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Localism: Coming Home to Catholic Social Teaching
One of the most misunderstood -- and misrepresented -- elements of the Catholic Church is her social teaching. It is all too often misconstrued and even held hostage by speculative economic theories and partisan politics. When G. K. Chesterton, Hilaire Belloc, and their colleagues endeavored to promote the ideas of property ownership and independence one hundred years ago, it was frequently misinterpreted due to the terminology used. Here, at last, is a clear explanation of authentic Catholic social teaching, with balanced and practical applications that incorporate morality, justice, and freedom.
This outstanding collection features contributions from some of the finest thinkers in Christianity today, who illustrate the transformative impact of centralization in politics, history, literature, and culture and offer real-life accounts about the success of localism in America and beyond. You will
What distributism is, and what it is notChesterton's secret to preserving the seed of civilizationThe true definition of freedom and what it really entailsHow localism is in harmony with America's founding principlesFive important lessons from "living on the land"Ways technology has eroded localismThe authors show how solutions tend to originate with the family and involve taking an active role in what most directly affects the family, whether in commerce, government, or education. They explain how to develop a truly localist economy -- and why you should -- and they emphasize the indispensable role of fathers in this crucial task. They also spell out why building a local community is key to preserving faith, heritage, creativity, beauty, and rational politics. Additionally, the authors propose wise methods for strengthening marriages and educating children in modernity.
Other topics include suggestions on how to live cooperatively, develop a more agrarian lifestyle for your family, ease into homesteading, and cultivate an environmental ethic compatible with the faith. You will also find practical ways to revitalize your church and foster a healthier way of life for future generations. Whether you are a Christian or not, this book will open your eyes to "what's wrong with the world" and give you powerful ideas for making it a better place.
This outstanding collection features contributions from some of the finest thinkers in Christianity today, who illustrate the transformative impact of centralization in politics, history, literature, and culture and offer real-life accounts about the success of localism in America and beyond. You will
What distributism is, and what it is notChesterton's secret to preserving the seed of civilizationThe true definition of freedom and what it really entailsHow localism is in harmony with America's founding principlesFive important lessons from "living on the land"Ways technology has eroded localismThe authors show how solutions tend to originate with the family and involve taking an active role in what most directly affects the family, whether in commerce, government, or education. They explain how to develop a truly localist economy -- and why you should -- and they emphasize the indispensable role of fathers in this crucial task. They also spell out why building a local community is key to preserving faith, heritage, creativity, beauty, and rational politics. Additionally, the authors propose wise methods for strengthening marriages and educating children in modernity.
Other topics include suggestions on how to live cooperatively, develop a more agrarian lifestyle for your family, ease into homesteading, and cultivate an environmental ethic compatible with the faith. You will also find practical ways to revitalize your church and foster a healthier way of life for future generations. Whether you are a Christian or not, this book will open your eyes to "what's wrong with the world" and give you powerful ideas for making it a better place.
- GenresCatholic
256 pages, Hardcover
Published April 16, 2024
12 people are currently reading
112 people want to read
About the author
Dale Ahlquist
53 books67 followersOne of the most respected G.K. Chesterton scholars in the world, Dale Ahlquist is President of the American Chesterton Society, and publisher of its flagship publication, GILBERT. Dale is also the creator and host of the popular EWTN series The Apostle of Common Sense, and he is the author of three books on Chesterton including G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense, Common Sense 101: Lessons from G.K. Chesterton and The Complete Thinker. His books deliver Chestertonian perspectives on such topics as faith, education, love, and marriage, and unpack the wisdom of Chesterton to explain why modern man has lost his ability to think clearly. He has also edited eight books of Chesterton’s writings.
An internationally renowned speaker, Dale Ahlquist has given more than 600 lectures at men’s conferences, diocesan events, and prestigious institutions including Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Notre Dame, Oxford, the Vatican Forum in Rome, and the House of Lords in London.
Dale has been interviewed by the New York Times, First Things, Catholic News Agency, Catholic Herald (U.K.), BBC News and BBC Radio, Zenit, Breitbart, The Independent (U.K.), Ignatius Insight, Catholic Answers Live!, Relevant Radio, Catholic World Report, and EWTN Radio. He is a regular columnist for The Catholic Servant, and his articles have appeared in Chronicles, Crisis, Catholic Rural Life, Christian History, St. Austin’s Review, The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature, The Great Books Reader, Christian Higher Education, Faith and Reason, Recusant History, Ave Maria Law Review, Envoy, and The Distributist Review.
Dale is also the co-founder of Chesterton Academy, a new high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which has been rated one of the “Top 50 Catholic Schools” in the nation by the Cardinal Newman Society. His pioneering work in classical, integrated education has helped develop a curriculum that is capturing the minds of parents across the country.
In addition to talks about Chesterton (and the endless list of subjects on which he wrote), Dale is also available to lecture or comment on topics such as religious liberty, marriage, Catholic social teaching, health care, and education.
An internationally renowned speaker, Dale Ahlquist has given more than 600 lectures at men’s conferences, diocesan events, and prestigious institutions including Yale, Columbia, Cornell, Notre Dame, Oxford, the Vatican Forum in Rome, and the House of Lords in London.
Dale has been interviewed by the New York Times, First Things, Catholic News Agency, Catholic Herald (U.K.), BBC News and BBC Radio, Zenit, Breitbart, The Independent (U.K.), Ignatius Insight, Catholic Answers Live!, Relevant Radio, Catholic World Report, and EWTN Radio. He is a regular columnist for The Catholic Servant, and his articles have appeared in Chronicles, Crisis, Catholic Rural Life, Christian History, St. Austin’s Review, The Oxford Encyclopedia of British Literature, The Great Books Reader, Christian Higher Education, Faith and Reason, Recusant History, Ave Maria Law Review, Envoy, and The Distributist Review.
