Entries by Rob Holmes - Acton Institute PowerBlog

Day of Discovery interviews Acton Expert about dirt

Monday, October 13, 2008

Dirt... we sweep our floors, wipe our shoes, and wash our clothes to get rid of it. But how often do we stop and reflect upon the very fact that without soil life would not be possible?

This November, the popular RBC television program Day of Discovery will launch a three-part series titled “The Wonder of Creation: Soil.”

Acton Institute research fellow Jay W. Richards will be featured as a guest expert in the series. It will air on Ion TV the following days:

The Wonder of Creation—Soil: Foundation of Life, Part I
November 9, 2008 at 7:30 AM

The Wonder of Creation—Soil: Sustainer of Life, Part II
November 16, 2008 at 7:30 AM

The Wonder of Creation—Soil: The Work of Life, Part III
November 23, 2008 at 7:30 AM

Posted by Rob Holmes in News and Events at 15:19 | Leave a comment | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
creation, day of discovery, dr. jay richards, rbc ministries

Richards' debate featured in The Grand Rapids Press

Monday, October 13, 2008

Jay W. Richards, Research Fellow and Director of Acton Media, was interviewed for a story in the Grand Rapids Press on the topic of religious and nonreligious views.

The article, written in light of outspoken atheist Bill Maher’s new movie, looks at differing views of people such as Christopher Hitchens and John Ortberg.

Jay Richards debated Christopher Hitchens at Stanford University last January on the topic of atheism vs. theism. Throughout the debate Hitchens grew increasingly angry and by the debate’s end, he had actually turned his back to Richards. “It’s clear he’s (ticked) off at God,” Richards said.

Posted by Rob Holmes in News and Events at 14:04 | Leave a comment | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
atheism, christopher hitchens, dr. jay richards, grand rapids press, theism

Jennifer Roback Morse to speak in Grand Rapids

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Mark your calendars! Jennifer Roback Morse is coming to Grand Rapids to speak at Aquinas College on Wednesday, November 19 at 7:00pm.

Dr. Morse will speak on the topic of her provocative new book, Smart Sex: Finding Life-Long Love in a Hook-Up World.

An excerpt from the prologue:

The sexual revolution has been a disappointment, but people continue to acquiesce in its assumptions because no appealing alternative seems to be on the horizon. Many Americans think the only alternatives are some combination of Leave it to Beaver and the Taliban. They imagine that if it weren’t for the sexual revolution, women would all be at home in dresses and high heels, in their spotless kitchens with cookies in the oven, waiting for the Beaver to come home from school. If it weren’t for the sexual revolution, men and women alike would be in danger of ever-increasing surveillance by the state for deviant sexual acts. Without modern sexual mores, women would be but one step away from the burka and public stoning for adultery.

In her latest book, Morse explains why marriage is in crisis and why we should care. Strong, lasting marriages, she argues, are essential for the survival of a free society, not to mention basic human happiness. She fires the opening shots of a new sexual revolution and shows how everyone, married or single, can help.

This event is free and open to the public but space is limited, so please register online or contact Charissa Romens at 616.454.3080.

Posted by Rob Holmes in News and Events at 15:47 | Leave a comment | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
aquinas college, dr. jennifer roback morse, marriage, relationships, smart sex

Heritage Foundation: First Principles & Public Policy Symposium

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

The Acton Institute is co-sponsoring a symposium hosted by The Heritage Foundation at the University of Michigan’s campus. The event will take place:

Tuesday, September 30, 2008 at 12:45 PM

Michigan Union Building
530 South State Street
Ann Arbor, Michigan

The future of liberty depends on reclaiming America’s first principles. What are those principles, and what do they mean for today? The First Principles Initiative is one of the 10 Transformational Initiatives making up The Heritage Foundation’s Leadership for America campaign. The publications and programs of this Initiative seek to provide a much-needed education for students, policymakers, and citizens about the ideas of liberty and constitutional self-government, with the objective of reorienting our politics and public policy to the principles of the American Founding.

Director of Acton Media and Research Fellow, Jay W. Richards, will speak on the topic of Conservative Answers to Environmental Questions at 2:15PM

For more information, please contact Emily Sankot Kayrish at (202) 608-6266 or e-mail: specialevents@heritage.org

Posted by Rob Holmes in News and Events at 23:56 | Comments (3) | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
heritage foundation, public policy

The Call of the Entrepreneur will air on Fox Business Channel

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Mark your calendar! The Fox Business Channel is featuring The Call of the Entrepreneur at the following times:

· Saturday, September 27 5:00 - 6:00 PM EST / 2:00 - 3:00 PM PST

· Sunday, September 28 12:00 - 1:00 AM EST / 9:00 - 10:00 PM PST

To find your local station visit the FOX channel finder. To find out more about the movie, discover related materials, and learn how to host your own screening, visit The Call of the Entrepreneur website.

Posted by Rob Holmes in News and Events at 14:22 | Comment (1) | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
entrepreneur, fox business network, television, the call of the entrepreneur

Anthony Bradley discusses Obama's New Yorker Image on NPR

Monday, July 14, 2008

Dr. Anthony Bradley, a research fellow at the Acton Institute and PowerBlog contributor, was on NPR’s News & Notes blogger roundtable to discuss the controversy over the New Yorker’s latest magazine cover. He also discusses news about a mostly black neighborhood that didn’t have running water for almost fifty years and a racially charged comic book that was recently pulled from the shelves.

