Hope in a Time of Secular Despair

“Humans are not well-suited to radical immanence.” After all, those who believe only in what they can see are still made in the image of God and possess a supernatural purpose even when they reject any kind of transcendent reality. Continue Reading...

Hope: the theological, economic virtue

On Holy Saturday, I wrote the last of my series of “Lentenomics” articles on virtues and the good economy for the Italian daily La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana. I invited readers to reflect on “Hope: In ourselves and in our exchanges with others and God.” Continue Reading...

Hope and the human person

Last week, Rule of Faith, a new Orthodox Christian online journal, published my article, “V. S. Soloviev and the Russian Roots of Personalism.” The article examines the nineteenth-century Russian Orthodox philosopher Vladimir Soloviev’s philosophy as it relates to the twentieth-century social philosophy known as personalism. Continue Reading...

When a Church Embraces the Power of Entrepreneurship

When we hear about church “outreach ministries,” we often think of food pantries, homeless shelters, and community events. But while these can be powerful channels for service, many churches are beginning to look for new ways to empower individuals more holistically. Continue Reading...

Worry is a Poverty Trap

There’s some evidence that the distress associated with poverty, such as worry about where your next meal is coming from, can create a negative feedback loop, leaving the poor with fewer non-material resources to leverage against poverty. Continue Reading...

Hope and The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games may lack a single reference to religion or God, but as Jordan J. Ballor and Todd Steen point out in an article for First Things, the books and film presents a secularized alternative to the Christian virtue of hope: Continue Reading...