Dale is also the co-founder of Chesterton Academy, a new high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which has been rated one of the “Top 50 Catholic Schools” in the nation by the Cardinal Newman Society. His pioneering work in classical, integrated education has helped develop a curriculum that is capturing the minds of parents across the country.
In addition to talks about Chesterton (and the endless list of subjects on which he wrote), Dale is also available to lecture or comment on topics such as religious liberty, marriage, Catholic social teaching, health care, and education.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 16, 2025
Good collection of essays from contemporary writers on the topic of localism and distributist thinking. Overall, I enjoyed the essays, though they were repetitive at times. You will hear many of the same ideas and plans throughout each essay. Small family owned businesses are good, big corporate businesses are bad. Shop local. Don't send kids to public school. Learn valuable practical skills. Again, great ideas, but repetitive. After 4-5 essays you basically get the gist, with a few here and there offering something more unique or a slightly different angle.
June 3, 2025
“Big business and state socialism are very much alike.” - GK Chesterton
This book is a collection of essays concerning the main principles of Catholic social teaching concerning distributism, defined by this book as “localism.” The central argument of these essays is that late-stage capitalism (aka free market fundamentalism) and state socialism are two evils which have this in common: they monopolize power into the hands of a few and disintegrate local communities.
The solution, most practically expressed by Sen. Marco Rubio’s essay “Localism in American Politics,” is to create laws which incentivize and invigorate small businesses/communities. Those small communities should not be dependent on globalized super companies but should produce their most important goods locally. Rubio cites his Payment Protection Program (PPP) policy of 2020 to show that it may often be the key role of the government to fund and empower small business. The federal government funding local business and manufacturing is as old as our county itself, as Alexander Hamilton and Henry Clay advanced our country by giving targeted subsidies to new local manufacturing. In other words, stop giving tax breaks to Wal Mart and Google and use that money to build up local centers of production.
There are also several nonpoltical essays which argue that a family should become “localist” in its habits. While it is not reality that every family should go all Wendell Berry and homestead, families stick together through mutual production and cooperation. Catholic Social Teaching prioritizes every family having the freedom of production and self-ownership, so families should find practical trades and projects to work on as a unit. A family that prays and works together stays together. Adam and Eve were not called to work different 9-5s, but were called to subdue the earth together.
This book is a collection of essays concerning the main principles of Catholic social teaching concerning distributism, defined by this book as “localism.” The central argument of these essays is that late-stage capitalism (aka free market fundamentalism) and state socialism are two evils which have this in common: they monopolize power into the hands of a few and disintegrate local communities.
The solution, most practically expressed by Sen. Marco Rubio’s essay “Localism in American Politics,” is to create laws which incentivize and invigorate small businesses/communities. Those small communities should not be dependent on globalized super companies but should produce their most important goods locally. Rubio cites his Payment Protection Program (PPP) policy of 2020 to show that it may often be the key role of the government to fund and empower small business. The federal government funding local business and manufacturing is as old as our county itself, as Alexander Hamilton and Henry Clay advanced our country by giving targeted subsidies to new local manufacturing. In other words, stop giving tax breaks to Wal Mart and Google and use that money to build up local centers of production.
There are also several nonpoltical essays which argue that a family should become “localist” in its habits. While it is not reality that every family should go all Wendell Berry and homestead, families stick together through mutual production and cooperation. Catholic Social Teaching prioritizes every family having the freedom of production and self-ownership, so families should find practical trades and projects to work on as a unit. A family that prays and works together stays together. Adam and Eve were not called to work different 9-5s, but were called to subdue the earth together.
March 19, 2025
3.8/5
Some essays were much better than others. I think this is a good intro if you’re new to distributism. If you’ve read a bit about it already you might not find too many new ideas. I wish more essays had been less general and instead consisted of various, detailed case studies. I also wish there had been slightly less emphasis on agrarianism and perhaps more consideration as to what distributist, companies, small businesses, and urban planning might look like; it’s highly impractical to expect everyone to move to a farm, home school their kids, and have one stay-at-home parent. Or perhaps a more in depth look into medieval guilds, how they functioned, and what can be adopted today. Perhaps there should have been better coordination between essayists or more varied assignments by the editors.
Still, this book is enough to spark one’s interest and hopefully lead to a deeper dive, which I hope to do. I’ve complained a lot thus far but it is refreshing to hear some different perspectives and know that there are some out there looking to disrupt the illusion of the political binary we find ourselves stuck in.
Some essays were much better than others. I think this is a good intro if you’re new to distributism. If you’ve read a bit about it already you might not find too many new ideas. I wish more essays had been less general and instead consisted of various, detailed case studies. I also wish there had been slightly less emphasis on agrarianism and perhaps more consideration as to what distributist, companies, small businesses, and urban planning might look like; it’s highly impractical to expect everyone to move to a farm, home school their kids, and have one stay-at-home parent. Or perhaps a more in depth look into medieval guilds, how they functioned, and what can be adopted today. Perhaps there should have been better coordination between essayists or more varied assignments by the editors.
Still, this book is enough to spark one’s interest and hopefully lead to a deeper dive, which I hope to do. I’ve complained a lot thus far but it is refreshing to hear some different perspectives and know that there are some out there looking to disrupt the illusion of the political binary we find ourselves stuck in.
September 10, 2024
One of the most impactful books I’ve ever read. A book I want to give every person in my life!
June 3, 2025
Great selection of essays about Distrubitism, which is more easily understood under the title of Localism. Highly recommend this book!
January 15, 2026
Nothing but pure common sense! As it should be!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews