Acton Institute

What's Wrong with our Economy?

Since August 2007, many economies around the world have entered a period of crisis. America and the European Union are struggling to resist recession. Bad news dominates the headlines about the financial and real estate industries. Gas prices have risen to all-time highs. Inflation looms as a new threat to monetary stability. Central banks are seemingly in damage control, bailing out banks and financial houses, while struggling to keep inflation down and attempting to prevent unemployment from...

Renewing the Call: Why Pastors and Businesspeopl...

The Social Teaching of Benedict XVI (Dr. Samuel ...

When Joseph Ratzinger was elected pope in April 2005, it was assumed that his papacy would be marked by an intense engagement in the world of ideas. As one of the world?s best-known contemporary theologians, Pope Benedict XVI has more-than-lived up to expectations. Whether the subject is the rise and decline of the West, Islam, ecumenism, or simply the ever-present subject of ?Who is Jesus Christ?, Benedict has helped open up discussions once considered taboo, and caused even hardened seculari...

Acton Institute 2011 Anniversary Celebration (Pa...

Acton Institute 2011 Anniversary Celebration (Pa...

On October 20, 2011, the Acton Institute celebreated its 26th Anniversary with a dinner at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This portion of the program contains remarks from Acton Executive Director and Co-Founder Kris Alan Mauren, Master of Ceremonies Kate O'Bierne of the National Review Institute, Acton University Alumnus Gareth Bloor, and the opening invocation from the Most Reverend Walter Hurley, Bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids.

Christian Poverty in the Age of Prosperity (Rev....

Christ calls us to spiritual poverty. In today's prosperous society, that call frequently goes unheard or misinterpreted. In this lecture, Rev. Sirico discusses how one can try to live out Christ's Call in the middle of a prosperous society. Rev. Robert A. Sirico is the president and co-founder of the Acton Institute and lectures both in the United States and around the world. His writings have appeared in various journals, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Forbes, Nationa...

Acton Institute 25th Anniversary Celebration (20...

Featuring Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Tony Sirico, Richard M. DeVos, and Kate O'Bierne.

Europe's Economic Crisis: What went wrong, what ...

Europe's Economic Crisis: What went wrong, what will happen, and what it means for America (Dr. Samuel Gregg)Until recently, many thought that Europe had escaped the worst of the 2008 financial crisis. Some even argued that the crisis has demonstrated the European social model's superiority over "Anglo-Saxon capitalism". In 2010, however, we have seen an entire country bailed out, riots in Athens, governments slashing budgets, and several European nations staring sovereign debt default in the ...

Ecumenical Ethics & Economics: A Critical Apprai...

On the heels of the Uniting General Council of the World Communion of Reformed Churches (Grand Rapids, Michigan, June 18-27 2010) , and in anticipation of the eleventh General Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (Stuttgart, Germany, July 20-27 2010), Jordan J. Ballor takes a look at recent developments in the public witness of the mainline ecumenical movement. Focusing especially the question of economic globalization, Ballor responds to ecumenical pronouncements, subjecting the movement...

Alinsky for Dummies: His Persistent Influence an...

Saul Alinsky might be called the "anti-Acton". As Lord Acton warned that power corrupts, Saul Alinsky -- the father of modern "community organizing" -- rejoiced that corruption empowers. Decades after Alinsky's death his ideas and teaching continue to shape the American political and social landscape. Barack Obama's first job in Chicago was as an "organizer" for an Alinsky group; Hillary Clinton's undergraduate thesis was written on Alinsky's precepts; contemporary organizations from the notor...