Acton Line
Episodes
7 Deadly Economic Sins
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve heard of the Seven Deadly Sins: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. Each is a natural and recurring human weakness that imp...
Emerging Leaders at the Acton Institute
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Acton Institute’s Emerging Leaders Program is a leadership development initiative that brings together a cohort of students from across the nati...
Taking rites seriously with Francis Beckwith
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Francis Beckwith, professor of philosophy and church-state studies at Baylor University, discusses the lecture he gave at Acton University 2022 entitl...
Check your financial privilege
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Gladstein, chief strategy officer at the Human Rights Foundation, discusses his new book, “Check Your Financial Privilege,” and how cryptocur...
Mike Cosper on ‘The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill’
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
“The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill” is one of the most popular Christian podcasts of the past year. It chronicles how Mars Hill Church in Seattle wen...
Fatherhood, fraternities, and moral formation
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Anthony Bradley, professor of religious studies at The King’s College, NYC, and Acton research fellow, sits down with Dan Churchwell, Acton’s dire...
Literature and the scandal of holiness
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Award-winning author Jessica Hooten Wilson has written an exciting new book—“The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of ...
Betsy DeVos on fixing education
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Betsy DeVos joins Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of marketing and communications, in the studio to discuss her new book, “Hostages No More.“ In ...
How savings banks and credit unions help prevent poverty
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dan Churchwell, Acton’s director of program outreach, sits down with Dr. Richard Turnbull, the director of the Center for Enterpris...
Reason, nature, and the human good
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Daniel Wagner, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of philosophy at Aquinas College, sits down with Dan Hugger, Acton’s librarian and research asso...
'Conservatism: A Rediscovery'
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Sam Gregg sits down with award-winning political theorist Yoram Hazony to discuss Hazony’s new book, “Conservatism: A Rediscovery...
The next generation of church leaders
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Acton Line, Dylan Pahman, research fellow and executive editor of the Journal of Markets & Morality here at Acton, sits down with J...
‘A Catholic Pilgrimage through American History’
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Schmiesing, director of research at the Freedom & Virtue Institute, takes you on a journey through American history to more than two dozen sites...
“The Economics of the Parables”
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Acton’s president emeritus, and Dan Hugger, Acton’s librarian and research associate, dismiss the many mis...
"The Essential Works of Thomas More”
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Gerard Wegemer, professor of English at the University of Dallas, sits down with Sam Gregg, Acton’s director of research, to discus...
“Trust in a Polarized Age”
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kevin Vallier, political philosopher and associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University, joins Dylan Pahman, Acton’s executive ...
The hundred-year war for American conservatism
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matthew Continetti’s new book, The Right, gives readers a clear historical perspective of the conservative movement—from the Progressive era to th...
Being American in an age of division
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Acton Line, Eric Kohn, our director of marketing and communications, sits down with Samuel Goldman, associate professor of politica...
College sports economics
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of marketing and communications, sits down with Matt Brown, sports journalist and author of the “Extra Points” daily...
Paul Henry and his influence on Christianity and politics
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dan Hugger, research associate and librarian here at Acton, sits down with Dr. Micah Watson, associate professor and executive direct...
Ian Rowe on “Agency”: Empowering all children to achieve success
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is a special edition of Acton Line, featuring Ian Rowe, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, speaking on his new book, “Agency.“...
On a mission to help the poor and homeless
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dan Churchwell, director of program outreach here at Acton, sits down with James Whitford, executive director of Watered Gardens Mini...
“The Essential Natural Law” with Samuel Gregg
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dan Hugger sits down with Acton’s director of research, Samuel Gregg, to discuss his new book, “The Essential Natural Law.” The...
The Overton Window with Joseph Lehman
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of communications, sits down with Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, to discuss the “Ov...
How Christian fiction shaped a culture and a faith
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dan Hugger sits with Daniel Silliman, journalist and news editor for Christianity Today, to discuss his new book, "Reading Evangelica...
Why virtue matters in the trades
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Sarah Negri, research project coordinator at the Acton Institute, sits down with David Michael Phelps, dean and director of program...
