Jonathan Spalink - Acton Institute PowerBlog

The Effective Stewardship Curriculum

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:34:00 -0600

Here’s another new production from Acton Media - The Effective Stewardship Curriculum. The Effective Stewardship Curriculum is a series of five video lessons, geared toward church small groups or other faith-based educational settings exploring how Christians live out the call to be stewards of our talents, the environment, our fellow man, institutions, and our finances.

Expect the curriculum to be available for sale at the end of this summer. A study guide will also be available to help stimulate discussions and explore the ideas presented in the video lessons. A couple of sample pages from the study guide are available on the Effective Stewardship website. A trailer is available right here, but there are also introductory clips to each lesson that are available on the Effective Stewardship website.

Acton University Promotional Video

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:51:00 -0600

It's not even close to the end of summer but we're already promoting Acton University 2009! Acton Media has just released a video short promoting Acton University - take a look and see if it looks interesting to you.

Acton University is a truly eye-opening experience filled with lectures and discussions with experienced and knowledgeable experts on economics, religion, and beyond. Find out more about Acton University by visiting the ActonU Website. No materials have been published on Acton University 2009, but you will get a good idea of what topics are covered and who is involved. Also, there is a slide show available online that gives another picture of what AU looks like - take a look!

Sir John Marks Templeton (1912-2008)

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 09:45:29 -0600

Sir John Templeton, the great entrepreneur and philanthropist, passed away on July 8, 2008. Fr. Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute, marks his passing with this tribute:

It was with great sadness that I learned today of the passing from this life of one of the twentieth-century’s great stalwarts in the struggle for faith and liberty. Rising from a humble background in Tennessee, John Templeton graduated from Yale and Oxford universities, the latter of which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar. He went on to become one of the most-successful investors of his generation, creating wealth and generating employment for thousands of individuals. Today the very name “Templeton” remains a byword for entrepreneurship, prudent risk-taking, integrity, and innovation in the financial industry in America and around the world.

Read Rev. Robert Sirico’s tribute to Sir John Marks Templeton (1912-2008): A Great Entrepreneur and Philanthropist.

The Birth of Freedom - Washington, D.C. Screening

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:15:00 -0600

The Birth of Freedom premiered in Washington, D.C., on June 19 to a sold-out crowd! A special screening has been scheduled for those who were unable to attend the premiere and is kindly being coordinated by the Heritage Foundation. This screening is scheduled for July 16 and begins at 7:00 p.m. at The Heritage Foundation's Allison Auditorium. If you would like to attend, please be sure to RSVP on Heritage's website.

This video requires the Flash video plugin

Acton USB Flash Drive

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:56:00 -0600

The Acton Institute is branching out into the technology sector with its new Acton branded flash drives.

We initially offered these drives to attendees of Acton University where they were received with cheers from bloggers and others who still remember—with a shudder—the horrors of the old 3½ floppies (remember the good old “tape hack” you could use to trick your computer into thinking that it was a DD and not an HD disk?) and even the ginormous 5¼ floppies.

These USB2.0 flash drives hold a handy 1Gb of your favorite portable files, be they MP3s, photos from your recent vacation, or documents for school or work. Just plug one into a USB port (2.0 preferred) on your computer and you’re good to go!

Buy the Acton USB Flash Drive ($20.00 USD) today at the Acton BookShoppe, and support the pursuit of a free and virtuous society.

Don’t forget to check out the other hot sellers including The Call of the Entrepreneur, Slitting the Sycamore, and A Biblical Case for Natural Law.

Looking for Happiness, Finding Faith

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:04:00 -0600

Dr. Arthur C. Brooks spoke about "happiness" at an Acton Lecture Series event last week. Dr. Brooks, a professor of Business and Government Policy at Syracuse University and a visiting scholar with the American Enterprise Institute, presented evidence which suggests that religion is the greatest factor in general human happiness in the United States. Religion, argues Dr. Brooks, is essential to human flourishing in the United States and public secularism should be strongly guarded against by everyone - religious or not.

He is the author of, most recently, Gross National Happiness (2008) and Who Really Cares? (2006) published by Basic Books.

We were able to interview Dr. Brooks about happiness - watch it now and see what you think!

This video requires the Flash video plugin

Dr. Brooks' lecture on happiness is also available for your viewing pleasure.

Clinton or Obama?

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 16:11:08 -0600

Clinton or Obama?

