Mackinac Center President Emeritus Lawrence Reed visited Midland in July to reconnect with old friends, new staff members and this year’s class of interns.
Reed toured the Mackinac office and was particularly impressed by the newly opened media studio. Reed and current Mackinac Center President Joe Lehman remarked on how far Mackinac has come since its original pizza shop office.
A prolific economist, journalist and speaker, Reed was the Mackinac Center’s first president, serving from 1998 to 2008. Joe Lehman describes his predecessor as a “one-man think tank.”
At the office, Reed had lunch with interns and staff before discussing his new book as part of the Mackinac Center’s Intern University lecture series.
“Was Jesus a Socialist? Why This Question Is Being Asked Again, and Why the Answer Is Almost Always Wrong” addresses contemporary socialists’ claim that Jesus of Nazareth would be on their side today.
The problem with this hypothetical, Reed explained, is just that: It is hypothetical. Notions of socialism as it exists today did not exist in the age of Jesus. But for the sake of research, Reed entertained the question.
His answer?
“It isn’t only ‘No,’ it’s ‘Hell no.’”
No words from Jesus alluded to socialism. In fact, a stronger argument can be made that Jesus’ teachings favor a capitalist society. But “to assign either word to him is to limit him to a fraction of what he was and what he had to say,” Reed said.
Concluding his presentation, Reed quipped, “Jesus doesn’t take a stand on every current issue of 2024.”
Following his day in the office, Reed joined staffers, along with current and alumni interns, for an evening of America’s pastime. The Great Lakes Loons, Midland’s Minor League Baseball team, beat the Lake County Captains 4-3 after a ninth-inning double by center fielder Jake Vogel drove in two runs. Many interns failed to witness the game-deciding play, later confessing that they were too engrossed in conversation to follow the game!