Pano Kanelos on the University of Austin
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since its announcement in November, media buzz has surrounded the University of Austin in Texas (UATX), newly founded to push back against a growing i...
In their own words
02 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a conversation with Acton’s librarian and research associate Dan Hugger, the Honorable Mark T. Boonstra, author of “In Their Own Words,” pres...
You are not your own
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In a conversation with Dan Churchwell, Acton’s director of program outreach, Alan Noble, author of "You Are Not Your Own: Belonging to God in an Inh...
Mission and core principles of the Acton Institute, Part Two
19 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we continue the conversation from our last episode, Dan Hugger and Dylan Pahman move the discussion forward on the Acton Institute’s vision for a...
Mission and core principles of the Acton Institute, Part One
12 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As we enter into this new year, we reflect on the Acton Institute’s vision for a free and virtuous society. In this episode of Acton Line, Acton’s...
Acton's new president and a vision of 2022 and beyond
05 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In November of 2021, Fr. Robert A. Sirico passed the torch of the presidency of the Acton Institute to Acton co-founder Kris Mauren. In this episode, ...
Black flourishing in the marketplace
29 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
If we face America’s racial history squarely, must we conclude that the American project is a failure? Conversely, if we think the American project ...
Getting out of control
22 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric Kohn sits down with Neil Chilson, research fellow for technology and innovation at Stand Together, to discuss his new book, Gett...
The changing face of social breakdown
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric Kohn sits down with Yuval Levin, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and editor-in-chief of National Affairs, to ...
The Pope who helped bring down communism
08 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Pope John Paul II was an artist, an author, an actor, a philosopher, and a theologian. But most important, he was a lover of freedom and liberty. In t...
A chat with the filmmakers behind The Chosen
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of communications, sits down with Dallas Jenkins, director of The Chosen, an online multi season TV ser...
There’s no free lunch
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of communications, sits down with David L. Bahnsen to discuss his new book, There’s No Free Lunch. In...
Race and justice in America
17 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dylan Pahman, executive editor and research fellow here at the Acton Institute, sits down with Kevin Schmiesing, director of research...
Digital privacy and surveillance capitalism
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Digital technology has undoubtedly brought many benefits, but it has also come with growing threats to our privacy, our families and businesses, our m...
A Christian guide to fasting
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Increasingly, people are turning to intermittent fasting to bolster their health. But we aren’t the first people to abstain from eating for a purpo...
The panic over Big Tech
27 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On October 3, 2021, Frances Haugen—the so-called Facebook whistleblower—appeared on 60 Minutes to detail her time with the social media gian...
The foster care system is wrecking young lives
20 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
All children deserve the love and affection that come from being in a family. Most importantly, children deserve to have their needs met in a permanen...
The political wisdom of Shakespeare's late plays
13 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
William Shakespeare is undoubtedly one of the greatest writers of Western civilization. As we watch or read his plays, we are still able to draw appli...
How do we respond to Beijing’s forced-labor camps?
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Forced labor camps have been embedded in Chinese politics since the birth of the People’s Republic of China. Mao Zedong created and instituted these...
Cultivating Curiosity at Acton’s 1st Annual Academic Colloquium
30 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Friday, October 8, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Acton Institute will host its First Annual Academic Colloquium on Markets & Morality. This year’s ...
Lockdowns and their disturbing effects on children
29 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
COVID-19 has impacted us in ways that will continue to affect us for generations. In this episode, I explore a very particular consequence of COVID: C...
The Beatles and Economics
22 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Beatles will go down in history as one of the most prolific music acts of all time. Their music is still played in our homes and around the world ...
The legitimacy of executive powers during a state of emergency
15 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“Crisis” is a catch-all phrase used in modern rhetoric typically attached to any movement or belief that aims to point out an issue. However, it i...
A New York firefighter tells his story of 9/11
08 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The events of 9/11 are forever etched in the hearts of all Americans. Most of us still remember exactly where we were when it happened. In this episod...
Islam & Economics
01 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Nathan Mech, program outreach project manager here at the Acton Institute, sits down with Ali Salman, co-founder of Islam & Liberty N...
Acton Unwind: We are not cogs for social engineers
30 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Acton Unwind, Sam Gregg, and special guests Dan Hugger and Michael Miller discuss the ongoing developments in Afghanistan as we approach ...
