http://www.acton.org/

Acton Institute

About Acton Institute

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is named after the great English historian, Lord John Acton (1834-1902). He is best known for his famous remark: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Inspired by his work on the relation between liberty and morality, the Acton Institute seeks to articulate a vision of society that is both free and virtuous, the end of which is human flourishing. To clarify this relationship, the Institute holds seminars and publishes various books, monographs, periodicals, and articles.

The Acton Institute organizes seminars aimed at educating religious leaders of all denominations, business executives, entrepreneurs, university professors, and academic researchers in economics principles, and in the connection that can exist between virtue and economic thinking. We exhort religious leaders to embrace the principles of economics as analytic tools in the consideration of economic issues that arise in their ministry, on the one hand, and, on the other, we exhort business executives and entrepreneurs, to integrate their faith more fully into their professional lives, to give of themselves more unselfishly in their communities, and to strive after higher standards of ethical conduct in their work. Our conferences are held primarily in the United States, but we also conduct some conferences in Europe and Latin America. More information on these seminars can be obtained at from Acton programs.

The Acton Institute's publications range widely from those directed at the general public to those that are rigorous academic essays. We publish monthly current affairs and public policy opinions both in hard print and on-line. We also print a journal called Religion & Liberty that engages the intellectual reader on issues in the areas of religion, politics, economics, literature, and culture. We also publish the Journal of Markets & Morality, which is a refereed academic journal dedicated to examining ideas in the unique interdisciplinary niche that brings together economics, theology, and philosophy. In addition, we publish monographs on economic issues that have direct impact on Christian theology as part of a collection called the Christian Social Thought Series. As part of the Acton Institute's information outreach program, we also publish transcripts and tapes of prominent guest speakers we have invited to our special events, and of TV and radio discussions in which we have participated. These are available through the Acton Book Shop.

The Acton Institute’s academic investigations are conducted by Acton Research. The work produced at Acton Research includes the disciplines of philosophy, economics, theology, and history, among others, and it includes the contributions of both in-house research fellows and of invited scholars. The principal goal of Acton Research's investigations is to seek truth by means of the examination and clarification of ideas. The investigations produced at the Acton Institute are delivered widely at conferences with the goal of reaching the academy at large. The papers and monographs produced by Acton Research fellows take final form as books published by mainstream academic publishers and as articles accepted in refereed academic journals.

Reviews

PovertyCure Intern

June 2019 - July 2019 Grand Rapids, MI
“Acton has an incredible culture that interns truly feel a part of. They tell their staff that they want them to build relationships with the interns and to take the time to do this. In the PovertyCure department, I was given a lot of meaningful work to do (it didn't feel like busy work). It kept me busy, and I learned a lot about the world of development. While each intern works within their department, Acton schedules programming that integrates our work within the organization as a whole. Part of this was a seminar series we had with scholars from Acton and outside speakers related to Acton's mission as a whole. We also were an integral part of running Acton University, an annual conference Acton hosts with around 1,000 guests from over 80 countries. This conference is top-notch and incredible simply to attend (the attendees are state leaders from all over the world, religious and non-profit leaders from all over the world, professors, etc.). ”

Communications Intern

June 2018 - July 2018 Grand Rapids, MI
“The team of interns was incredible. I learned a lot through hands on experience and mentoring. ”
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