A few of you may have noticed that we’ve added a small polling widget on the right side-bar of this blog. This, of course, is all highly “un-scientific” and doesn’t really mean much, but can provide some interesting results. The current poll asks who you would prefer as the Democratic candidate for the general elections in November - Omaba or Clinton. The results, so far, show Clinton ahead of Obama by about 58% to 42%. This is in contraction with the nationwide polls right now.

I’m curious to know a little bit more. Why would you prefer the one over the other?

Are you a Republican and think that the candidate you chose would lose the General Election to McCain?
Are you a Republican and think that if a Democrat is going to be elected, you would prefer the one over the other?
Are you a Democrat and favor the one candidate over the other?
Are you a Democrat and just think the one has a better chance of winning a General Election over the other?

Samaritan Award is Open

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:16:21 -0600

The 2008 Samaritan Award opens today! If you know of a great charity or non-profit organization that directly serves members of a vulnerable population and receives little to no government funding, please encourage them to apply. The grand prize is $10,000 and there are several smaller awards for runners-up.

From the Samaritan Award website:

This $10,000 grand prize is awarded once a year to an exceptional and privately funded nonprofit that fosters deep personal change in the individuals they serve. A comprehensive application makes a program eligible for the Award and enters it in the Samaritan Guide.

The Samaritan Guide encourages effective charity within the United States by providing information on nonprofits that are supported primarily by private donations. Every charity that applies for the Samaritan Award is included in the Samaritan Guide.

Samaritan Guide - New and Improved

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 16:05:00 -0600

“Private charities do demanding and heroic work for vulnerable people. We seek to reward their good work with prizes and publicity.”

The Samaritan Guide Web site has been revamped and we’d love for you to stop by and check it out. The Guide is an online database of charities that accept little or no government funding and that serve vulnerable human populations. The Guide focuses on outcomes and personal transformation, how religious and moral principles are implemented, and funding sources for the programs of non-profit organizations.

On a related note: Acton is gearing up for the Samaritan Awards! The annual Samaritan Awards identifies and rewards programs that exemplify the Seven Principles of Effective Compassion and demonstrate accountability and transparency. These exceptional charities help individuals break the cycle of dependency by providing help that is direct, personal, and accountable. All the programs that apply for the Samaritan Award will be entered into the Samaritan Guide and also will vie for a $10,000 grand prize and various capacity building prizes. The application period for the Samaritan Awards is from April 15, 2008 to May 30, 2008.

WFB: In Memoriam

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:52:00 -0700

Buckley & Sirico - Acton’s 2nd Annual Dinner - May 12, 1992

Rev. Robert Sirico reflects on the life of William F. Buckley, Jr., who died in his study on Wednesday, praising him as a friend, a literary genius, and a supporter of the Acton Institute. Sirico writes, “He will be lauded by numerous pendants and scribes for the incredible number of his accomplishments, preeminent of which is his historic role as godfather of the modern conservative/libertarian movement in the founding of the National Review.”

Read “WFB: In Memoriam.”

Free Cubans by Dropping Trade Restrictions

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 10:54:00 -0700

Fidel Castro

In today’s Detroit News, Rev. Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute, argues for the end of the trade restrictions against Cuba. Fidel Castro, recently retired from the position of el lider maximo, held the small island nation in the tight grip of his totalitarian regime, effectively stagnating all economic development for the past 50 years. The United States embargo against Cuba gave Castro a scapegoat to blame for the economic woes that oppressed the Cuban population and helped him maintain control. Now, Fidel Castro has left office and the United States has a new opportunity to reassess its foreign policy with Cuba.

So, how should we move forward? Sirico writes:

Now the United States needs to rethink its policies. A vibrant trading relationship will prevent the new regime from continuing to scapegoat its Northern neighbor. It will inject much-need cultural and political influence. It will permit growing travel, emigration and immigration. In time, normalcy will pervade.

I recently talked with a Cuban acquaintance of mine about Cuba. He expressed the growing dissatisfaction that Cubans feel for the Castro regime (I spoke with him the week before Castro retired). The nation is impoverished financially, but also emotionally. People have forgotten how to be entrepreneurial; how to act on their ideas to make change. The difficulty of travel between such geographically close locations (the United States particularly), especially by Cuban citizens, the lack of economic contact with the United States, the religious opression experienced by Cubans until recently, and the tight control of ideas allows this feeling of woe to stew in its juices. The way to change is to open up: to make travel easier, to send missionaries, to allow Cubans to attend U.S. universities, to import Cuban cigars, and to encourage tourism to Cuba. Now is the time to free the Cubans.

