July 2009 – Page 5 – Religion & Liberty Online

July 10, 2009

Calvin’s Quincentenary: Out with the New, in with the Old!

Today marks the quincentenary of John Calvin’s birth. Over at the First Things site, I take the occasion to pay special attention to Calvin’s concern for articulating the antiquity, and therefore the catholicity, of the Reformation. Continue Reading...

July 09, 2009

A Theory of Gift, Duty, and Rights Based on Caritas in Veritate

One of Pope Benedict XVI’s great emphases in his new social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, is the idea of gift. A gift is something that we have received without earning. As the Pope wisely notes, “The human being is made for gift,” even though man is often “wrongly convinced that he is the sole author of himself, his life and society.” Continue Reading...

July 09, 2009

Caritas in Veritate: How to Help the Poor

Throughout Caritas in Veritate there is a strong message to help the poor. This is an age old belief held by many. It can be found throughout the Bible and is preached by Christians and members of differing faiths. Continue Reading...

July 09, 2009

Quick Conservative Protestant Take on Caritas in Veritate

I remember once reading an author who began by saying that he wasn’t a big fan of Paul. I was offended by that because I thought, “Who are you to pronounce yourself a non-fan of Paul? Continue Reading...

July 08, 2009

Caritas in Veritate Not a Leftist Manifesto

A number of journalists and some pundits on the religious left are aiming to own Caritas in Veritate, the new papal encyclical on economics. To them, the encyclical is a polemic against globalization and even the free market itself. Continue Reading...