September / October 2015 Notes

Exciting start for Acton on Tap series

Acton’s back “on tap”! June kicked off the institute’s casual lecture series. These events are a chance for Grand Rapids community members to engage with economic and religious experts in a relaxed but informative environment. Acton on Tap evenings feature a short lecture and allow plenty of time for questions and dialogue from guests. Dan Hugger, Acton’s librarian, gave his debut lecture on the institute’s namesake, Lord John Emerich Acton. Lord Acton was a defender of liberty, free inquiry, freedom of religion and the broad liberal tradition. In his lecture, Hugger suggested that Acton, both in his life and writings, serves as a model for thoughtful and passionate engagement with the modern world.

In July, Anielka Olson, research and outreach manager of PovertyCure, began her talk by asking the question, “Are we listening to the poor’s voices?” She discussed themes found in PovertyCure: helping that hurts, ineffective charity and more.

Jared Meyer, fellow at the Manhattan Institute, gave a talk on millennials to a packed house at the end of July. He argued that “millennials need government to get out of the way so we can claim our birthright.” Meyer said that millennials are a largely entrepreneurial generation but are unable to follow these dreams because of a plethora of bad policies. He kept the lecture short so he could engage with the audience and answer questions from millennials and other age groups, in attendance.

Dave Hebert, assistant professor of economics at Ferris State University, spoke in late August about government overreach, discussing how government involvement can improve citizens’ lives. He also chatted about the areas in which it causes more harm than good.

All 2015 Acton on Tap events were held in downtown Grand Rapids at San Chez Bistro. The lectures and follow-up discussion from most events are recorded and available online at the Acton PowerBlog. Visit Acton’s Event Page for information on upcoming Acton on Tap lectures and other events.

From Our Conference Participants

[Acton University] has changed my outlook on my ministry as a Christian, my business as a consultant, and even my role as the leader of my family.
—2010 Acton University attendee

It is inspirational to be informed by a group that clearly embodies a common mission, communicated by educators of differing topics.
—2015 Acton University attendee

Faith and Freedom: celebrating Diet Eman

Dutch resistance fighter Diet Eman will be recognized with the 2015 Faith and Freedom Award for her bravery in the face of the Nazi regime. This honor was established as part of the Acton Institute’s 10th anniversary celebration in 2000. The award recognizes an individual who exemplifies commitment to faith and freedom through outstanding leadership in civic, business or religious life. For this award, the institute commissioned a sculpture of Lord Acton, who held firmly to the two pillars of faith and freedom.

Eman will be presented with the sculpture on October 21 at Acton’s 25th Anniversary Dinner in Grand Rapids at the DeVos Place. For more information about the event, or if you’re interested in reserving a seat or table, please visit www.acton.org/dinner.

Few encapsulate the concepts of courage, faith and perseverance quite like Diet Eman. She was born just outside of The Hague, Netherlands, in 1920. During World War II, she was a member of the Dutch resistance, helping secure ration cards for Jews, rescuing shot-down Allied airmen and risking her life in Nazi-occupied territory. They helped rescue thousands of Jews during the Nazi occupation and was arrested and sent to a German concentration camp for four months.

After World War II, Eman studied nursing and worked as a head nurse in Venezuela and as a foreign correspondent and export manager in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was active in volunteering for the Red Cross Disaster Service and doing relief work in impoverished nations. In her book Things We Couldn’t Say, she vividly recalls personal accounts and events of her brave saga during the war in the resistance. She currently resides in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Acton is not the first to have recognized her bravery and tireless work upholding the dignity of all people in the face of Nazi tyranny. She was awarded a medal from Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands for her witness against fascism, and in 1998 Yad Vashem named her as one of the “Righteous Among the Nations.” This title is used by the State of Israel to describe the non-Jewish people who risked their lives to save Jews from extermination during the Holocaust.

Eman made headlines in West Michigan earlier this year when King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands visited Grand Rapids in June. The brief time they spent visiting was a celebration of the cooperation between the state of Michigan and the Netherlands, most especially regarding economic ties and trade relations. Diet Eman was formally introduced to the king and queen and accompanied them for many of the festivities. Part of the day’s events included attending “It Is Well,” a ballet performed by the Turning Pointe School of Dance that tells Eman’s life story. It was written and choreographed by Tess Sinke, who had read Things I Couldn’t Say countless times and felt called to tell Eman’s story through dance.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII and the liberation of the infamous concentration camp, Auschwitz. It is a good time to reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust, remembering the words of Lord John Acton, “History is not a burden on the memory but an illumination of the soul.”

The last Faith and Freedom Award was presented to Lady Margaret Thatcher in 2011. Other past winners include Richard M. DeVos Sr., William F. Buckley Jr., Mart Laar, Charles W. Colson, Rocco Buttiglione, Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan and John M. Templeton. To learn more about these individuals, visit http:// www.acton.org/about/faith-and-freedom-award.

Acton@25 Campaign will wrap up with 25th Annual Dinner

The Acton@25 Capital Campaign is nearly complete, with less than $300,000 left until the ultimate goal of $12.5 million is reached. Acton is determined to reach the goal by mid-October ahead of the 25th annual dinner. To help close out the effort, two generous donors have offered to match all donations two-to-one from now until the end of the campaign.

This capital campaign will help Acton complete some exciting and important projects in the community. It will outfit Acton’s media center, bolstering the production of podcasts, televised interviews and syndicated radio programming. Your generous support will improve the events in the Mark Murray Auditorium by continuing to bring in the best speakers from around the world and supporting live streaming of these events. These new resources will also allow for the expansion of the Acton internship program, which educates and shapes future business and religious leaders.

As a special thanks, all donors to the campaign will be listed in a special commemorative video documenting the Acton Building’s transformation. Donors who have given $1,000 or more to the campaign will forever be a part of the building by having their name engraved on a plaque to be installed in Acton’s main lobby.

Acton staff and leadership are truly grateful for these resources. “We have been blessed with a beautiful building,” says Acton’s executive director Kris Mauren. He adds:

We’ve been able to display art, produce and screen fascinating documentaries and hear from many truly talented speakers. The success of the capital campaign will improve Acton’s commitment to serving the Grand Rapids community as well as lovers of liberty throughout the nation and the world.

Thank you for your continued support and confidence in Acton’s mission to promote a free and virtuous society.

Acton in the News

“Business, credit, trade, and fiscal responsibility are marks of healthy economies, not the problem, popular as it may be to denounce them. Indeed, these are also marks of economies that effectively care for ‘Mother Earth.’”
—Excerpted from Dylan Pahman’s article in Library of Law and Liberty.