premature death of millions in the developing world?” asks Bruce Edward Walker in this week’s Acton Commentary.”Not religious activists agitating for fossil fuel divestment.” In another trendy move, environmentalist shareholder activists are pressuring energy companies in which they invest to scale back in part or completely their interests in oil, gas and coal. Continue Reading...

A Parable for the Entrepreneur

In this week’s Acton Commentary, “A Parable for the Unemployed,” I provide a brief survey of the biblical view of work, concluding with reference to the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20. Continue Reading...

Communion and Consumerism

“Consumption serves, sustains and deepens community—above all the Eucharistic community,” says Rev. Gregory Jensen in this week’s Acton Commentary. Consumption is not an end in itself but has a purpose. We are, Schmemann says, called by God “to propagate and have dominion over the earth”; that is to say, consumption serves human flourishing. Continue Reading...

The High Price of Human Trafficking

“Human trafficking is broader in scope than most people realize,” says Elise Hilton in this week’s Acton Commentary. Today, human trafficking impacts entire industries, and job sectors – both legitimate and illegitimate. Continue Reading...

Why Do Black Lives Matter?

“Black lives matter.’ ‘All lives matter. These slogans may forever summarize the deep tensions in American life in 2014,’ says Anthony Bradley in this week’s Acton Commentary. “We can loudly protest that “Black lives matter” but it will mean nothing in the long run if we cannot explain why black lives matter.” Continue Reading...

The Year in Acton Commentary 2014

Every Wednesday we publish the Acton Commentary, a weekly article that covers topics related to Acton’s mission. As 2014 comes to a close I thought it would be worth highlighting the superb commentaries that have been produced by Acton Institute staffers over the past year. Continue Reading...

Nothing New ‘Underneath that Burning Sun’

Friedrich Hayek once called intellectuals “professional secondhand dealers in ideas.” And the Preacher proclaimed, “There is nothing new under the sun.” So perhaps it shouldn’t be surprising when ideas, memes, and other cultural phenomena pop up again and again. Continue Reading...

A Dangerous Moment with Promise

In this week’s commentary, Acton president and co-founder Rev. Robert A. Sirico reflects on Christmas, but also on the things weighing heavily on many hearts. Despite this being a joyful time, we are caught in perilous moment in history due to the meeting of various things: intellectual, financial, militarily, and theologically. Continue Reading...