Paul Ryan’s Catholicism and the Poor
Antony Davies and Kristiana Antolin, Wall Street Journal
Acts coerced by government, no matter how beneficial or well-intentioned, cannot be moral.
The Case for the Private Sector in School Reform
Joel Klein, The Atlantic
We all have our private internal worlds that we live in. Except for the windows of words or body language it is invisible to everyone else but is a precious part of our identity. On the one hand we want to keep that world a secret. We spend much energy guarding it and trust very few with its contents. On the other hand one of our deepest needs is to know others and be known. Some of us lean toward the value of secrecy, others toward letting others in, but it is a balancing act for all of us.
Being vulnerable and willing to share our internal lives is vital to being On Call in Culture. In order for our daily lives to be a blessing to the world, we need the refinement that comes through accountability and the encouragement that comes from fellow believers. Through this community of people who are asking the tough questions and encouraging us, we grow more disciplined in our outreach and more confident in our efforts.
When I watched Eric Metaxas deliver his remarks at this year’s national prayer breakfast, I was awed with the way he challenged the president on the issue of life and religious liberty. His words were wrapped in humor and informed by a powerful history that gave an edge to his remarks.
Read more on Religion & Liberty: An Interview with Eric Metaxas…
Photo Credit: USA Today
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On Friday, representatives from the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, including His Holiness Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow and all Rus and Metropolitan Josef Michalik, President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, signed a joint message committing to further work toward reconciliation between the Russian and Polish peoples and between the two churches. Read more on Catholics and Orthodox Seek Reconciliation in Poland…
Acton’s Director of Research, Samuel Gregg, has authored a review of the book, “Thomas Becket: Warrior, Priest, Rebel” by John Guy. In it, Gregg notes the continuing need for vigilance regarding religious liberty:
Read more on Samuel Gregg: Why Religious Liberty (and Thomas Becket) Really Matters…
The all-girl Russian punk band, which in February pulled its juvenile, blasphemous stunt on the ambon of one of Russian Orthodoxy’s holiest places of worship, has generated an unending stream of twaddle from so many commentators who betray a deep, willfully ignorant grasp of Christianity and a perfectly secular mindset.
Commentator Dmitry Babich on the Voice of Russia observed that “the three female members of the group, who called the Patriarch ‘a bitch’ and ‘the God’s excrement’ in the holiest of the holy (the altar of Russia’s main Orthodox cathedral), were lionized by nearly all Western press.”
Did the band members deserve two years in prison? No — a massive over reaction. But imagine if the girls had pulled their punk-stunt in the United States in, say, a mosque or a synagogue or a liberal church, and directed that kind of language at the minister or imam. How would the Western media have reacted? (Even so, they might have qualified for a National Endowment for the Arts grant).
Peter Hitchens points out in “Pussy Riot and Selective Outrage” that the exhibitionists who staged this little exercise in “protest” weren’t just interested in free speech: Read more on The Russian Punk Band and Religious Hate Crime…
There is a lot of talk today about “social entrepreneurs.” What is a social entrepreneur, and how does that differ from a business entrepreneur? Why do social entrepeneurs matter?
According to the Ashoko website:
Read more on What is a social entrepreneur and why do they matter?…
Some proponents of limited government understandably yearn to see Mitt Romney’s recently announced running mate, Paul Ryan, as something like the pure intellectual descendent of Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman. Some on the left, meanwhile, will be tempted to portray him as a heartless monster who only wants to enrich the 1 percent. Paul Ryan the politician is more complex than either portrait. Far from throwing granny under the bus, his efforts at budget reform are an essential step in saving Social Security and Medicare, along with improving the long-term fiscal health of the nation. On the other hand, and although his American Conservative Union score is a solid 91.69, he did vote for TARP, the bank bailout, and the auto bailout–government intrusions he has said he now partially regrets.
Religious Freedom Amendment on the Ballot in Florida
Tim Drake, National Catholic Register
Voters have opportunity to support faith-based organizations.
The Freedom to Homeschool
Matthew Hennessey, First Things
In Spain, where my brother-in-law and his wife are raising two young boys, if you don’t send your kids to school at the age of six, you get a visit from the cops.
Separation of School and State
Isaac Morehouse, Values & Capitalism
If you like the idea of a population that is competent in math, science, reading, writing, physics, philosophy, biology, history, economics and every other field of knowledge, you should oppose state support for education.
