Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
A High-Tech Base for Acton’s Free Market Mission
A High-Tech Base for Acton’s Free Market Mission
May 9, 2025 11:15 AM

The Acton Institute, founded 23 years ago, is ready to move into its new home in the heart of Grand Rapids, MI. Not only will Acton have more room for events, visiting scholars, and conferences, the new building boasts the best in technological innovations, while seeking SERF (Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities) certification for its re-use and recycling of the original historic building at 98 E. Fulton. According to :

The $7 million remodeling project creates a lecture hall, conference center, library, and studios for television production, radio programming and webcasts, giving the 23-year-old institute an international base for its mission of advocating free market Christianity.

The institute, which was ranked 13th in the “Top 50 Social Policy Think Tanks” by the University of Pennsylvania’s Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program in January, is vacating offices it has occupied in the Waters Building.

Built in 1929, the original building has seen its exterior restored as well. One exterior wall boasts a mosaic mural, Tracy Van Duinen’s Metaphorest Project, the 2nd prize winner in the 2011 ArtPrize contest, which will remain in place. In addition, the third story of the building is home to the West Michigan Center for Arts and Technology (WMCAT), a non-profit which provides a culture of opportunity for people to create social and economic progress in their lives munity through art and career training courses.

John Kennedy, president and CEO of Autocam Corp., co-chaired the $12.5 million fundraising campaign.

“It’s part of the ethos and culture of West Michigan to say, ‘How do I do things better?’ and ‘I want to live a better way,’” said Kennedy, a Catholic who co-chaired the campaign with Sid Jansma Jr., president and CEO of Wolverine Gas and Oil Corp. and a member of the Christian Reformed Church.

Kennedy said Acton excels in encouraging entrepreneurs to develop their skills in the marketplace to improve the lives of others.

“They don’t say the markets are moral, but players in the market have a responsibility to be moral,” said Kennedy.

The Acton Institute plans to be in the new building by March 5, 2013.

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Are the Social Teachings Binding on Catholics?
If you had asked me as a young Baptist boy to explain the difference between Protestants and Catholics, I would have said that Catholics were the Christians who “have to do what the Pope tells them to do.” Now I’m an old Baptist and realize how naive I was. (I’m more likely to agree with the Pope on social doctrine than do many American Catholics I know.) I’m still unclear, though, on where Catholics draw the line of demarcation plete...
When Economic Moralism Clashes with Reality
With the November 26 publication of Pope Francis’s apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, we have the first teaching document that is truly his own. And it very much shows, both in style and pared to the encyclical Lumen Fidei, which was mostly written by Pope Benedict XVI. Evangelii Gaudium is full of the home-spun expressions of faith that have made Francis the most popular public figure on the planet, and the exhortation is certain to succeed in challenging all of us...
Video: Rev. Robert A. Sirico Comments on the Economic Views of Pope Francis in ‘Evangelii Gaudium’
In this short talk, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, offers some general observations about the new “Apostolic Exhortation” published Nov. 26 by Pope Francis. Specifically, Rev. Sirico addresses the economic content of the work, titled “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel) and poses some questions for further reflection. And please take a moment to watch this PovertyCure trailer also posted here. ...
Free Societies Need Free Markets, Not Forced Conscription
How can we fix all that has gone wrong in our nation’s capital? Mandate military service for all Americans, men and women alike, when they turn 18. At least that’s the provocative solution Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank proposed this weekend: There is no better explanation for what has gone wrong in Washington in recent years than the tabulation done every two years of how many members of Congress served in the military. [. . .] Because so few serving...
Audio: Sirico Comments on ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ on The Blaze Radio, Larry Kudlow Show
On Wednesday, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Acton’s President and co-founder, offered his ments on “Evangelii Gaudium,” the Apostolic Exhortation released on November 26 by Pope Francis. This morning, Rev. Sirico spent some time extending his thoughts during the course of a couple of radio interviews. In his first interview of the day, Rev. Sirico appeared on The Chris Salcedo Showon The Blaze Radio Network: Later on, Rev. Sirico joined host Larry Kudlow on 77 WABC in New York City for...
Pilgrims, Property Rights, and the Source of Stewardship
Each Thanksgiving brings with it another opportunity to pause, meditate, and express our gratitude for the great blessings in life. As one who recently ed a new baby boy to my family, it seems particularly evident this season that the greatest blessings are not, after all, material. Yet material need is a persistent obstacle, the dynamics of which wield significant influence over the entirety of our lives, from the formative effects of our daily work to the time, energy, and...
Audio: Samuel Gregg Discusses ‘Evangelii Gaudium’
Good Monday morning to you! Acton’s Director of Research (and author of Tea Party Catholic) Samuel Gregg was called upon to provide analysis of ‘Evangelii Gaudium‘ on Bill Bennett’s Morning in Americaradio show. You can listen to the interview using the audio player below: I also want to draw attention to the interviews conducted over the weekend with Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico that we posted on Saturday, just in case anyone is checking in after the long weekend...
Review: ‘Tea Party Catholic’ is an ‘enlightening road map’
George J Marlin, Catholic author and editor, recently reviewed Samuel Gregg’s latest book, Tea Party Catholic at The Catholic Thing. He begins by saying that he knows many members of the Tea Party who are religious, but “because they do not have a consistent public philosophy that serves as the foundation of their civic activism,” they tend to “go off half-cocked and in different directions.” However, he is confident that Tea Party Catholic will “help fill this void:” Gregg, an...
Cost Of Survival In Syria? Body Parts
Imagine the horror of losing friends and family members. Fleeing your homeland. Scrambling to survive in a refugee camp that is over-crowded and under-sourced. You are now prey for bounty-hunters. The price: your kidney. Your eye. Syrian refugees trying to survive in Lebanon are finding themselves in this wicked “market place.” The young man, who called himself Raïd, wasn’t doing well. He climbed into the backseat of the car, in pain, careful not to touch any corners. He was exhausted...
‘The Simple Principles of Solidarity and Subsidiarity’
Pope Francis’ exhortationEvangelii Gaudium has been garnering much attention, especially for some of the economic views he put forth in the document. With the reminder that an apostolic exhortation does not have the weight of infallibility, the exhortation has been a terrific way to discuss Catholic teaching on different matters. Rev. Dwight Longenecker, in his blog Standing On My Head, tackles the issues raised regarding the wealthy and the poor. We continue to believe the stereotypes despite the fact that...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved