Thank you for posting. The article is interesting in that it (nearly) simultaneously follows two lines of thought. Very difficult to achieve, but the author does it well. It points out the fallacy of injecting 20th/21st century “social justice” ideas into the gospel, and the message that Christ’s justice is available to all.
I avidly collect criticisms of the Catholic Church. They are usually 99.9% just wasted emotion inspired by misinformation. When I first saw this post I salivated over the opportunity to knock another anti- Catholic softball out of the park.
But the article was a major disappointment, having a premise but no cogent supporting argument. An argument this confused it would require a long essay to counter.
It is an all-bread-no-meat sandwich.
More of a random tangle than a knot.
An opinion so confused it is tedious to refute.
I really wanted an opportunity to brag about the Catholic Church developing the idea of free market economics five hundred years before Adam Smith.( Tucker does acknowledge a small bit of this). The Catholic Church’s ideas haven’t really changed that. they are much same today, despite what Tucker and many in the press claim.
Credit the Scholastics (mostly Catholic clergy) with anticipating the best of modern economic thought; economic liberty and free market economy, the best defined ideas of prices, wages, money, and value theory.
Also note that the among the few economically successful Communistic societies were the Reducciones, South American aboriginal societies run by Jesuits. Christianity can make things work, even defective economic practices. I endorse capitalism, but it is not as effective as the Gospel.
There are a lot of laughs to be had in contemplating Tucker’s tangle. His position that “ideas” and “tunes” are free for the taking violates the capitalist theory of copyrights. He sounds like a man who is either a Marxist or doesn’t understand economics and writes an article accusing somebody else of not understanding economics.
Tucker cites that he is is with the Acton Institute. Not encouraging. Lord Acton was a sort of a Pelosi of a previous age, claiming to be a Catholic while distorting and slandering Catholicism.
Finally, Tucker is not arguing against Catholicism but Jesus.
King James Bible Mt 19:21
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.