Rev. Ben Johnson is Executive Editor of the Acton Institute's flagship journal Religion & Liberty and edits its transatlantic website.
Posts by Rev. Ben Johnson
September 10, 2020
China’s draconian “national security law” has not just stifled the free speech of pro-democracy politicians, teachers, and journalists, it has now shut down a prayer campaign called by Roman Catholic hierarchy.
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September 07, 2020
A court has found Hong Kong dissident Jimmy Lai not guilty of intimidation. But that does not mean he, or Hong Kong, can rest easy – especially as he faces the prospect of life in prison without any public support from the most important institution in his life: the Vatican.
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September 01, 2020
Perhaps the only positive thing to come from the COVID-19 global pandemic has been the way it exposed a raft of never-needed regulations imposed by every level of government. Unfortunately, rather than repealing one such ordinance which could contribute to the spread of the coronavirus, the UK’s Conservative government has literally doubled down.
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September 01, 2020
Like his fellow Hong Kong citizens, Jimmy Lai faces a date with destiny. A Chinese judge will decide on Thursday whether the Catholic dissident publisher goes to jail for up to five years over trumped-up intimidation charges.
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August 28, 2020
The birth of a child is life’s greatest joy – unless a dictator is asking you to have children to increase his personal power base, and he has destroyed the economy so badly that you can’t feed yourself.
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August 27, 2020
Kellyanne Conway likely gave her last public speech in her role as White House adviser on Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention. The Conway clan’s political divisions mirror the growing bitterness that has become ingrained in families nationwide as America becomes more politicized, more secular, and less tolerant of philosophical diversity.
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August 25, 2020
The 42nd Republican National Convention, the first virtual convention in GOP history, commenced on Monday in Charlotte, North Carolina. Its lineup of speakers highlighted the fact that the American dream is an enduring reality for minorities and immigrants, the harms that teachers unions inflict on students (and some teachers), and the incompatibility of socialism with Christian teaching.
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August 19, 2020
Senator and presumptive Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris will address the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night. As the convention plans to nominate the oldest presidential candidate in U.S. history, Harris’ views and record hold greater significance than any running mate since Harry Truman in 1944.
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August 19, 2020
The 2020 Democratic National Convention’s only viral moment to date accomplished something rare in any political season: It taught sound economic policy. The image of a masked Rhode Island delegate holding a platter of calamari during Tuesday night’s state roll call overshadowed the fact that he promoted the state’s official appetizer while praising deregulation.
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August 17, 2020
Why would a movement dedicated to black advancement want to dismantle the family, when fatherlessness is associated with every social malady from poverty and crime to delinquency and low self-esteem? Is the racially tinged socialism promoted by Black Lives Matter compatible with the U.S.
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