Acton Institute PowerBlog

Madison the Politician

Ray Nothstine — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:09:17 +0000

James Madison has rightfully been forever identified as father of the U.S. Constitution, author of the Bill of Rights and coauthor of the Federalist Papers. In his new biography of America’s fourth president, Richard Brookhiser introduces us to Madison the politician. In many ways, Madison is the father of modern American politics, with all its partisanship, wheeling and dealing, vote getting, partisan media, and popular opinion polling.

The Perils of Presidential Prooftexting

Jordan J. Ballor — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:44:42 +0000

Much has been made already about President Obama’s comments yesterday at the National Prayer Breakfast concerning the Christian faith’s teachings about social responsibility. During his time at the breakfast, the president opined that getting rid of tax breaks for wealthy Americans amounted to a Christian obligation:

Next Steps Conference – Business As Mission

Chris Robertson — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:16 +0000

I am attending the Next Steps conference hosted by Indiana Wesleyan University and organized by IWU Students for BAM. This is their first annual conference. Acton Institute is sponsoring this conference as a part of our evangelical network building work. As I have opportunity, I will post blogs including highlights of the plenary and workshop sessions.

Obamacare vs the Catholic Bishops

Kishore Jayabalan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:50:25 +0000

I just completed a very short interview on Vatican Radio to discuss the current battle between the Obama administration and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It didn’t permit me to say more than that the Obama administration is making a political mistake, so I’d like to say a bit more about the serious consequences that will likely result and how we ended up with this Church-State conundrum in the first place.

Orthodox Bishops Assembly Silent on Moral Issues

John Couretas — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:22:07 +0000

Update, Feb. 2: the Assembly of Bishops issued a press release to “adamantly protest” the HHS mandate.

On the Observer blog of the American Orthodox Institute, I look at the non-reaction of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America to the recent Obama administration mandate that forces most employers and insurers to provide contraceptives, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs free of charge. More specifics here. The Assembly of Bishops, charged with the “common witness” for Orthodox Christians in America, was also missing in action during the 2012 March for Life.

Playing Politics with Unemployed Veterans

Ray Nothstine — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 21:07:50 +0000

In my commentary this week, I reflect on the unemployment rate of many newly separated military veterans of our Armed Forces. The grim jobs outlook affects our reservists and National Guard forces too. As You Were, a book I reviewed on the PowerBlog in late 2009, touched on this topic quite a bit.

The Dutch Resistance: Diet Eman at Aquinas College

Matthea Brandenburg — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:34:57 +0000

At last summer’s Acton University conference, one of the evening key note lectures included Diet Eman, a Grand Rapids resident and one of the leaders of the World War II Dutch resistance. As a 20-year-old bank teller in the Netherlands in 1940, Diet dove into underground activities, doing anything she could to protect Jews from the deadly Nazi advance. She, along with a small minority of ordinary Dutch citizens, bravely put their lives on the line to preserve human life and dignity.

Food Truck Follow-Up

Jordan J. Ballor — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:34:09 +0000

Picking up on the theme of my commentary and blog posts from a few weeks ago, I note (via Carpe Diem) that St. Paul, Minnesota will be welcoming “a new entry coming soon to the food truck scene in downtown St. Paul. Tot Boss will be the city’s first truck specializing in Tater Tots.”

Caring For the Common Good: Why It’s Important To Integrate Faith, Work, and Economics

Chris Robertson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:27:01 +0000

Today I’m at the Caring For the Common Good: Why It’s Important To Integrate Faith, Work, and Economics one-day symposium at Cedarville University. As I have opportunity, I will blog regarding the lectures and panel discussion.

Audio: Dr. Donald Condit on the Trampling of Conscience Protections

Marc Vander Maas — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 19:02:49 +0000

Dr. Donald Condit is a regular contributor to Acton on matters relating to health care, most recently with his commentary on the Obama administration’s mandate that most employers and insurers to provide contraceptives, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs free of charge. That commentary was the starting point for an interview with Sheila Liaugminas on A Closer Look on Relevant Radio last Thursday.