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Jordan J. Ballor, PhD

Senior Research Fellow and Director of Publishing

Jordan J. Ballor (Dr. theol., University of Zurich; Ph.D., Calvin Theological Seminary) is a senior research fellow and director of publishing at the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion & Liberty. He is also a postdoctoral researcher in theology and economics at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam as part of the "What Good Markets Are Good For" project. 

Contact

616-454-3080
linkedin.com/in/jordanballor

Videos

Latest Articles by Jordan J. Ballor, PhD

  • Maslow, material needs, and the gospel

    Earlier this year, Susan Mettes of Christianity Today critiqued the use of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a ministry tool . The central idea of the hierarchy, as Mettes puts it, is “that

  • Marginalization and solidarity in 'Black Panther'

    The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has become a global phenomenon. Black Panther , featuring the mythical African nation of Wakanda and its new king, T’Challa, has

  • The further reformation of all of life

    One of the famous formulas to come out of the Reformation era is that of semper reformanda , which means “always reforming.” This is a particularly appropriate topic for this observance of

  • The disordered soul of Frank Underwood

    Fans of the critically-acclaimed Netflix original series House of Cards eagerly await the release of the fifth season later this month. Frank Underwood, masterfully played by the award

Latest PowerBlog Posts by Jordan J. Ballor, PhD

  • The Christian life and the common good

    In this week’s Acton Commentary I show that the idea that “physical needs must be met before people experience spiritual needs” is older than Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs. The key to understanding how this might be lies in a distinction between the order of time and…

  • Event: A Kuyperian Response to the Crisis in the Public Square

    Every lightning-fast news cycle highlights the turmoil and tension of our current age. Cultures are clashing both in Europe and in the United States as refugees from the Middle East and Central America seek asylum. Continue Reading... Related posts: The Public Square: “Civic friendship…

  • Tribalism and the dangers of identity economics

    Occasioned by some local controversy over a political endorsement by the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, in the Detroit News today I have a piece worrying about the implications of what might be called ‘identity economics,’ or “where we only agree to economic transactions with…

  • Adam Smith and the morality of commercial society

    Over at Arc Digital today I take a look at Adam Smith’s moral teachings, particularly in light of commercial society and Christian theology. This essay serves as a brief introduction to one of the Moral Markets projects I am working on, as well as a teaser for further exploration of the…

  • Mini-Review: Advice to a Desolate France

    Gene Fant, president of North Greenville University, recently attended Acton University as a presidential fellow. He, like many of us, has a bunch of summer reading lined up, and this includes the short treatise from the sixteenth century, Advice to a Desolate France, by Sebastian Castellio.…

CLPress books by Jordan J. Ballor, PhD