ActonInstitute, Grand Rapids, MI Videos
Videos by ActonInstitute in Grand Rapids. Connecting good intentions with sound economics.
Venezuelan Crisis Explained by Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado
Today, there is unrest in the streets of Venezuela as autocrat Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner in a presidential election widely condemned as fraudulent.
Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, delivered a powerful speech at Acton University 2018. Speaking from Caracas, Venezuela, Machado sheds light on the severe crisis her country is facing and the relentless struggle against an oppressive regime. Despite being banned from leaving the country and facing accusations of treason, conspiracy, and rebellion, Machado continues to fight for a free and democratic Venezuela.
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Venezuelan Crisis Explained by Opposition Leader Maria Corina Machado Today, there is unrest in the streets of Venezuela as autocrat Nicolás Maduro was declared the winner in a presidential election widely condemned as fraudulent. Maria Corina Machado, the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, delivered a powerful speech at Acton University 2018. Speaking from Caracas, Venezuela, Machado sheds light on the severe crisis her country is facing and the relentless struggle against an oppressive regime. Despite being banned from leaving the country and facing accusations of treason, conspiracy, and rebellion, Machado continues to fight for a free and democratic Venezuela.
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June 4, 2024, is the 35th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. It changed the course of modern history and put Hong Konger and media entrepreneur Jimmy Lai on a collision course with the Chinese Communist Party's regime. Learn more at FreeJimmyLai.com
Church in a Digital Age: Must We Worship Bodily to Worship at All? | Acton Lecture Series
Many Christian congregations now offer hybrid worship services: you can worship in person or online. While these options have become extensive, our understanding of them has not kept pace. Furthermore, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence will only further complicate matters. The contemporary church needs a way to make sense of the dizzying influx of emerging technologies, practices, and possibilities. This lecture will offer a digital ecclesiology framework for addressing questions about the church in a digital age.
A. Trevor Sutton is Senior Pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Lansing, Michigan. Sutton has written several books, including Redeeming Technology (coauthored with Brian Smith, M.D.) and Authentic Christianity (coauthored with Gene Edward Veith Jr.). He teaches, writes, and speaks frequently about technology and the church in a digital age.
Join us for Acton University on June 24-27 in Grand Rapids, MI! Learn more and apply at university.acton.org | Financial aid is available! Acton University is not your typical conference. It’s a four-day exploration of theology, philosophy, entrepreneurship, international development, and market-based economics. Each day is packed with thought-provoking presentations on the intellectual and practical foundations of a free society. Bringing together leaders from all over the world in business and the church, academia and the ministry, the developing and developed world, and students of all ages, Acton University is a conference dedicated to connecting moral and religious principles to economic and personal liberty. Sharpen your intellect. Expand your worldview. Learn the foundations of genuine human flourishing.
Join us for Acton University on June 24-27 in Grand Rapids, MI! Acton University is not your typical conference. It’s a four-day exploration of theology, philosophy, entrepreneurship, international development, and market-based economics. Each day is packed with thought-provoking presentations on the intellectual and practical foundations of a free society. Bringing together leaders from all over the world in business and the church, academia and the ministry, the developing and developed world, and students of all ages, Acton University is a conference dedicated to connecting moral and religious principles to economic and personal liberty. Sharpen your intellect. Expand your worldview. Learn the foundations of genuine human flourishing. Learn more and apply at university.acton.org Financial aid is available!
On March 12, Istituto Acton and Pontificia Università Gregoriana will present the conference: "𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐏𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐢-𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝." The focus is on hyper-relative "woke" culture and its influence on free civil society built on Judeo-Christian anthropology. 𝐑𝐒𝐕𝐏: https://www.acton.org/event2024
Crossroads of Faith: The Rise of Religious Anti-Liberalism | Acton Lecture Series
2 waiting Scheduled for Jan 11, 2024
The 20th century featured an unusual phenomenon: global secularizing movements. In the 19th century, these movements were confined mostly to Western Europe, but in the 20th century they exploded, suppressing the influence of religion around the world. In some milder cases, as in Turkey and India, they suppressed only the political expression of the great religions. In other cases, such as in the USSR and Mao’s China, ferocious religious persecution was a daily occurrence. In light of new political realities, however, older religious traditions are beginning to take back their influence in the public square. And they are doing so by rejecting the “liberalism” they see as their oppressor. Kevin Vallier will discuss these different anti-liberal movements, critique them, and explain how Christian liberals can understand and engage them.
