Christian principles Archives

The Paradox of Being Alone Together

by John Horvat II April 3, 2023January 10, 2013

One of the justifications for overuse of communication technology is that it saves time and increases contacts with others. Ever faster and efficient machines supposedly produce more possibilities to connect in less time, thus leaving more time for leisure. However, this rationale does not always ring true. New phones and gadgets only encourage greater speed … Read more

Praise for Return to Order – Gregor Hochreiter

by John Horvat II October 30, 2013January 2, 2013

“Return to Order is a very timely and valuable publication. The author Mr. Horvat does an excellent job in excavating the underlying root of the recurrent economic crises. It is the loss of the golden mean of virtuousness, the consequence of replacing prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance as the guiding principles of economic activity with … Read more

The Rent-a-Stock Rage

by John Horvat II October 30, 2013December 28, 2012

Bogle claims such practices may help Wall Street brokers but clearly hurt investors who would be better off to hold stocks for the long term and avoid transfer fees. Now, the tendency is to flit from one stock to another in the hope of hitting the jackpot. This “rent-a-stock” mentality can be seen in the … Read more

The Last Twinkie

by John Horvat II November 21, 2013November 29, 2012

Written by Gary Isbell * From an economic point of view, it was an almost insignificant event. A major American firm lamentably went bankrupt as many do. These things are to be expected in the present financial climate. However, from a cultural point of view, this particular failure, and the manner in which it happened, … Read more

High-Frequency Trading: Markets on Steroids

by John Horvat II November 21, 2013November 27, 2012

The purpose of the stock market is to provide liquidity to investors who know with certainty that they can buy and sell their shares at any time. In this way, the market serves as a constant encouragement to invest capital in sectors of the economy while limiting risks. Thus, the market fulfills a need in society and can contribute to economic prosperity.

However, it is no secret that the stock market has often favored reckless activities and speculation that depart from this purpose. It has given rise to crashes, manias and panics that turns this instrument of sound investment into a financial casino where everyone plays the market in hopes of cashing in at the right moment. Stockbrokers are always coming up with new ways to beat the market. Such practices are perfect examples of what has been called frenetic intemperance – a reckless and restless spirit inside modern economy that seeks to throw off all restraint.

Embedding Honor in Society, Restoring Trust

by John Horvat II April 11, 2017November 26, 2012

We must ask how a rule of honor can be restored. To this we would reply: fill society with principles, ideas and moral values and the influence of the rule of money will greatly diminish. Free Audio Book: Return to Order: From a Frenzied Economy to an Organic Christian Society—Where We’ve Been, How We Got … Read more

How do we keep Black Friday from Destroying Thanksgiving?

by John Horvat II November 21, 2013November 23, 2012

Thanksgiving Day should be about God and family, not shopping. But Black Friday is now creeping into Thanksgiving. This is an example of how “frenetic intemperance” breaks down the natural tempering influence of family life on our economy. How do we turn the tide?

We Must Fight for America – Not Secede from America

by John Horvat II November 21, 2013November 21, 2012

While we must kill the cancer, we must also defend the body. For this reason, we must also vigorously defend the many excellent values that still exist in America. In the order of economics, we must defend sound principles like private property and free enterprise, which are according to natural law and form the foundation … Read more

The Different Roads of the Authentic and Inauthentic Elites

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira October 12, 2020November 19, 2012

When a person acquires a fortune, whether by his own merit or inheritance, two roads lie before him: He can take the arduous road to secure for himself, or his descendants, an entrance into the traditional elites; or he can take the easy path, becoming a toad.

The First Step in our “Return to Order”

by John Horvat II March 23, 2021November 14, 2012

As a solution to our alarming socio-economic crisis, we have proposed “a return to order.”

In so doing, we have endeavored to look beyond the impending collapse and outline the timeless principles of an Organic Christian order that addresses certain yearnings that modern man senses in the depths of his soul.

Such a depiction cannot fail to suggest the figure of the Prodigal Son who, having left his father’s house for the “frenetic intemperance” of a dissolute life, realizes the gravity of his error and longs to return. In looking for our solution, we believe we must follow a similar path.

Like the Prodigal Son, our first step must be to realize that we have erred. We have followed a path to ruin amid the din of the great party of frenetic intemperance.

In the course of these considerations we have sought to show how we have erred. Our error was not the fact that we enjoyed the enormous bounty of our great land but rather it was our flight from temperance.