Acton Line

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with John Pinheiro, director of research at the Acton Institute, and Daniel Wagner, chair of the philosophy department and director of Catholic Studies at Aquinas College, about the election of Pope Leo XIV. Why is the election of an American pope so surprising? How is his choice of name significant? How will the legacy of Pope Leo XIII in philosophy and Catholic Social Teaching inform Leo XIV’s papacy? What are the “new things” of the 21st century that the new pope will address? Subscribe to our podcasts Pope Leo XIV and a New Age of ‘New Things’ | The Dispatch Pope 267: The Guessing Game | Religion & Liberty Online All Things Conclave | Acton Institute Aeterni Patris (August 4, 1879) | LEO XIII Rerum Novarum (May 15, 1891) | LEO XIII Centesimus Annus (May 1, 1991) | John Paul II Pope Leo XIV on the counterculture of the new evangelization (Part 1 of 2) Pope Leo XIV on the counterculture of the new evangelization (Part 2 of 2) FULL TEXT AND VIDEO: Pope Leo XIV’s h

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with the Acton Institute’s John Pinheiro, director of research, and Michael Miller, director of the Center for Social Flourishing, about all things conclave.  Why are conclaves important? What should people make of the horse race coverage in the media? What sort of qualities does the Church need most in her next pope? Subscribe to our podcasts What to Expect at the Conclave | Religion & Liberty Online Requiem Aeternam: Pope Francis (1936–2025) | Religion & Liberty Online The Pope of Progress? | Richard M. Reinsch II A Conclave Like No Other | The New York Times Business as usual is untenable | Catholic World Report Catechism of the Catholic Church | USCCB Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church

On today’s episode, Dan Churchwell, Acton's director of programs and education, interviews Raymond Harris, author, architect, and a venture capitalist in God’s kingdom. They discuss his new book, “Enduring Wealth: Being Rich in This World and the Next,” where Raymond shares how he has seen God multiply human efforts when people faithfully steward all God has given them. Subscribe to our podcasts Raymond Harris Enduring Wealth: Being Rich in This World and the Next | BroadStreet Publishing

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with the Acton Institute’s Stephen Barrows, chief operating officer, and John Pinheiro, director of research, about the life and legacy of Pope Francis. This wide-ranging conversation covers Pope Francis’s perspective on the market, the environment, liturgy, synodality, business, ecumenicism, and the poor. Which parts of Pope Francis’s legacy will endure? What was his contribution to the life of the Catholic Church?   Requiem Aeternam: Pope Francis (1936–2025) | John Pinheiro & Michael Matheson Miller Pope Francis’ Plea for Migrants and Acton’s Core Principles | Stephen Barrows Pope Francis and the Caring Society | Robert M. Whaples, ed. Can a Capitalist Society Also Be a Caring Society? | Robert Whaples Pope Francis changed the Catholic church, but not as much as he hoped | The Economist Laudato Si' (May 24, 2015) | Pope Francis Pope Francis's Authority in Laudato Si | National Review Message of the Holy Father to French Entrepreneurs (Paris, August 28–29, 2023) Declaration

The 2024 PovertyCure Summit “Dignity, Agency & Charity” was a virtual event put on by Acton’s Center for Social Flourishing. Over two days, participants learned from scholars and practitioners involved in the global struggle against poverty—and against the “toxic charity” that hinders people’s ability to rise.   On today’s episode, we bring you the keynote presented by Dr. William Easterly entitled “Beyond Material Progress: Markets and Dignity in the Fight Against Global Poverty.” As material living standards improve in the developing world, are people better able to pursue their own aspirations and desires? Less able?   Subscribe to our podcasts   PovertyCure Summit

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Marvin Olasky, executive editor for News and Global at Christianity Today and the founder and chairman of Zenger House. They discuss many of the news stories that won the 2025 Zenger Prizes. What is the state of journalism today? How does honoring excellence in journalism encourage better journalism? What makes for a good story, ethically and technically? How can those who love reading great journalism become great journalists themselves? Zenger House | Biblically Objective Journalism 2025 Winners | Zenger House At Bible Study for the Homeless, a Search for Meaning | The New York Times What I Saw in the Darién Gap | The Atlantic The Border Crisis Won't Be Solved, No Matter Who Wins the Election Heroes and heartbreak: 36 hours of hell in Helene's historic floods A Retiree in California Is Teaching Afghan Women How to Drive | The New York Times ‘I lied about everything’: An NFL player hid his family trauma until he saved them — and himself | The Athletic The Indian Midwi

