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Economics and Theology: A Wondrous Exchange
Attempts to write of one's own vocation often fall flat. A priest whom I know remarked recently on the fiftieth anniversary of his priestly ordination, “The Lord could have chosen much better, he could have chosen much worse. He chose me.” That is every vocation in sum, and saying anything more often means just multiplying words.Centesimus Annus Turns Ten
This year marks the tenth anniversary of John Paul II's most important social encyclical, Centesimus Annus. Taking its name from the first two words of the Latin text, the title means “the hundredth anniversary” and is a reference to Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII's 1891 encyclical on the condition of the working classes.How Christianity Created Capitalism
- Capitalism, it is usually assumed, flowered around the same time as the Enlightenment–the eighteenth century–and, like the Enlightenment, entailed a diminution of organized religion. In fact
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Is the Acton Institute a Catholic organization?
With this issue dedicated to John Paul II, it is timely to address a common misunderstanding that Acton is affiliated somehow with the Roman Catholic Church. Sometimes we are also asked whether Acton is linked to the Christian Reformed Church in North America because of the strong Dutch Calvinist presence in Grand Rapids, Mich., where the CRC and the Acton Institute are both based. In either case, the answer is no.Editor's note
This issue of R&L gets us inside so to speak, the European soul.Fairness in the market
What is conservation and what is waste can only be measured by the price system in a market setting.Defending the weak and the idol of equality
Protecting the weak is realistic in a way that trying to create absolute equality is not.Doubled-edged sword: The power of the Word
There are other practices in Deuteronomy that are described as abominable, practices with a more readily identifiable detestable nature such as sorcery, idolatry, and offering children in pagan rites. It is among such company that the law places one who cheats another out of a few cents in business.The dividends of social capital
If a culture places importance on virtues that help create prosperity – honesty, fairness, personal responsibility, the importance of hard work, and respect for law – it creates an atmosphere of trust, which engenders spontaneous and voluntary collaboration and creates the conditions where business and entrepreneurship can flourishTrust and entrepreneurship
The virtue of trust is critical in a free-market economy, including for the risk taking – that is, entrepreneurship and investment – that drives economic growth forward. High degrees of trust must exist in the economic system, in the government, in businesses, and in consumers.Editor's note
Do you have to be good to do well? This issue looks at that question.The virtues of development
Entrepreneurs and advocates of market freedom have a special obligation to emphasize the responsible use of prosperity, leisure, and charity.