Listen here.

Posted by Rob Holmes in News and Events at 17:12 | Leave a comment | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
barack obama, news and notes, rev. jesse jackson

Barack Obama and Faith-Based Initiatives

Monday, July 7, 2008

Barack Obama recently announced that he wishes to expand President Bush’s program of public funding for religious charities. In his latest piece for National Review Online Rev. Robert A. Sirico, president of the Acton Institute, warns us of some of the dangers of federal funding for faith-based charities.

Rev. Sirico writes:

The lesson of this long history is that if you want to do religiously motivated work in the United States, it is best to do it on your own dime. This is what American culture expects, a belief rooted very deeply in our history and current practice. I believe that this practice is best for the health of religion and the health of the state. We all benefit by keeping religion separate from the public sector so that it can better grow, flourish, and transform society.

The fact that Obama intends to expand government funding (and control) to religious charities should not be surprising, however, because it falls in line with his philosophy on the role of government. In his article, Rev. Sirico elaborates on this:

In some ways, we shouldn’t be surprised that Obama is warm to this idea. It is part of his intellectual apparatus and part of the party he will represent in the election. He believes in government and all its pomps, and never misses a chance to say that something good should be subsidized by the public sector. This accords with his philosophy.

Posted by Rob Holmes in News and Events at 16:14 | Comment (1) | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
barack obama, charities, faith-based initiatives, federal government, politics, rev. robert a. sirico

Acton Institute announces finalists for the Samaritan Award

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

The 10 finalists for the Samaritan Award were announced last Thursday. This annual award was created by the Acton Institute to honor a highly successful, privately funded charity whose work is direct, personal, and accountable.

The finalists for 2008 are:

- Citizens for Community Values, A Way Out Program, Memphis, Tenn.
- Fresno Rescue Mission, The Academy, Fresno, Calif.
- Guardian Angels Homes, Faith in Action, Grand Rapids, Mich.
- Lighthouse Ministries, One Stop Care, Lakeland, Fla.
- Panama City Rescue Mission, Residential Recovery Program, Panama City, Fla.
- Promise of Hope, Inc., Recovery Program, Dudley, Ga.
- Redwood Gospel Mission, New Life Recovery, Santa Rosa, Calif.
- Restoration Ministries, Inc., Harvey House School of Ministry, Harvey, Ill.
- South Side Mission, South Side Mission External Ministries, Peoria, Ill.
- Union Mission Ministries, New Life Center Recovery Program, Virginia Beach, Va.

The winner of the $10,000 grand prize will be announced in early August. All finalists will be visited by WORLD magazine journalists and profiled in a special issue on August 15. Congratulations to the 2008 finalists!

Posted by Rob Holmes in Effective Compassion at 15:30 | Leave a comment | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
charities, compassion, nonprofit, samaritan award, samaritan guide

New Acton Commentaries this Week

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

In his new commentary, Anthony Bradley tells us that there is a “serious disconnect” in the hip hop community that allows rappers to evoke the name of God in thanks while producing music that celebrates evil. Could there be a connection to the declining rate of church attendance in the black community and a shift toward a more “deistic” understanding of Christianity?

Based on a new study released by Radio One and Yankelovich, a Chapel Hill-based research firm Dr. Bradley elaborates:

The new study, the most comprehensive in decades including blacks ranging in age from 13-74, reveals that while 83 percent of blacks call themselves Christians, only 41 percent attend church at least once a week. Even worse, among black men, 47 percent say they are not as religious as their parents (36 percent of black women confess the same).

This disconnect in the hip hop community has resulted in many people claiming to follow God while at the same time promoting evil with their behavior and lyrics. Anthony Bradley takes a deeper look into this startling issue.

In the other new commentary, Kevin Schmiesing looks at the role of faith in history’s long march toward a free society. “The rise of Christianity did not smother the flame of liberty burning brightly in Greece and Rome only to be rekindled as medieval superstition gave way to the benevolent reason of Voltaire, Hume, and Kant,” he writes. “Instead, Christianity took the embers of freedom, flickering dimly in an ancient world characterized by the domination of the weak by the strong, and—slowly and haltingly—fanned it into a blaze that emancipated humanity from its bonds, internal and external.”

Dr. Schmiesing writes about the history of the church as well as its impact today:

In our own day, we find the Church again serving in this capacity. It is the foremost voice defending those whose rights are threatened by neglect or direct attack: religious minorities, vulnerable women and children trapped in slavery, the infirm and the unborn. In education, health care, and family life, religious individuals and organizations resist the tyranny of state aggrandizement.

During this time when liberty is celebrated, Kevin Schmiesing helps to expand our understanding of Christianity’s role in the history of freedom.

Posted by Rob Holmes in News and Events at 15:17 | Leave a comment | Trackback

Defined tags for this entry:
christianity, freedom, hip hop, july 4th, li'l wayne, soulja boy