By Joe Carter Why do some countries grow richer faster than others? How can we explain wealth disparities between countries? The answer: Growth rates. Economist Alex Tabarrok explains how even small changes to growth rates can have a big effect on the economy of a country—and on the flourishing of its citizens. Read more
By Joseph Sunde The real estate crisis led to plenty of finger-pointing and blame-shifting, but for Phoenix real estate developer Walter Crutchfield, it led to self-examination and spiritual reflection. “The real estate crash brought me to a place of stepping back and evaluating,” Crutchfield says. “I could see where I lost sight of the individual intrinsic value of work, of individuals, of community…Rather than asking ‘is the demand reasonable?,’ we just serviced it, and now we had a chance to... Read more
In a recent lecture at the Acton Institute, Jeffrey Tucker, Chief Liberty Officer of Liberty.me, explains how capitalism is really about love. “This is the working out of a dream,” he says. “It’s the working out of love…that’s what entrepreneurs feel. It’s like crazy juice…It’s a source of progress and beauty in the world.” Read more
By Jordan Ballor Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s letter to their daughter may indeed be substantively vacuous, but the move to place $45 billion into an explicitly socially-conscious LLC is illuminating on a number of levels. At least some of the critical reaction to the announcement hinges on a deep skepticism and even suspicion of for-profit corporations, however, and has less to do with the specifics or lack thereof of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative than with broader fears about institutions... Read more
By Joseph Sunde When it comes to economic stewardship, Christians are called to a frame of mind distinct from the world around us. Though we, like anyone, will sow and bear fruit, ours is an approach driven less by ownership than by partnership, a collaboration with a source of provision before and beyond ourselves. This alters how we create, manage, and invest as individuals. But it mustn’t end there, transforming our churches, businesses, and institutions, from the bottom up and down again. In some helpful reflections from the inner... Read more
By Joe Carter Note: This is part of an Acton blog series titled, “What Christians Should Know About Economics.” For other entries in the series, click here. Crony capitalism is a general term for the range of activities in which particular individuals or businesses in a market economy receive government-granted privileges over their customers and/or competitors. For as long as there have been government officials, there have been economic cronies — friends, family, and associates who use their connections for their own... Read more
By Joseph Sunde “I’ve done my best to popularize Kuyper, because that’s what’s so desperately needed in Western civilization today: a looking at all of life through God’s eyes.” –Chuck Colson Given the recent release of Abraham Kuyper’s 12-volume collection of works in public theology, it’s worth noting his influence on modern-day shapers of Christian thought and action. From Francis Schaeffer to Cornelius Van Til to Alvin Plantinga, Kuyper’s works have expanded the cultural imaginations of many. Another devotee was the... Read more
By Jordan Ballor The nationwide furor has died down a bit after the $1.586 billion Powerball lottery jackpot was split three ways last January. Future jackpots may seem rather paltry after the record-setting prize, but the allure of life-changing money will continue to attract players from around the country. While lottery commissions promote their schemes as good for the public as well as the individual players, lotteries are actually mechanisms to impoverish, both morally and economically, the populace. Far from a force for... Read more
By Sarah Stanley The atmosphere at Edwins is calm and casual three hours before opening for business on a Friday afternoon. Someone has piped hip-hop music through the sound system, a far cry from the soft, ambient tracks that diners will hear later. A bartender inspects glasses while another vacuums the floor and others check that tables are properly set for dinner. Near a fireplace between the bar and the kitchen, a group of young men and women gather with... Read more
By Joseph Sunde When struggling with work that wounds — work that is “cross-bearing, self-denying, and life-sacrificing,” as Lester DeKoster describes it — we can content ourselves by remembering that God is with us in the workplace. Whether we know it or not, our work has meaning. These are powerful truths, but God has not left us with mere head knowledge and philosophical upgrades. When we give our lives to Christ and choose a path of transformation and obedience, the fruits of the Spirit manifest in real and tangible... Read more
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