Catholic Founders #28 Rerum Novarum in 2025: Applying it to Your Business | Travis Callaway
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Hey everyone! Silas here 👋
Before we start!
* CF Guild Meeting Tonight! If you’re a member of the Catholic Founders Guild, join us tonight for a discussion on the topic of Stewardship as a Catholic Business Owner. (If you’re not a member but want to join, upgrade to paid right away and message me so we can chat prior to the event to get you in — I screen everyone to ensure we maintain quality — hope to see you tonight)
In this Email:
* Intro to the Guest and Topic
* Core Takeaway
* Episode References
* Select Quotes
* Key Moments
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Today’s Topic & Guest:
* Travis Callaway | Rerum Novarum Partners
* What Rerum Novarum states and how to apply it in 2025 (and beyond)
Core Lesson:
You Pick. And Share.
Today’s episode has a LOT of points in it. My goal is for you to pick your favorite takeaway (probably something you’re going to focus on with your business) and share it in the comments of this post.
This way, others can learn from what you noticed, and we can all find at least one way to apply this Catholic Social Teaching to our businesses.
See you in the comments!
~Silas Mähner
Get in front of Catholic decision makers today!
Our publication is ready by devout Catholic founders and business owners across America.
Best for anyone selling services or products to those audiences. (Plus they’d all rather buy from another Catholic).
Key Episode References:
* Coffee, Commerce, Catechesis (Travis’ podcast)
Select Quotes:
* "Legality and morality are not the same thing. And this document does a good job of articulating that." (10:41)
* "Rerum Novarum also points to what the socialists were identifying, which is, this struggle between classes is a real problem. And we can solve that problem if we root ourselves in human dignity." (20:06)
* "Doing the bare minimum, just so you can meet the legal threshold, certainly doesn't seem to qualify as what's required from the perspective of a just wage." (34:52)
* "What you have is not meant for you, right? He didn't give us the skills to... for us to provide for ourselves. He gave us these skills to become instruments of his will in the world." (40:50)
* "Work is a good thing. And we shouldn't be trying to get the robots to do it all for us." (48:43)
Key Moments: (outline)
* 0:00 Introduction to the Catholic Founders Podcast
* 1:42 Guest Introduction: Travis Callaway
* 3:37 Background of Rerum Novarum and its relevance
* 7:11 Core points of Rerum Novarum
* 8:43 Duties of employers to employees
* 13:36 Short-term versus long-term thinking in business
* 19:39 Harmony between classes
* 21:50 Importance of associations (unions)
* 24:02 Christian charity and eternal life
* 26:47 Applying Rerum Novarum in 2025: Human dignity in the workplace
* 29:33 Ensuring good working conditions
* 33:46 The concept of a just wage
* 38:53 Social responsibility of wealth
* 43:03 Limits on state intervention
* 44:18 Harmony over conflict
* 47:04 Catholic perspective on universal basic income and work
* 51:18 Rapid fire questions: Favorite scripture, entrepreneur, saint, and devotion
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