Category: economics
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Economics
Nobody knows how to make a pencil
What is a pencil worth? It’s a simple question, about a simple product, and it highlights just how complicated our economy is, and how very much managing it is beyond any one man, even the Prime Minister. Nobody knows what…
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Book ReviewsPrincess Navina visits Malvolia
The most important of topics aren’t always the most interesting. That’s why, instead of writing a textbook on the subject of “how government policy goes…
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EconomicsWhy family businesses still matter (and why the Church should care)
I grew up with dirt under my fingernails and the sound of machinery in my ears. My grandparents’ farm sat on the arable land; our…
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EconomicsThe Parable of the Talents: the Bible and entrepreneurs
The parables of Jesus teach eternal truths, but they also offer surprising practical lessons for worldly affairs. In the Gospel According to Matthew (chapter 25,…
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EconomicsFriedrich Hayek (1899-1992) showed us that free enterprise is necessary for freedom
One of the greatest social theorists of the twentieth century was a libertarian – some would say conservative – economist named Friedrich Hayek (1899-1992). Hayek…
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EconomicsOn why freer trade is best
The following is based on Real Talk’s episode #126, “Mere Economics and the Issue of Tariffs,” with host Lucas Holtvlüwer talking to economics professor and…
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EconomicsWork is Worship
**** There we sat under the starry skies, talking faith, family, fun and business. A familiar space. Like many of you, I get to enjoy…
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EconomicsLet’s not be the squeaky wheel
Fewer people are using VIA Rail, more trains are behind schedule, and the Crown corporation continues to bleed money by the millions: that’s what Canada’s…
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EconomicsTariffs are terrible economics: why Canada shouldn’t hit back
Free trade – free of barriers and restrictions – has, traditionally, been pretty exclusive to the Right side of the political spectrum. But now, with…
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Adult non-fictionThere’s No Free Lunch: 250 Economic Truths
by David L. Bahnsen 2021 / 308 pages This is a wonderful primer on economics from a conservative Christian perspective (and the second There’s No…
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Adult non-fictionNo Free Lunch: Six economic lies you’ve been taught and probably believe
by Caleb Fuller 20021 / 138 pages Every now and again I’ll hand out a book to any nephews or nieces willing to give it…
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EconomicsPremier Ford calls on the feds to make EV cars more expensive
Ontario’s premier has asked the federal government to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, which would make these cars twice as expensive as…
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Book ReviewsThe Hyperinflation Devastation
by Connor Boyack 400 pages / 2019 Rating: GOOD/Great/Give Remember those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books kids loved back in the 1980s? Readers would be brought…
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EconomicsChristians can’t “invest” in cryptocurrency
I hope this headline got your attention! I can hear some of the objections already: What do you mean, we can’t invest in cryptocurrency; don’t…
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EconomicsInvesting in Eternity: thinking 30 million years ahead
In Matthew 13:44 we find a single verse that captures the heart and soul of following Christ: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden…
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Adult non-fictionChristian Economics in One Lesson
by Gary North 2015 / 268 pages Henry Hazlitt’s Economics in One Lesson is what its title suggests, just one economic lesson explained in the first…
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Adult non-fictionEconomics in One Lesson
by Henry Hazlitt 1946 / 193 pages Universal basic income, a four-day work week, and government-funded daycare are just a few big-ticket proposals that are…
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EconomicsThinking on the margin, or why some pollution is better than none
An important aspect of economics is counting the costs of an action or purchase, and, on the flipside, also evaluating the benefit that could result….
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EconomicsTHERE’S NO FREE LUNCH – an economic principle Christian teens (& adults) need to know
Small revolutions in schooling are occurring across the world. From homeschooling to microschools, many parents find themselves wanting more for their children in terms of…
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EconomicsOn achieving equality…
I was recently confronted with the disturbing statistic that evidences the ultimate case of gender inequality: the life expectancy of males is 6.1 years lower…
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EconomicsAn abundance mentality in business
Christian business owners often speak about an “abundance mentality”: the idea that God, in blessing their companies richly, has allowed them to be a blessing…
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Book ReviewsNobody knows how to make a pizza
by Julie Borowski 2019 / 30 pages Rating: Good/GREAT/Give The picture book’s title makes a claim that my daughter just couldn’t believe: “Come on Dad, you know…
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EconomicsThe art of the apology
In the middle of a leaders’ coaching session, focusing on how they engaged in difficult conversations with their teams, I began to notice a theme….
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EconomicsThe hidden tax of inflation
Prices are on the rise in many countries around the world. Price increases are measured by a statistic called inflation, which expresses the percent prices…
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EconomicsWhat does a Reformed entrepreneur look like?
What is it about Reformed Christians that has so many wired to be entrepreneurs? Think about all the landscape professionals and nursery operators in Ontario,…
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EconomicsThe impact of saying, “I’m so busy”
How many times have you asked someone “How are you doing?” and they respond with “Busy!”? In that response, they did not actually answer your caring inquiry and they…
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EconomicsManure into mattresses – we can “create” resources
Economist Julian Simon’s key insight is that man’s creativity – his brainpower – is a resource that creates other resources. So while some view a…
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EconomicsThe $15 minimum wage – good intentions are not enough
In the US, the latest COVID-19 relief package has re-awoken the debate on minimum wage increases, and that policy conversation is spilling over into Canada,…
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EconomicsLove Gov: Breaking up with government is hard to do
Here’s something new: an economic argument for small government presented as a comedic drama. And Love Gov is a romance too, sort of. Alexis is…
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EconomicsThinking in terms of tradeoffs rather than solutions…
In a June 2 Facebook live discussion with fellow Conservative MP Garnett Genius, Arnold Viersen outlined two very different ways that politicians tend to approach…
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EconomicsIt’s A Wonderful Loaf: why free enterprise makes bread in abundance
In the illustrated economic poem below, the author shows how the free enterprise system – with supposedly no one in control – can deliver bread…
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EconomicsTwo tales of trade: how free trade creates wealth
As Christians we know that man is prone to all sorts of evil, but we often forget that man is also prone to all sorts…
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Economics5 things Christians should know about income inequality
Income inequality is still at the forefront of conversation for many people. Thankfully, there are biblical principles that help Christians understand whether income inequality is a…
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EconomicsI started my business for the wrong reasons
Why did you start your business? When people ask me that question, I often respond with, “So I could spend more time with my family…
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DocumentaryWait till it’s free
Documentary 2014 / 82 minutes Rating: 9/10 Why would Canadians be interested in watching a Scotsman take a look at the American healthcare system? Because…
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EconomicsOn Union Membership: voices from the past
On March 9, 2017 the Abbotsford Canadian Reformed Church held a forum on “Christians and Union Membership” and I was tasked with presenting a historic…
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EconomicsA sad tale of a wealthy millennial’s moral confusion
A few years back my wife heard a young woman share that she had felt guilty for being able to go out to dinner with…