The Acton Institute has a strong desire to build on the significant role we are playing in contributing to the intellectual capital in evangelicalism. That is why we are collaborating with Kuyper College in Grand Rapids to produce the first ever English translation of Abraham Kuyper's seminal three-volume Common Grace. That is why Acton also acquired the Grand Rapids-based book imprint Christian's Library Press in June of 2010 and created the NIV Stewardship Study Bible with the Stewardship Council and Zondervan in 2009. We want to be a trusted and leading voice for evangelicals when it comes to developing the very best intellectual resources. Christian's Library Press will publish the translation, with the first volume scheduled to appear in the fall of 2012.
Abraham Kuyper (1837-1920) was a Dutch theologian and statesman and his work Common Grace is based on a series of newspaper editorials intended to equip common citizens and laypersons with the tools they needed to effectively enter public life. The doctrine of common grace is, as Kuyper puts it, "the root conviction for all Reformed people." It is a fitting source to complement the mission of the Acton Institute while simultaneously edifying the life of the believer. For Kuyper College, the translation is instrumental in providing a theological framework for their new business leadership program.
Acton's director of programs Dr. Stephen Grabill will serve as the general editor of the project. Dr. John Bolt, a theology professor at Calvin Theological Seminary, will serve as a theological advisor. Dr. Nelson Kloosterman of Worldview Resources International, and translator of numerous Dutch works, will translate the texts.
This Acton project, especially in Reformed Protestant circles, will also serve as a valuable resource to draw evangelicals back to first principles and assist in the orientation of Protestant social thought. Kuyper declared, "If the believer's God is at work in this world, then in this world the believer's hand must take hold of the plow, and the name of the Lord must be glorified in that activity as well." Expounding and distributing Kuyper's holistic approach to declaring God's dominion over the world, the human person, business, and the church will be a rewarding and fruitful endeavor for Acton.
Kris Alan Mauren
Executive Director
