Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Book Reviews

August 10, 2023

The Habsburg Way and Ours

Lord Acton believed that “the only real political noblesse on the Continent is the Austrian.” In The Habsburg Way, Eduard Habsburg, archduke of Austria and Hungarian ambassador to the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta, has written a charming and insightful book. Continue Reading...
August 08, 2023

JPII, Mises, and Economics in Action

Why would a theologian conduct a theological and moral analysis of human action as described by Ludwig von Mises, a represen­tative of the Austrian school of economics? What can an economist and agnostic tell the moral theologian about man? Continue Reading...
August 03, 2023

Woke Capital and the End of the Friedman Doctrine

The woke agenda in corporate America is increasingly tyrannical and must be stopped to preserve free markets and the American way of life, so writes Stephen R. Soukup in the newly released second edition of The Dictatorship of Woke Capital: How Political Correctness Captured Big Business. Continue Reading...
August 01, 2023

Christianity and Liberalism: The Spirituality of the Church in a Politicized World

J. Gresham Machen’s book Christianity and Liberalism, published 100 years ago, was a curious mix of theology and politics. Readers and commentators commonly miss the political part if only because Machen, a Southern Presbyterian who labored in exile among Northern Presbyterians (the two communions were divided from the Civil War to 1983), was a proponent of the spirituality of the church, a hallmark doctrine of the Southern denomination. Continue Reading...
July 25, 2023

The Lost-and-Found Art of Self-Branding

In Genesis 1:27, we read the following: “God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” We are beings inextricably linked to God, yet we are constantly striving to separate ourselves from our Creator. Continue Reading...
July 20, 2023

Identity Politics Is All That’s Left

In a series of academic books, George Hawley has proven himself to be a thoughtful writer and thinker on American politics and its disputatious conservative and progressive elements. He is also that rare breed in contemporary academia who generally takes seriously and credibly conservative arguments on a range of issues, even those dealing with the most controversial of subjects. Continue Reading...
July 18, 2023

Who Is a Libertarian?

In their new book, The Individualists: Radicals, Reactionaries, and the Struggle for the Soul of Libertarianism, Matt Zwolinski and John Tomasi have created an exhaustive and fascinating history of the libertarian movement and its animating philosophies. Continue Reading...
July 12, 2023

The Forever (Catholic) Philosophy

If you are looking for an accessible introduction to philosophy in the Catholic tradition, James M. Jacobs’ new book, Seat of Wisdom, is a great place to begin. To be sure, any entrance into philosophy takes patience and hard thinking, and Jacobs’ book is no exception, but anyone willing to put forth the effort will surely gain a richer understanding of reality and the meaning of human existence—and human rights. Continue Reading...
June 29, 2023

Getting Back to a Mind-Centered Economy

If there is anything that makes people nervous about capitalism, it is surely the prospect of instability. Whether it is the boom-bust cycle or severe financial crises, the up-and-downs that seem to be part-and-parcel of life in market economies make us nervous. Continue Reading...
June 27, 2023

Disney and Human Flourishing

Sometime in the last decade, the collegiate class were led by their dedicated sophists to start talking about “the narrative,” which hadn’t concerned them before. Soon they also started complaining about propaganda, “misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation.” Continue Reading...