The Cuban revolution
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For the first time in more than 6 decades Cuban citizens are protesting in the streets against their communist government regime. In this episode, D...
Acton Unwind: Have the Taliban changed?
23 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Acton Unwind, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and special guest Mustafa Akyol discuss the latest developments in Afghanistan, as the United States...
Reopening Muslim Minds
18 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Nathan Mech, program outreach project manager here at the Acton Institute, sits down with Mustafa Akyol, senior fellow at the Cato In...
Acton Unwind: The Taliban retake Afghanistan
16 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Acton Unwind, Eric Kohn, Sam Gregg, and Dan Hugger discuss the collapse of the Afghanistan government as the United States withdraws from...
No, higher wages are not a ‘silver lining’ of inflation
11 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As of May 2021, prices increased 5% over the course of one year – the sharpest increase in inflation since 2008. Inflation poses a palpable threat t...
Acton Unwind: They're not gonna pay rent
09 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We're thrilled to bring you a new podcast from the Acton Institute: Acton Unwind. Acton Unwind is a weekly roundtable discussion of news and current e...
American men suffer a friendship recession
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Genuine friendships are one of the core qualities of a great life. Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero called a friend “a second self.” Britis...
The genius of Abraham Kuyper
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 1900’s, the Netherlands was under the rule of a dynamic prime minister, Abraham Kuyper. A multi-faceted figure, he implemented signific...
The problem of industrial policy
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Industrial policy is making a comeback in political discourse as a key issue to be tackled in maintaining America’s dominance internationally. Indus...
PC culture on college campuses
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Generation Z is a demographic group born between the late 1990’s and early 2010’s and they are beginning to trickle into workplaces. The push for ...
Dare to speak: defending free speech for all
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Suzanne Nossel, CEO of Pen America sits down with Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of communication to discuss her new book, Dare to Speak: Defending Fre...
Betsy DeVos and Sal Khan on education and entrepreneurial disruption
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we're bringing you a panel discussion featuring Betsy Devos and Sal Khan that was delivered as part of Acton University Online 2021. ...
The love of learning
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Liberal Arts Education is a classical academic discipline that focuses on educating the whole person and is rooted in a lifelong study of transcendent...
Covid relief bill’s side effects on our future economy
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Along with more than half a million American deaths, lockdowns and federal mandates, the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it unprecedented government sp...
America without God
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cultural American ideologies, which were historically influenced by Christian beliefs, have continued to deteriorate throughout the years. Faith in po...
Why do some people hate the Jews?
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We bring you a conversation between Acton’s Director of Communications, Eric Kohn, and the Jack Miller Family Foundation’s Director of Freedom Ini...
Representative Peter Meijer on public service
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We bring you a conversation between Acton’s Director of Communications Eric Kohn and Congressman Peter Meijer, who took office in January as the rep...
The American Dream is not dead
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Does hard work pay off? Do workers enjoy the fruits of their labor? Can a child living in poverty grow up to be financially successful? These are the ...
One year after the death of George Floyd
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Police reform, police training, foot pursuit policy, how to comply, lack of parenthood, and why we are so preoccupied with race. It’s been a year si...
Alexander Salter on the American tradition of ordered liberty and sound money
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Acton Line brings you a conversation with Dylan Pahman and Alexander Salter. Pahman is a research fellow here at Acton Institute and serves as executi...
Nate Hochman on the intellectual energy of young conservatives
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today, we’re bringing you a conversation between our director of communications, Eric Kohn, and Nate Hochman about young conservatives and what’s ...
Helen Raleigh on how China’s aggression has backfired
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode we speak with Helen Raleigh on her new book, Backlash: How China’s Aggression has Backfired. This book sets out to provide a compreh...
Donald Devine on the enduring tension
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Adam Smith once said, “Every man, as long as he does not violate the laws of justice, is left perfectly free to pursue his own interest in his own w...
Darrell Bock and Jonathan Armstrong on virtual reality church
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Acton Line brings you a conversation with theologians Darrell Bock and Jonathan Armstrong, and Dan Churchwell -- Acton’s director of program outreac...