Kevin Vallier is a Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University, where he directs their program in Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law. Vallier’s interests lie primarily in political philosophy, ethics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE). He is the author of four monographs, five edited volumes, and over fifty peer-reviewed book chapters and journal articles. His books include Liberal Politics and Public Faith: Beyond Separation (Routledge 2014), Must Politics Be War? Restoring Our Trust in the Open Society (Oxford UP 2019), and Trust in a Polarized Age (Oxford UP 2020). His new book addresses radical religious alternatives to liberalism. It is entitled All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Liberalism (Oxford UP 2023). For more information, see kevinvallier.com or follow him @kvallier on Twitter.
APEC protest
Capturing a powerful moment in San Francisco!
The US Hong Kongers protesting against the APEC event.
"It's personal."
Thomism and Economics | Acton Lecture Series
Economists since Adam Smith have studied the wealth of nations, but what about the good of nations and the people who inhabit them? Can modern economics handle a robust notion of the common good?
Acton’s Third Annual Academic Colloquium will seek to answer these questions by focusing on the theme of “Thomism and Economics.”
Thomism, the philosophical tradition building upon the work of the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas, has much to say about what makes for good and flourishing societies. Some even trace the roots of modern economics to early Thomist thinkers. But today, modern economics has its own unique approach to the analysis of commercial life. Putting the two together promises an informative and fruitful exchange of ideas for a free and virtuous society.
As part of the Acton Institute’s locally popular Acton Lecture Series, this conference will feature a keynote address from Dr. Mary Hirschfeld, associate professor of theology at the University of Notre Dame and author of Aquinas and the Market: Toward a Humane Economy.
In addition, Acton will welcome twelve scholars for three panels of short paper presentations, featuring new research on the conference theme of “Thomism and Economics.”
Dr. Mary Hirschfeld works on the boundaries between theology and economics using an approach rooted in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas. She has written on economic inequality, the technocratic paradigm, the financial crisis and the common good. She completed a Ph.D. in economics (Harvard University) under the direction of Lawrence Summers and Jeffrey Williamson, and a Ph.D. in Moral Theology (University of Notre Dame) under the direction of Jean Porter. Her research is on the boundary between economics and theology, culminating in her book Aquinas and the Market: Toward a Humane Economy (Harvard University Press, 2018).
As Jimmy Lai continues to fight for freedom from behind bars, now passing 1000 days in prison, please join us in keeping him in your prayers, as well as the millions of Hong Kongers who suffer under the CCP's brutal crackdown. If you haven't yet watched our latest film, The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom, stream it now for free on freejimmylai.com.
nnovation for Social Change: How Wildly Successful Nonprofits Inspire and... | Acton Lecture Series
We can thank philanthropy and nonprofits for breakthroughs like hospice care, public libraries, and the discovery of insulin to treat diabetes. Yet finding solutions to social problems and measuring impact are often very difficult. Good intentions don’t automatically translate to impact. Why do some nonprofits punch above their weight while others misfire?
The most successful nonprofits are innovative, which is, in short, about finding new, surprising ways to get results and value. It involves creativity, originality, and some risk-taking. It involves building innovative practices into our workplace DNA, such as pilots and small experiments. Through stories of social entrepreneurs and nonprofit powerhouses like Mayo Clinic, the American civil rights movement, Fred Rogers’ nonprofit production company, Rhinos Without Borders, and many others, there are practical lessons that can be applied at any nonprofit. At the same time, we won’t shy away from cautionary tales of what not to do.
