The Alliance for The Distributed Church

Acton University 2009
The Acton Institute is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2009 Acton University (AU), which will take place on June 16-19 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This year’s expanded curriculum and distinguished international faculty will once again lead an in-depth four-day exploration of the intellectual foundations of a free society.

Triple Every Dollar You Give Until January 15
Thanks to the generosity of a stalwart supporter, the Acton Institute has the opportunity to triple donations received from now until January 15, 2009 through a very generous 2-to-1 matching grant*. Please act quickly to help us leverage your contributions to the Acton Institute. To donate now via our secure online form, please click here. With your involvement, and the help of others, we can realize the full potential of this matching grant opportunity.

The Birth of Freedom Now Available on DVD
Just in time for Christmas, Acton Media's new documentary The Birth of Freedom is now available for purchase from the Acton Bookshoppe.Accompanied by a study guide which explores several core themes of the documentary. The Birth of Freedom tells the story of how modern understandings of individual liberty were developed and addresses such questions as, "Why would anyone believe that all men are created equal? That all should be free? That all deserve a voice in choosing their leaders? Why would any nation consider this a self-evident truth?" Order The Birth of Freedom Online View new Birth of Freedom Short Videos Host a Screening Visit the Official Website

The Way Forward
In his speech at the Acton Institute annual dinner, Rev. Robert A. Sirico highlighted "the synthesis of faith and freedom, liberty and virtue, free markets and moral responsibility" and the connection between prosperity and a deep practical and personal concern for the poor and marginalized. Read more »

Wall Street’s Moral Crisis
Financial executive David Milroy, a board member of the Acton Institute, looks at the financial market meltdown and the ethical problems behind it. "The collapse in the real estate market triggered this crisis, but it was the behavior of market participants that laid the groundwork," he writes. Samuel Gregg examines the moral failures that led to the financial crisis and asks why more free-marketers aren't also asking questions about the human factor.

Catholics and the Election
An invitation to participate in a political discussion by a "non-partisan" organization leads Rev. Sirico to reflect on why the organization could not see its own political biases. The Religious Left, he argues, suffers from a "self-inflicted blindness as to the full range of opinion that is possible within the framework of religious ethics." A sound understanding of economics, and a knowledge of how best to help the poor, he adds, requires more than mouthing "slogans of justice and the common good." Read more...

Cardinal Bertone and Metropolitan Kirill on Social Doctrine
Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone Paola Fantini has expanded her blog post on Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone's new work on Catholic social doctrine into a book review for the forthcoming Religion & Liberty quarterly published by the Acton Institute. She has also translated the prologue to the book by Russian Orthodox Metropolitan Kirill. These articles are the first to translate anything from Cardinal Bertone's “The Ethics of the Common Good in Catholic Social Doctrine” (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2008) into English.

Birth of Freedom Shorts
New from Acton Media, the Birth of Freedom Shorts are a series of supplementary videos which provide additional insight into key issues related to Acton's latest documentary, The Birth of Freedom. In these clips, experts address questions such as "What is Freedom?," "How has Judaism Contributed to Human Rights?," and "How do Inventions in the 'Dark Ages' compare to those of the Roman Empire?" New shorts are released each Monday.