Dylan Pahman on free speech and cancel culture
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What is the difference between propriety and virtue, and how does this relate to the constant abuse of free speech we see today? According to economis...
Trent Horn on Can a Catholic be a socialist?
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We are bringing you a conversation with Trent Horn, staff apologist for Catholic Answers, and Eric Kohn, the director of communications here at Acton....
John Mackey on conscious leadership
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Acton Institute president and co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico joins John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, to discuss Mackey’s new book, “...
Stephanie Slade on the future of fusionism
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we are bringing you a conversation with Stephanie Slade, the managing editor of Reason Magazine, and Eric Kohn, the director of commu...
Scott Lincicome on the myth of deindustrialization
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To listen to economic nationalists, national conservatives and certain politicians, you would believe that we’re in a period of mass deindustrializa...
Matthew Continetti on Rush Limbaugh's legacy
24 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On February 17, 2021, conservative radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh passed away at the age of 70. From his humble origins as a rock music DJ in Cape Gi...
David Hebert on profits during a pandemic
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and governments across the country ordered most businesses closed, people have increasingly turned to online services...
Brian Hooks on "Believe in People"
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As we look around the country and the world, we see towering barriers are holding millions of people back, and institutions that should help everyone ...
David Bahnsen on GameStop, RobinHood and market populism
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over the course of two weeks in January 2021, the stock price for GameStop – the brick-and-mortar video game retailer – rose by a shocking 1,500 p...
Matthew Kaemingk & Cory Willson on work and worship
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The question of how to reconcile our faith and our work is a permanent challenge after the fall into sin. In the Hebrew scriptures we read that God ...
Yuval Levin on the Capitol riot and institutional crisis
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past several years, American institutions have faced challenges that have placed an enormous amount of stress and strain on them. Some of tho...
Anne Bradley & Iain Murray on socialism and poverty
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re bringing you another conversation from our recent Poverty Cure Summit. The Poverty Cure Summit provided an opportunity for pa...
Tim Carney on Alienated America (Rebroadcast)
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is a rebroadcast that originally aired in March of 2019, but holds incredible relevance to conversations we’re still having today....
Rev. Robert Sirico on what we learned in 2020
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a challenging year. A global pandemic, violent unrest in the streets of major American cities, and a divisive presidential election have a...
Maryann & Barry Keating on rebuilding social capital
23 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Social capital – the capacity of people to cooperate towards common aims – is an indispensable element of a free and prosperous society yet many s...
Philippa Stroud & Anne Bradley on pandemic and poverty
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week we’re bringing you another conversation from our recent Poverty Cure Summit. The Poverty Cure Summit provided an opportunity for participa...
Walter Williams on Frederic Bastiat & American political culture
09 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On December 2nd, 2020, the economist Walter E. Williams passed away at the age of 84. Williams worked his way out of grinding poverty in the Philadelp...
Jordan Ballor on Abraham Kuyper's "Common Grace"
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Common Grace is both a theological doctrine within the reformed tradition and the title of a truly monumental book discussing the doctrine by the theo...
Ismael Hernandez & Peter Greer on addressing poverty
25 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For this week’s episode, we’re bringing you a conversation that was a part of Acton’s recent Poverty Cure Summit. The Poverty Cure Summit provid...
Joel Sercel on the ethics of space exploration
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1958, in the wake of the Soviet Union launching Sputnik 1 – the world’s first artificial satellite – into space, President Dwight D. Eisenhow...
Sam Gregg on woke capitalism
11 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of George Floyd’s death in May of 2020, people took to social media to advocate for causes stemming from that horrible incident. Ranging...
Gerald McDermott on 'Race & Covenant' and racial reconciliation
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The United States is consumed with questions regarding race, the legacy of slavery, and the nature of social justice. Where are people of faith to tur...
Scott Lincicome on Section 230 and social media
28 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On October 14, 2020, the New York Post published an expose on former Vice President and current Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s son, Hun...
P.J. Hill on religious origins of the rule of law
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In his article in the June 2020 issue of the Journal of Institutional Economics, Dr. P.J. Hill, who served as the George F. Bennett Professor of Econo...