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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

  • 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

  • The middle class in an age of inequality

    Writing in 2013, Moisés Naím, formerly executive director of the World Bank and currently at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, decried the increasing impotency of elites to

Latest PowerBlog Posts by Jordan J. Ballor, PhD

  • 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.…

  • First Reformed: The toxic mess of syncretism

    There’s a lot to process in Paul Schrader’s latest film, “First Reformed.” The first half of the film sets up as a powerful, even brilliant, study of spiritual desolation and the cross-currents of modern idolatry and traditional religion. Continue Reading... Related posts:…

  • A trade ‘war’ preemptive strike

    Over at Providence today, I say a bit about the Trump administration’s trade policy as well as the President’s rhetoric. Here’s a snip: A sober defense of free trade aspires toward freer and freer exchange, even while it recognizes the necessities of incremental improvements and…

CLPress books by Jordan J. Ballor, PhD