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Ryan Bourne, R. Evan Scharf Chair for the Public Understanding of Economics, and Alex Nowrasteh, VP for Economic and Social Policy Studies, both at the CATO Institute, about all things DOGE. What does efficiency mean in the context of government? What has DOGE been doing? Is its process as chaotic as it has been portrayed? What are some useful models for understanding DOGE? What will it do in the future?   Subscribe to our podcasts Ryan Bourne | Cato Institute Alex Nowrasteh | Cato Institute Cato Institute Report to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) | Cato Institute Six Ways to Understand DOGE and Predict Its Future Behavior | Cato at Liberty Blog How Elon Musk Executed His Takeover of the Federal Bureaucracy | The New York Times

In his latest book, “Broken Altars: Secularist Violence in Modern History,” Thomas Albert Howard presents three principal forms of modern secularism that have arisen since the Enlightenment: passive, combative, and eliminationist. Howard argues that the latter two have been especially violence-prone and says Westerners do not fully grasp this because they often mistake passive secularism for secularism as a whole. But a disconcertingly more complicated picture emerges when you adopt a broader global vision.   On today’s episode, John Pinheiro, Acton’s director of research, talks to Howard about secularism, what about it we often misunderstand, and his book.   Subscribe to our podcasts   Broken Altars: Secularist Violence in Modern History | Yale University Press   Thomas Albert (Tal) Howard | Valparaiso University   The Gulag Archipelago | Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn   The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression

On today’s episode, Dan Churchwell, Acton’s director of programs and education, talks to James Hartley, professor of economics at Mount Holyoke College, ahead of James’ Acton Lecture Series event. They survey the discipline of economics and how James came to study it for over 30 years.   The lecture, entitled “Tariffs, Trade Wars, and the State of the Economy,” sifts through the noise of the often-bewildering claims and counterclaims of economic news. You can watch James’ lecture at ondemand.acton.org. Subscribe to our podcasts Acton University Acton On-Demand

The 2024 PovertyCure Summit, “Dignity, Agency & Charity,” was a virtual event put on by Acton’s Center for Social Flourishing. Over two days, participants learned from scholars and practitioners involved in the global struggle against poverty—and against “toxic charity” that hinders people’s ability to rise. On today’s episode, we bring you a presentation from Dr. Seth Kaplan, author of the book ‘Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time.’ He talks about why American society is in trouble and what we can do about it. Subscribe to our podcasts Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time PovertyCure Summit

On today’s episode, we bring you a conversation from Acton University between Acton’s director of programming, Dan Churchwell, and Scott Rae, professor of philosophy and Christian ethics at Biola University. They discuss medical and business ethics, death, and the Resurrection.  Acton University is Acton’s flagship conference, focused on building the foundations of human freedom and exploring the intersection of faith and free markets. To learn more about Acton University, please visit university.acton.org. And to find additional content from previous Acton Universities, please visit ondemand.acton.org.  Subscribe to our podcasts Acton University Acton On-Demand Scott Rae | Biola University

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Stephen Smith, dean of the humanities, Temple Family Chair in English Literature, and professor of English at Hillsdale College, about St. Thomas More, William Shakespeare, and Christian humanism. What is the Christian humanist tradition? How does St. Thomas More exemplify that tradition? How was William Shakespeare inspired by More’s life, scholarship, and sensibility? How can we revive the humanities and continue the Christian humanist tradition today? Stephen Smith — Hillsdale College Thomas More Studies The Essential Works of Thomas More What is Christian humanism? A conversation with Bradley J. Birzer The Year of Our Lord 1943: Christian Humanism in an Age of Crisis | Alan Jacobs De officiis, with an English translation by Walter Miller | Marcus Tullius Cicero On Friendship (De Amicitia) | Marcus Tullius Cicero More’s Letter to Antonio Bonvisi, 1535 The Book of Sir Thomas More

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Andrew M. McGinnis, assistant director of research at the CRCD and managing editor of the Journal of Religion, Culture & Democracy, about the Acton Institute’s recently completed Sources in Early Modern Economics, Ethics, and Law (Second Series). What is historical ressourcement, and why does it matter? What are the challenges scholars face when attempting such work? How can historical scholarship enrich the Church? The world? Andrew M. McGinnis, Ph.D. | Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy Sources in Early Modern Economics, Ethics, and Law (Second Series) | Acton Institute On the Duties of Merchants — Acton Bookshop The Right Use of Moral Philosophy — Acton Bookshop On the Law of Nature: A Demonstrative Method — Acton Bookshop On the Duty to Keep Faith with Heretics — Acton Bookshop Commentary on Proverbs — Acton Bookshop PRDL — Post-Reformation Digital Library Vesuvius Challenge

