What Christians Should Know About Consumption

November 10, 2015 By Acton Institute

Editors’ Note: This article is part of the Patheos Public Square on Consumerism Gone Wild. Read other perspectives here. By Joe Carter What it means: Consumption is the use of goods and services by households. Why it matters: Consumption is an ugly word for a beautiful concept. Since the Middle Ages, the word “consumption” has referred to wasting diseases, such as tuberculosis, which “consume” the body. More recently, consumption has often been confused with consumerism, a useful and related term that has... Read more

There is No Such Thing as ‘The Poor’

November 5, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Victor Claar With the recent news that Angus Deaton of Princeton University had won the economics Nobel, the question of how best to help the poor in developing nations takes on a greater level of urgency. Honoring him with the The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences also highlights the value of economics as a moral science. Born in Scotland in 1945, Deaton earned his Ph.D. from Cambridge University in 1974, and has served on the faculty at Princeton University since 1983.... Read more

TerraCyle Founder: ‘I Want To Make A Lot Of Money Doing Good’

November 4, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Elise Hilton Starting a business is a risky undertaking. You need money, a product or service people want, and a way to deliver that product or service in a way that keeps some of that money in your pocket. For self-described “social entrepreneurs,” the stakes are even higher: their goal is to do something particularly “good” while making money. On this, Tom Szaky of TerraCycle is quite clear. “I want to make a lot money doing good,” he says, and he just may... Read more

Marriage as Cornerstone: How the Family Is a Foundation for Flourishing

October 30, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Joseph Sunde With the expansion of economic freedom and the resulting prosperity, we’ve reached an unprecedented position of personal empowerment and vocational choice. This is a welcome development, and it can be seized for good in any number of ways. But it also comes with its own risks and temptations. As with any surface-level “freedom,” unless we seek God first and neighbor second, our action will quickly be steered by pleasure, pride, pursuit of power, or plain old personal preference... Read more

The Call of the Martian

October 28, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Jordan Ballor I recently saw The Martian and was struck by the number of resonant themes on a variety of is issues, including creation, creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, exploration, work, suffering, risk, and civilization. I won’t be exploring all of these in the brief reflections below, but will simply be highlighting some salient features. The film communicates something seriously important about the threefold relations of human beings: to God, to one another, and to the creation. There will be some potential spoilers... Read more

The Moral Dimension of Work

October 27, 2015 By Acton Institute

By James V. Schall “The moral foundation of political economy,” to use Lord Acton’s phrase, rests on the connection of liberty with right, of right with duty, of duty with leisure and delight, and of all with transcendence. Our most unsettling economic problems are actually not economic but moral—moral ones that cannot be simply passed on from generation to generation. They need to be chosen and internalized by each person in each generation at the risk of deflecting material goods from... Read more

Life in Exile: Bringing Peace and Prosperity to Rural New York

October 26, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Evan Koons We’ve got another testimony for you. This one is from Judilynn Niedercorn in rural New York! For her, For the Life of the World led to many wonderful “eureka moments.” I had to share some parts from her story. Enjoy! —– Hello Evan, strangers and friends!!! Oh my gosh! I have stories! Letters to the Exiles was the convergence of everything God had been teaching me for a year… I FINALLY GOT IT! Since around August of 2013,... Read more

Lester DeKoster’s 3 Dimensions of Work

October 20, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Joseph Sunde Lester DeKoster’s short book, Work: The Meaning of Your Life, sets forth a profound thesis and solid theological framework for how we think about work. Although the faith and work movement has delivered a host of books and resources on the topic, DeKoster’s book stands out for its bite and balance. It is remarkably concise, and yet sets forth a holistic vision that considers the multiple implications of the Christian life. The book was recently re-issued, along with the... Read more

6 Quotes: Angus Deaton on Poverty

October 19, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Joe Carter Last week, Princeton economist Angus Deaton won the Nobel prize in economic sciences for his work on “analysis of consumption, poverty, and welfare.” In honor of this recognition, here are six quotes by Deaton on poverty: On poverty measurements: “Poverty lines are as much political as scientific constructions.” On measuring global poverty: “Measuring poverty at the local level is straightforward, at the national level it is hard but manageable, but at the level of the world as a whole it is... Read more

Retailers and the ‘Religion of Consumption’

October 15, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Jordan Ballor There’s an intriguing piece in the NYT from last month by Hiroko Tabuchi that explores some of the challenges facing traditional retailers, “Stores Suffer From a Shift of Behavior in Buyers.” (HT: Sarah Pulliam Bailey) Department stores like Macy’s and Kohl’s seem to be losing out on the rebound in consumer spending, writes Tabuchi. “Department stores made up one of just two categories tracked by the Commerce Department where spending declined, the latest in a choppy performance from them this... Read more