Necessity as the Mother of Innovation

January 7, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Jordan Ballor There’s an old proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention.” Life is often difficult, full of challenges, trials, and travails. But it is a testament to the human spirit, created in the image of God to mature and develop morally, spiritually, and intellectually, that in the face of such troubles human ingenuity often wins out. Brad Morgan, a dairy farmer turned fertilizer magnate featured in the documentary The Call of the Entrepreneur, put it this way: “You put your butt in the... Read more

When Freedom, Creativity, and Opportunity Meet

January 6, 2015 By Acton Institute

By Anthony Bradley Thomas L. Jennings (1791–1856) was the first African-American to be granted a patent, for his discovery of a process called “dry-scouring” — what we now know as “dry cleaning.” Jennings’ life is a model of what happens when people of virtue have the freedom to use their skill to meet needs in the market place and contribute to the common good. What the United States and the rest of the world need are social, political, and economic... Read more

“All is Gift” Old Cell Phone Giveaway

December 30, 2014 By Acton Institute

Start your New Year with a GIFT! Send us your old phone, and we will send a DVD & BluRay of For the Life of the World: Letters to the Exiles to anyone you choose (regularly $59.99). The 7-part series will help your friends find their place in God’s economy of all things, discovering how God’s purposes are woven into every area of our lives: from family, work, art, charity, education, government, recreation and all creation. You give, we give, and maybe they’ll give too. And the world becomes a... Read more

What Are the Conditions for Human Flourishing?

December 29, 2014 By Acton Institute

By Joseph Sunde “A Christian society is not going to arrive until most of us really want it: and we are not going to want it until we become fully Christian… I cannot learn to love my neighbour as myself till I learn to love God: and I cannot learn to love God except by learning to obey Him.” –C.S. Lewis In Economic Shalom, John Bolt’s Reformed primer on faith, work, and economics, he includes a chapter on how we might understand... Read more

How to Develop a Christian Mind in Business School (Part II)

December 23, 2014 By Acton Institute

By Joe Carter Note: This is the second in a series on developing a Christian mind in business school. You can find the introduction here. Before we move on to how to think Christianly in business school, we should first discuss how to think Christianly about the decision to go (or not go) to b-school. For many Christians—particularly my fellow evangelicals—the concept of thinking Christianly about decision-making is reduced to a simply-stated yet deeply confused question: “Does God have a specific... Read more

‘The Gift of the Magi’ and the Power of Exchange

December 22, 2014 By Acton Institute

By Joseph Sunde Amid the wide array of quaint and compelling Christmas tales, O. Henry’s classic short story,“The Gift of the Magi,” continues to stand out as a uniquely captivating portrait of the power of sacrificial exchange. On the day before Christmas, Della longs to buy a present for her husband, Jim, restlessly counting and recounting her measly $1.87 before eventually surrendering to her poverty and bursting into tears. “Only $1.87 to buy a present for Jim,” the narrator laments. “Her Jim. Many... Read more

My Letter from the Economy of Wisdom

December 19, 2014 By Acton Institute

By Evan Koons Dear Everybody, Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. Knowledge, education, research, science–they all provide some pretty great things. But in our age of technological wonder, it is easy to forget that information is about more than what it can do for us. Knowledge is a gift. And like all gifts in God’s oikonomia, it points us outside ourselves. Certainly, knowledge... Read more

Gratification and Civilization

December 17, 2014 By Acton Institute

By Jordan Ballor On Christmas morning, millions of children all over the world will race downstairs to open presents in eager anticipation. Savvy parents will sometimes wait to put gifts under the tree until Christmas Eve, as curiosity often gets the best of kids in the days leading up to Christmas morning. But even without the physical gifts under the tree as a constant visual reminder of the impending joy of opening gifts, children’s minds are often preoccupied with the prospects... Read more

Wounding Work: Creative Service as Cross Bearing

December 12, 2014 By Acton Institute

By Joseph Sunde In recent years, we’ve seen a renewed focus on the deeper value, meaning, and significance of our daily work, particularly across the realm of evangelicalism. Yet as easy as it may be for some to alter old attitudes and begin appreciating the gift of creative service, it can be extremely difficult for others — and often for good reason. Indeed, until the last few centuries, the bulk of humanity was confined to activities that, while often fruitful, meaningful,... Read more

How to Develop a Christian Mind in Business School (Part 1)

December 10, 2014 By Acton Institute

By Joe Carter “Why are you going to business school?” my friend asked, with some concern. “It seems like such a waste of your time. Why not study history or philosophy or the Great Books or something you’d enjoy.” It was a good question. I was commmitting myself to spending two years going to school full-time (while working full-time) to get a degree in a subject—business administration—in which I didn’t feel particularly passionate. But I felt that God was calling me... Read more