I've been in Grand Rapids, Michigan attending Acton University,
which is a large conference put on by the Acton Institute. There
are a few hundred participants, almost all of whom have been flown
here by the institute. Many of my fellow attendees are from
Africa.
The crux of the program has to do with faith and economics. So
far, the programming I've seen has been impressive. Jennifer
Roback Morse's presentation on learning to think in economic terms
was brilliantly articulated. Jay Richards talked about myths of
the market and showed signs of being an emerging think tank rock
star.
Acton is influencing "influencers" like graduate students,
professors, and clergy and producing impeccable content. Last
night I saw their new film The Birth of
Freedom, which explored the impact of Christianity on the
West. The production values were high. The narrative and visuals
were compelling. It could easily be aired on The History Channel
or PBS and expect to receive a strong rating.
The Acton Institute is The Christian Think Tank 2.0. I expect
to see them develop greater influence and budget very quickly in
the years ahead. Check out their blog
here.
topics:
Economics, Africa
