May 2013 – Page 7 – Religion & Liberty Online

May 15, 2013

Money is a Means

Over at Think Christian today, I lend some broader perspective concerning the link between money and happiness occasioned by a piece on The Atlantic on some research that challenged some of the accepted scholarly wisdom on the subject. Continue Reading...

May 14, 2013

One Man’s Great Escape from North Korea

“I escaped physically, I haven’t escaped psychologically,” says Shin Dong-hyuk. His remarkable journey out of a deadly North Korean prison to freedom is chronicled in Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden. Continue Reading...

May 14, 2013

The Bangladesh Factory Collapse and the Messiness of Economic Development

The horrific factory collapse in Bangladesh, now surpassing 1,100 in total deaths, has caused many to ponder how we might prevent such tragedies in the future, leading to plenty of ideological introspection about economic development and free trade. Continue Reading...

May 14, 2013

Acton University Evening Speaker Marina Nemat: ‘Prisoner Of Tehran’

Those who’ve attended Acton University in the past know that the Evening Speakers are memorable, uplifting and often the highlight of the day for many. This year, one speaker is Marina Nemat, currently teaching at the University of Toronto. Continue Reading...

May 13, 2013

Obama Administration Orders Colleges to Implement Unconstitutional Speech Codes

Not content to trample only the religious freedom side of the First Amendment, the federal government has decided to ignore the free speech side too. As the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) reports, the U.S. Continue Reading...

May 13, 2013

Cato Unbound: Conservative-Libertarian Fusionism

I’m a contributor to this month’s edition of Cato Unbound, on the topic of “Conservative-Libertarian Fusionism.” The forum consists of four lead essays from the panelists followed by ad hoc discussion. Continue Reading...

May 13, 2013

Shoeing Horses in Detroit: How Unions Are Hindering A City’s Revival

Anyone who’s been to Detroit in recent years knows it’s a mess. Acres and acres of abandoned houses, a population decline of 25% in the past 10 years, an astronomical crime rate, and the city is literally leaking money to the tune of some $200 million in two months. Continue Reading...

May 13, 2013

Gerson on the Common Good

Michael J. Gerson’s encomium to Jim Wallis’ book on the common good includes this curious paragraph: Nearly every Christian tradition of social ethics encompasses two sorts of justice. The first is procedural justice: giving people what they deserve under contracts and the law. Continue Reading...

May 13, 2013

The IRS and the Tea Party: A Confederacy Theory

When I was a young Marine I learned that when the commanding officer says, “I wish” or “I desire,” these expressions have the force of a direct order and should be acted upon as if they had given a direct order. Continue Reading...

May 10, 2013

Community Colleges Lower Standards And Cheat Students

Higher education is in serious trouble. Plagued with the pressures of escalating costs and retention challenges, all sorts of perverse incentives are being introduced that are changing the quality of the education delivered. Continue Reading...