Ron Blue on Biblical Financial Management
Ron Blue, who has helped Christians to be better stewards of their resources for decades, spoke to 80 guests at the Acton Institute headquarters in Grand Rapids, Mich. The event took place on August 26 and was titled "Persistent Generosity." Blue is the founder of Ronald Blue & Co., LLC.
He is a successful entrepreneur in the financial services industry and an admired leader and speaker on the topic of biblical financial management. Blue is the author of eighteen books on personal finance, including the best seller, Master Your Money, first published in 1986 and now in its thirtieth printing. Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind., is home to the Ron Blue Institute.
Blue said that "biblical wisdom is timeless," he added that "God's wisdom is authoritative and it speaks to every financial situation anybody has in their life." Blue also stressed that the question in terms of finances and how much is enough "is really important at any income level." Blue noted that "the more that you have will never satisfy the significance, the success, or the security."
"If you're dependent on money you're never going to have enough, if you're dependent on God you will always have enough," declared Blue. He stressed that the only way to breaking the power of money is to be willing to give. "God isn't interested in money, he's interested in our hearts," added Blue, "and he uses money as a tool to get to my heart."
Blue has appeared in Acton's Effective Stewardship DVD curriculum, adding expertise to session five on finances and giving. You can watch his lecture in its entirety at http://blog.acton.org/archives/72023-video-ron-blue-perpetual-generosity.html or by searching for it on YouTube under "Ron Blue" and "Acton Institute."
Summer Interns Plant Seeds of Liberty
The Acton Institute offers a summer internship program for students interested in combining their religious passion with free markets. Some of this year's interns traveled from across the United States while others came from Italy, Hungary, and China. Interns began their experience by preparing for Acton University and then settled into their summer roles. They worked in a variety of departments, including: research, programs, and communications.
Several interns had the opportunity to publish on topics of interest to them. Edward Trancik, a student at Hillsdale College, published a piece on the issues of water rights and free trade. He expressed how the internship facilitated both professional and personal development:
I had the opportunity to write posts for the PowerBlog, in which I was able to mesh economics (my academic discipline) with morality and religion. This has truly been a well-rounded experience. I leave this internship more competent in the workplace and knowledgeable about present issues regarding markets and morality, making me a better member of society as a result.
One of the international interns was able to advance Acton's mission abroad by translating works for a Chinese audience. Louis Ming Hin Lo explains his experience:
My primary duty was to translate the materials of Acton into Chinese so that Acton's ideas can spread in China. I am currently engaged in the translation project of the inspiring episodes—For the Life of the World. By making Acton materials readable in Chinese, I hope that we can implant the seeds of liberty and virtue in China and throughout Asia.
Acton also partners with the Charles G. Koch Fellowship Program, whose participants spend two weeks in Washington learning about liberty and free-market principles before beginning their fellowship in Grand Rapids. Patrick Oetting, one of the three Koch Fellows, remarked:
Experiencing the Acton Institute through the Koch Summer Fellow Program gave me the resources to learn and implement the values of liberty at a deeper level than ever before. I loved my time spent at Acton, from the fulfilling work I was able to complete, to the interactions with a close-knit group of fellow interns. With the help of great minds, I was able to come to a deeper understanding of the role that my faith plays in a society characterized by individual liberty.
The summer internship program for most applicants began June 4 and ended on July 30. Several current full time staff members at Acton started out in the summer internship program.
The Acton Institute would like to thank all of its interns for their hard work and dedication this summer. They are: Justin Bailey, Noah Barger, Toni Brown, Chris Conrad, Jacqueline Derks, Shawn Flynn, Lenore Healy, Caitlin Hilton, Louis Ming Hin Lo, Fabiana Marrani, Allan Mendell, Daniel Menjivar, Edward Trancik, Patrick Oetting, Panna Perecz, Dan Pittman, and Laura Prejean. The Acton Institute would like to specifically thank our donors who have given financially to the summer internship program.
Profile of an AU Attendee: Vicky Schultz
Vicky Schultz came to Acton University from Flint, Mich. She is the CEO of Catholic Charities of Shiawassee and Genesee Counties. One of her goals at Acton University is to be better equipped at implementing policies to help the poor and suffering in her hometown of Flint. In 2013, the city of Flint was ranked by Forbes magazine as #2 in "America's most miserable cities." Only Detroit surpassed Flint on Forbes's list. Vicky made reference to the fact that Flint has recently been ranked as the number one area of violence and crime in Michigan. Business Insider named Flint the "most dangerous city in America" in 2013. In 2011, the murder rate in Flint was worse than Baghdad, Iraq.
Schultz decided to attend Acton University after her bishop attended an Acton event. Usually Vicky and her colleague attend a convention held by Catholic Charities USA, but instead chose to attend Acton University this year.
Originally, Schultz believed that coming to Acton University would help many of her clients, especially in the area of entrepreneurship; however, after attending a lecture on economics she believes she came away with much more than just that. She stated that, "[Flint] has so much poverty that she can apply the same principles [from foreign countries] there." The concept behind the PovertyCure initiative intrigued Schultz, especially the ideas of micro-financing and micro-loans.
Schultz hopes to take the information that she learned back to Flint not only to help individuals find new jobs, but also to guide them in creating a new life and having new opportunities in the economically depressed city. Furthermore, she believes that she can pass along the information to her company so that individuals she has helped will be able to help others and that it creates a "trainreaction of assistance."
