Author Archive for Jordan J. Ballor

Disability, Service, and Stewardship
0

Disability, Service, and Stewardship

by

by on Sep 03, 2013 in Disability, Sickness & Suffering, Featured, On the Job, Those in Need
Print This Article

There’s a dangerous tendency in America today to view disabilities of various kinds as insuperable barriers to productive and loving service. There is often an implicit, and sometimes explicit, disrespect of a basic feature of human dignity in the treatment of those with disabilities as merely passive recipients of government aid, the objects of public […]

The Hopes and Fears of All the Years
0

The Hopes and Fears of All the Years

by

by on Jan 07, 2013 in Featured, Parenting, The Social Order
Print This Article

At some point, sooner or later, all new parents experience that moment when they realize that this new little life is their unique responsibility. It can be a bit surreal. Holding your little one, it strikes you that a tremendous gift has been given to you, a gift that brings with it significant and life-altering […]

The Moral Status of Market Competition
2

The Moral Status of Market Competition

by

by on Sep 10, 2012 in Featured, Leadership, The Economy
Print This Article

One of the main criticisms of the market economy leveled by people of faith is that the market thrives on competition, incentivizing the voracious and oppositional features of human existence. Walter Rauschenbusch captured this concern in his classic exposition of what he called “the law of tooth and nail” in Christianizing the Social Order (1912). “The moral […]

It Takes a Village to Raise a Business
0

It Takes a Village to Raise a Business

by

by on Jul 26, 2012 in Featured, Government & Politics, The Economy
Print This Article

Many conservatives are reacting strongly to a recent speech given by President Obama in which he seems to denigrate the entrepreneurial spirit of American enterprise. “If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own,” said the president at a campaign event [the other] week in Virginia.”You didn’t get there on your own,” he reiterated. […]

Secular Scapegoats and <em>The Hunger Games</em>
0

Secular Scapegoats and The Hunger Games

by

by on Apr 02, 2012 in Featured, On Books, On TV and Movies, The Social Order
Print This Article

The Hunger Games trilogy penned by Suzanne Collins has proven to be hugely successful, and deservedly so. The tale of post-apocalyptic love, poverty, war, and oppression poignantly captures the fundamental injustice of tyranny. As the film premiere of the first book dominated the box office this past weekend, it’s worth reflecting on what can be […]

Corrupted Capitalism and the Housing Crisis
0

Corrupted Capitalism and the Housing Crisis

by

by on Mar 14, 2012 in Featured, The Economy
Print This Article

To say that our public discourse today stands in need of some improvement is undoubtedly an understatement, but perhaps no area of our common life requires more careful consideration than our political speech. All too often we find public discussions of political economy cast in stark terms, such as “socialism” versus “capitalism.” Very often these […]

Cheerleader-in-Chief
0

Cheerleader-in-Chief

by

by on Jan 25, 2012 in Featured, The Economy
Print This Article

I was asked for my initial reaction to President Obama’s State of the Union speech, and the handsomely redesigned Think Christian posted them last night, “Jobs, Steve Jobs, and the State of the Union.” As I point out, the president’s protectionist posturing is belied by the realities experienced by companies like Apple. The president is essentially telling companies: Ask […]

I, iPhone
4

I, iPhone

by

by on Jan 11, 2012 in Featured, The Economy
Print This Article

The latest episode of This American Life follows the story of Mike Daisey and his investigation into the origins of Apple products, especially the iPhone which is “Made in China.” What might the iPhone say if it could speak for itself? Ira Glass provides some answers to such a question in the opening moments of this episode, “Mr. […]

Food Fights and Free Enterprise
0

Food Fights and Free Enterprise

by

by on Jan 07, 2012 in Featured, The Economy
Print This Article

It is sometimes said, following Milton Friedman’s insight, that business is not a friend to the free market, and the truth of this is no more evident than in recent battles between established restaurateurs and operators of mobile eateries. Once a business becomes established and enjoys a measure of success, a narrow view of its […]

Work, the Curse, and Common Grace
0

Work, the Curse, and Common Grace

by

by on Nov 14, 2011 in Featured, Vocations
Print This Article

That human beings were created to be creators, to work, is undeniable. The anthropological concept of homo faber, man the tool-maker, attests to this basic aspect of what it means to be human. From a Christian perspective, we confess that human beings make things in a way that imitates their Maker. While God creates “out […]

Work and Prayer: Of Coins, Sheep, and Men
3

Work and Prayer: Of Coins, Sheep, and Men

by

by on Sep 07, 2011 in Featured, Live in Christ
Print This Article

One of the most famous stories from the Bible is that of “The Prodigal Son,” a tale that has resonated with parents across times and cultures. The basic plot of the story is straightforward: a rebellious youth sets off from home in search of worldly pleasures, and having wasted his father’s money and reputation, eventually […]

Commodifying Compassion
2

Commodifying Compassion

by

by on Jul 15, 2011 in Featured, The Economy
Print This Article

Religious progressives are often quick to condemn those who extol the virtues of market economies for focusing too much on material concerns. This charge of materialism is, in fact, a core and valid insight contained in most critiques of consumerism, a phenomenon in which people tend to equate their own value and meaning with the […]

Little Plots of Liberty: From Garden to City and Back Again
0

Little Plots of Liberty: From Garden to City and Back Again

by

by on May 30, 2011 in Featured, The Economy
Print This Article

The economic, political, and cultural challenges facing the city of Detroit are well-known, and have received international coverage in recent months. And while hope springs eternal, there are still signs that the city’s culture of stifling bureaucracy and corruption will be difficult to reform. Nowhere is this simultaneous promise and peril of Detroit’s future more […]

CL6 - hbratton notxt
0

Local Churches Hard Hit as Recession Spreads

by

by on Feb 16, 2011 in The Economy
Print This Article

As the effects of the Great Recession continue to ripple outward, many churches are having a difficult time meeting their budgets. There has been an uptick in foreclosures of church properties across America, and this is in addition to the budgetary belt-tightening that congregations are performing in order to stay solvent. And as local governments […]