Radio Free Acton: Primary Education

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 13:23:00 -0700

The Radio Free Acton crew expands to include Michael Miller, Director of Programs here at Acton, and Acton Research Fellow Anthony Bradley, who join regulars Marc Vander Maas and Ray Nothstine to discuss the fallout from a busy week in the world of faith and politics. Super Tuesday has come and gone, and the GOP looks likely to have its nominee: Senator John McCain. Mike Huckabee is remaining in the race, but are his economic views hampering him in his effort to unite evangelicals? Barack Obama has inspired many with a campaign that is not afraid to use religious language and references, but how do Obama’s beliefs translate into real-world action? You’ll hear our take on these issues, plus a preview of Thursday’s Acton Lecture Series event with Dr. Glenn Sunshine.

Listen Online

Or Download this show as an MP3 (right click on the following link and select “Save As”).
http://bonhoeffer.acton.org/acton_media/mp3/2008-02-08_Acton Institute.mp3

The Acton Podcast is available here:
http://www.acton.org/main/rss.php?l=121

Question: Which blog is best?

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 11:46:53 -0700

Help Acton do well in the 2008 Blogger’s Choice Awards by submitting a vote or two for Acton. We’re nominated in the following categories (you may vote for Acton in each if you’d like or if you feel we deserve it):

• Best Blog Design
• Best Religion Blog
• Best Charity Blog

Voting for a blog does require registration, but it doesn’t take long to do. I’ll occasionally post reminders about this here so that those of you who would rather wait for a rainy day will remember to vote for Acton.

In case you’re still not convinced - here are a few reasons why I think we’re the best:

1) We recently updated the look and feel of the PowerBlog - its now much easier to read and connects better with www.acton.org - the main Acton Institute website.

2) Our content is fantastic. If you look over at our tag cloud (showing our most recently covered topics) you can see that we write on everything from environmental stewardship to bible and theology; christianity to economics; socialism to business and society.

3) For those of you interested in design, this page is valid XHTML 1.0 Strict, baby. Unless we have a youTube video embedded on the page. Then it doesn’t validate.

February Acton Notes

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:32:00 -0700

A new Acton Notes is now available online. Acton Notes is a monthly newsletter published by the Acton Institute. This month’s issue features an article by Rev. Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute, about Socialism. Rev. Sirico points out a couple of ways in which to confront those who mistakenly hold to the fashionable ideology.

If a person identifies with the idea of common ownership of the means of production, point out that this is impossible because you hold no rights over anything. “Ownership implies the right to control and sell the good, which cannot be done if everyone is said to own something,” writes Rev. Sirico. Common ownership, he points out, is actually State ownership. Another point with which to confront a Socialist is the absence of money. Point out the significant failures that the Soviet Union experienced when attempting to implement this policy. Close with words from Benedict XVI’s recent encyclical, Spe Salvi. Read the President’s Message to find out more.

Other contents of the February issue include:

First Brazilian TFAVS Receives High Marks from Participants
From Acton Conference to University Doctorate
What Would Jesus Buy? Rev. Sirico on Fox Business News
Glenn Sunshine to Discuss Wealth, Work, and the Church

Rev. Sirico on 'Spe Salvi' in the Detroit News

blog@acton.org (Jonathan Spalink) — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:37:00 -0700

Rev. Sirico wrote about Pope Benedict XVI’s recent encyclical, Spe Salvi, in an op-ed in the Detroit News yesterday. In the encyclical, writes Sirico, “Pope Benedict XVI has delivered a wonderful -- and oh-so-needed -- reminder of what socialism was (and is), and why it went wrong.”

Sirico summarizes the practical and moral problems with socialism that are explained in Spe Salvi, and the gaping holes that Marx left in his theories. Marx believed that all the problems associated with a revolution would automatically sort themselves out after a short period of dictatorship. Marx, however, overlooked some critical points. Sirico writes that “the moral problem with socialism is more profound: It exalts theft as an ethic and overlooks the human right of freedom.”

Read “Benedict dissects problem with socialism” at DetNews.com today.

Read Spe Salvi on the Vatican Web site here.