Ideas on Liberty, Religion and Society

A friend recently asked me to put together some resources on the conservative economic and political worldview (especially from an evangelical Christian perspective), so that he could become better informed on this viewpoint. I decided to turn my research and information gathering into a blog post so that others might benefit from it as well. These are all resources that I have used, still use and/or tap into to stay informed on this general topic. You will notice that I shy away from the shrill, reactionary and negative approach of some “conservatives” in favor of a more thoughtful, engaging and reasoned approach.

This post will be updated as I gather more information. Please leave your comments below on additional recommendations!

Newsletters

• Hillsdale College – “Imprimis” (FREE)
• “The Freeman“ – Free E-newsletter of The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)

Magazines

• World Magazine – We subscribe and get the print version – delivered every 2 weeks.
  • Africa Rising – Mindy Belz
  • Minding Africa’s Business – Mindy Belz, Alisa Harris
  • Godly Endeavor – Marvin Olasky
• Christianity Today – We subscribe to the print version, however all content is eventually posted online
• National Review – Founded by William F. Buckley, Jr.
• US News & World Report

Books

• “Money, Greed and God“ – Jay W. Richards
• “Economics Does Not Lie“ – Guy Sorman
• “Human Action: A Treatise on Economics“ – Ludwig von Mises
• “The Search for God and Guinness“ - Stephen Mansfield
• “Infidel“ – by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
• “The Law“ – by Frederic Bastiat - This is a relatively short book, dealing with the correct role of government, law, and true justice. It draws on a Christian worldview in terms of private property rights, but is mainly just logic-based. It is a little academic but still an easy read.
• “What We Can’t Not Know” – J. Budziszewski
• “Common Sense Economics: What Everyone Should Know About Wealth and Prosperity“ – James D. Gwartney (Florida State University), Richard L. Stroup (Montana State University) and Dwight R. Lee (University of Georgia)

Essays-Articles

• “I, Pencil“ by Leonard E. Read - This short essay explains how the coordination needed to make a simple pencil is its own kind of miracle. Example of what society can do without a central planner.
• “Imago Dei and the Fall: The Implications of Two Christian Doctrines for Economics” - Lecture by Dr. PJ Hill, Professor of Economics at Wheaton College - My son Marshall saw Dr. Hill give this lecture in November 2009 at the American Enterprise Institute in DC. After reading this myself, it is a tremendously coherent argument for why free-markets are the best economic system, based on the foundational Christian beliefs about how God originally created humans and the reality of how we’ve fallen.
• “The Problem with Conservatism” - J. Budziszewski
• “The Problem with Liberalism” - J. Budziszewski
“I, Pencil” by Leonard E. Read
This short essay explains how the coordination needed to make a simple pencil is its own kind of miracle. Example of what society can do without a central plannerby Leonard E. ReThis short essay explains how the coordination needed to make a simple pencil is its own kind of miracle. Example of what society can do without a central planner.

Authors-Thinkers-Speakers-Economists

• Dinesh D’Souza – Thinker, author, columnist – heard him speak at a Ravi Zacharias event
• Marvin Olasky – the personal series describing his path from Communism to a conservative-Christian it a must read
• Michael Novak – Theologian and Author
• Thomas Sowell – African-American Economist, Professor, Author, Thinker
• Chuck Colson – Breakpoint, Prison Fellowship, author of many great books on Christian faith and culture
• Mark Steyn – Author and columnist, who also happens to be Canadian
• Walter Williams – Professor of Economics at George Mason University
• Milton Friedman – Nobel Prize-winner in Economics
• Friedrich Hayek - advocate of Austrian Economics

Websites-Blogs

• Townhall.com
• Free Republic
• First Things
• Institute of Economic Affairs – UK
• Who Really Cares? – Charitable Giving Stats

Organizations

• The Acton Institute
• The Foundation for Economic Education (FEE)
• Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation
• The Center for Vision and Values – Grove City College
• The Hoover Institution of Stanford University

Media

• “John Adams” – HBO Mini-series
• “Liberty, Rights and the American Founding“ – FEE Seminar on YouTube
• WIND Radio 560 AM –  Chicago Talk Radio
• “The Call of the Entrepreneur” – This video by the Acton Institute tells the story of 3 different entrepreneurs and demonstrates the true value that entrepreneurs create for society, weaving in aspects of Christianity. It gives the conservative view of businessmen and wealth, not as evil but as a beneficial part of society.