The 2024 PovertyCure Summit, “Dignity, Agency, & Charity,” was a virtual event put on by Acton’s Center for Social Flourishing. Over two days, participants learned from scholars and practitioners involved in the global struggle against poverty—and against “toxic charity” that hinders people’s ability to rise. On today’s episode, we bring you a panel discussion from the summit, entitled “Finding Solutions to America’s Housing Shortage.” The director of Acton’s Center for Social Flourishing, Michael Matheson Miller, speaks to James Hurling and Charles Marohn about the importance of empowering impoverished households. Subscribe to our podcasts PovertyCure Summit

On today’s episode, Acton’s director of research, John Pinheiro, speaks to Gerard Wegemer, founding director of the Center for Thomas More Studies. They discuss More’s life, writings, and understanding of law, liberty, and citizenship.  Subscribe to our podcasts  Center for Thomas More Studies

This week, host Dan Hugger is joined by John Pinheiro and Dylan Pahman to discuss the presidential transition. What have past presidential transitions looked like, and how does this one compare? What should we make of the flurry of pardons from Presidents Trump and Biden? How many amendments does our Constitution, in fact, have—and what do they even mean? Who needs them when you have executive orders? And how will those new executive orders affect the economy and civil service? Subscribe to our podcasts Biden Pardons 5 Members of His Family in Final Minutes in Office | The New York Times Family outraged after man convicted in Connecticut killings gets clemency from Biden in drug case | AP News Pardon of January 6 United States Capitol attack defendants | Wikipedia Biden Says Equal Rights Amendment Has Passed, but Does Not Force Certification | The New York Times Birthright Citizenship Is American Citizenship | John Yoo Trump Admin Orders Federal D.E.I. Efforts to Shut Down by Wednesday Night | The New York Ti

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Kevin Vallier, professor of philosophy at the Institute of American Constitutional Thought and Leadership, about his book-in-progress on American fusionism. How exactly do religion and liberty go together? What can theologians and social scientists learn from each other? Why is fusionism still the only intellectually serious option on offer for American conservatives, and how can it be developed futher? Kevin Vallier All the Kingdoms of the World: On Radical Religious Alternatives to Li – Acton Bookshop Trust in a Polarized Age - Kevin Vallier - Oxford University Press For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto | Mises Institute The Conservative Mind – Acton Bookshop In Defense of Freedom and Related Essays - Liberty Fund Select Works of Edmund Burke, vol. 2 | Online Library of Liberty Faithful Christian Political Action | Acton Institute The Faithful Christian and the Politics of the Tao | Acton Institute Lord Acton: Historian and Moralist – Acton Bookshop The Fatal

Director of the Acton Institute’s Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage Nathan Mech mediates a discussion between Mustafa Akyol and Rabbi Reuven Firestone on the current crises in Jewish-Christian-Muslim relations. Drawing from their respective religious traditions, Akyol and Rabbi Firestone confront the challenges of tribalism and discuss how religion can be a source of solutions, rather than problems, for the Middle East and conflicts around the world today. Special attention is given to insights from Mustafa Akyol’s new book, “The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World.” Subscribe to our podcasts The Islamic Moses: How the Prophet Inspired Jews and Muslims to Flourish Together and Change the World Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage

Though often used, the term “financialization” is largely misunderstood. In order to address this issue, the American Institute for Economic Research commissioned Acton board member and chief investment officer of the Bahnsen Group, David Bahnsen, to write a white paper on this topic. His approach to financialization is simple: that we defend and not demonize capital markets, and clarify and not obfuscate how financial markets enhance our attempts at achieving human flourishing.  On today’s episode, Acton’s chief operating officer, Stephen Barrows, talks to David about his paper. Subscribe to our podcasts Financialization and Missed Boats | American Institute for Economic Research

On today’s episode, Acton librarian Dan Hugger sits down Kris Mauren, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute. They discuss why the Acton Institute was founded, what it’s done, and where it’s hoping to go in the new year.  Subscribe to our podcasts