Leah Kral is an expert facilitator and author who helps nonprofits doing the hard work of building civil society to innovate and be more effective. She writes about her work in Innovation for Social Change: How Wildly Successful Nonprofits Inspire and Deliver Results (Wiley, 2022).
Kral is the Senior Director of Strategy and Innovation at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, the home of heterodox thinkers and economists who work to discover what aspects of institutions and culture help societies prosper. She is a sought-after speaker at nonprofit industry events, writes frequently about her research, offers tailored consulting to nonprofit teams and provides coaching to social entrepreneurs across the country.
She has a passion for helping organizations achieve their missions and is an active volunteer in her community and parish. She holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from Duquesne University and is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer (Jamaica 2002-2004). To learn
China is silencing opposition – in Hong Kong and in the United Nations. Sebastien Lai, son of imprisoned media publisher and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, was interrupted by a Chinese offical during his testimony in a recent U.N. Human Rights Council meeting. Why? Learn about Jimmy's story in the film China doesn't want you to see. Stream The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRkuv-fOV7k
"I have to be his voice." - The Hong Konger
China is silencing opposition – in Hong Kong and in the United Nations.
Sebastien Lai, son of imprisoned media publisher and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, was interrupted by a Chinese offical during his testimony in a recent U.N. Human Rights Council meeting. Why?
Learn about Jimmy's story in the film China doesn't want you to see. Stream The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom now on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRkuv-fOV7k
From Property, Liberty: The Political Economy of Distributism | Acton Lecture Series
In recent years, prominent scholars and politicians have advocated reforming America’s economic model to embrace "common-good capitalism." Catholic social teaching is a major influence on this movement. According to Dr. Salter, we can better understand common-good capitalism by exploring the political economy of distributism, a response formulated by prominent Catholic thinkers in the early 20th century to Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum. Professor Salter argues that the distributist political-economic vision contains profound insights about the nature of liberty and the social foundations of human dignity. Is common-good capitalism compatible with the American commitments to private property rights and ordered liberty? What resources from Catholic social teaching can help orient free enterprise towards the common good? Dale Alquist, the well-known proponent of distributism who has proposed renaming it “localism”--a synonym, he says, for the principle of “subsidiarity”--will provide comments on Dr. Salter’s lecture.
Alexander William Salter is the Georgie G. Snyder Associate Professor of Economics in the Rawls College of Business and the Comparative Economics Research Fellow with the Free Market Institute, both at Texas Tech University. He is a co-author of Money and the Rule of Law: Generality and Predictability in Monetary Institutions, published by Cambridge University Press. In addition to his numerous scholarly articles, he has published nearly 300 opinion pieces in leading national outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, National Review, Fox News Opinion, and The Hill.
Salter earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics at George Mason University and his B.A. in Economics at Occidental College. He was an AIER Summer Fellowship Program participant in 2011.
Dr. Dale Ahlquist is President of the Society of Gilbert Keith Chesterton, creator and host of the EWTN series “G.K. Chesterton: The Apostle of Common Sense,” and Editor and Publisher of Gilbertmaga
"Such a Necessary Documentary" - The Hong Konger
📺 Watch the film that China doesn't want you to see.
FreeJimmyLai.com
The Film China Doesn't Want You To See – The Hong Konger
See the award-winning film that doesn't want you to see:
THE HONG KONGER: JIMMY LAI'S EXTRAORDINARY STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM
http://FreeJimmyLai.com
Protests – The Hong Konger
"The whole demonstration, the whole protest, was absolutely peaceful. But then all of a sudden, a tear gas bullet was fired by the police."
Jimmy Lai participated in many protests against the CCP and always had one requirement: He wanted to stand in the front, where officials could see him. Today, he fights for his and Hong Kong's freedom from behind bars.
Watch more about Hong Kong and Jimmy Lai in our newly released documentary, The Hong Konger: Jimmy Lai's Extraordinary Struggle for Freedom, at FreeJimmyLai.com.