Acton Line

In this episode of Acton Line, Eric Kohn, our director of marketing and communications, sits down with Samuel Goldman, associate professor of political science at George Washington University, to discuss the history of our American national identity as explored in his new book, “After Nationalism: Being American in an Age of Division.”  Goldman lays out the history of American national identity and offers new inspiration for how we can live together despite our current polarization and division.  Subscribe to our podcasts  After Nationalism: Being American in an Age of Division God's Country: Christian Zionism in America Loeb Institute for Religious Freedom  About Samuel Goldman  Politics & Values Program at George Washington University  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of marketing and communications, sits down with Matt Brown, sports journalist and author of the “Extra Points” daily newsletter. They discuss the economic system behind college athletics and athletes’ compensation in general.     Subscribe to our podcasts    Extra Points with Matt Brown    Extra Points Podcast    What If?: A closer look at college football's great questions | By Matt Brown Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dan Hugger, research associate and librarian here at Acton, sits down with Dr. Micah Watson, associate professor and executive director of the Paul Henry Institute at Calvin University, to discuss Congressman Paul Henry and his leadership in shaping the way Christian politicians live out their faith within their public service.    The Paul Henry Institute seeks “to understand the role of faith in public life across time, from the earliest efforts of ancient peoples to organize their laws and institutions to present-day tensions between religion and the modern state.”   Subscribe to our podcasts    About Dr. Micah Watson   Henry Institute for the study of Christianity and politics    5 Things that Christianity brings to our understanding of politics | Acton Institute    Controversial Christianity: Understanding faith and politics | Acton Institute    Our Mission & Core Principles | Acton Institute  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Wednesday, March 16, Rowe visited the Acton Institute for a discussion in front of a live audience with Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of marketing and communications. Rowe spoke on how we can inspire young people as they make the passage into adulthood. All children should be taught that a path to a successful life exists and that they have the power to follow it.   Subscribe to our podcasts    "Agency" by Ian Rowe | Book     About Ian Rowe   American Enterprise Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dan Churchwell, director of program outreach here at Acton, sits down with James Whitford, executive director of Watered Gardens Ministries, to discuss the challenges of poverty we face here in our communities. Whitford supports the economic principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity is a social practice where neighbors help neighbors so the state doesn’t have to intervene. This discourages reliance on the welfare state and avoids government bureaucracy.   Subscribe to our podcasts    Watered Gardens Ministries    The Principle of Subsidiarity   Build Together: Why lived experience is essential for crafting poverty solutions   God doesn't need your good works (but your neighbor does)  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dan Hugger sits down with Acton’s director of research, Samuel Gregg, to discuss his new book, “The Essential Natural Law.” They explore the fundamental principles of natural law and their place in Western thought and tradition.    How does natural law deepen our understanding of economics, justice, human rights, private property, and the rule of law? Is our path to increased human flourishing contingent on the principles of natural law being applied?   Subscribe to our podcasts    About Sam Gregg    Fraser Institute    “The Essential Natural Law”  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of communications, sits down with Joseph Lehman, president of the Mackinac Center, to discuss the “Overton Window” and the influence it continues to play in politics. How can we use it to understand changing ideas in our culture and the marketplace?   Subscribe to our podcasts    Joseph G. Lehman, President of the Mackinac Center    Mackinac Center for Public Policy    The Overton Window | Mackinac Center    The Overton Window: The Most Misunderstood Concept in Politics | The Daily Wire  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Dan Hugger sits with Daniel Silliman, journalist and news editor for Christianity Today, to discuss his new book, "Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith." Silliman argues that the formation of evangelical identity does not stem from institutions or political stances but from Christian fiction and Christian publishing in general. In light of this, he explores the questions, what is evangelicalism, and what is evangelical subculture?    Subscribe to our podcasts    Business Matters 2022 — 50% off registration with promo code PODCASTBM22   About Daniel Silliman    What's True About Christian Fiction | Christianity Today   Reading Evangelicals: How Christian Fiction Shaped a Culture and a Faith | Daniel Silliman  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Sarah Negri, research project coordinator at the Acton Institute, sits down with  David Michael Phelps, dean and director of program development at Harmel Academy of the Trades, to discuss the dignity of human work and how it is tied to our freedom to create value in the world and its connection to virtue. Why is formation in virtue important for skilled laborers? Who was Léon Harmel, and what was his impact on Catholic social teaching?    Subscribe to our podcasts    Business Matters 2022 — 50% off registration with promo code PODCASTBM22   Laborem Exercens, encyclical by John Paul II   Rerum Novarum, encyclical by Leo XIII   The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture by Fr. Jean Leclercq, O.S.B.   The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World by Iain McGilchrist   Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work by Matthew Crawford   The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction by

Since its announcement in November, media buzz has surrounded the University of Austin in Texas (UATX), newly founded to push back against a growing illiberal tide of “wokeness” and “cancel culture” in higher education. According to its website, UATX is “dedicated to the fearless pursuit of truth” and seeks to promote freedom of inquiry and ideological independence.  Today on Acton Line, Dylan Pahman interviews Dr. Pano Kanelos, president of UATX, to dig deeper than the social media hot takes to discover the truth of what UATX is really all about.   Subscribe to our podcasts  Business Matters 2022 — 50% off registration with promo code PODCASTBM22   The University of Austin  About Dr. Pano Kanelos The University of Austin is scaring all the right people Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a conversation with Acton’s librarian and research associate Dan Hugger, the Honorable Mark T. Boonstra, author of “In Their Own Words,” presents powerful insights into the minds of our Founding Fathers on the subject of religion.    It’s clear now more than ever that our country is no longer the one inhabited by our Founding Fathers. Boonstra claims that we have essentially lost our relationship to God. According to our country’s sacred documents, we were established as one nation under God, our rights were given by God, we appealed to God for protection, and freedom to worship God was a primary concern. Things are a bit different now.    In his book, Boonstra brings to light what our Founding Fathers truly believed about America as a nation united under God.    Subscribe to our podcasts   Buy the Books — “In Their Own Words”    About Mark T. Boonstra Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Inhuman World," presents powerful insights into the anxiety and unease many feel today. He describes how a single line from the Heidelberg Catechism reframes our identity and helps us better understand ourselves, our families, our society, and our God.   Subscribe to Acton Line, Acton Unwind, & Acton Vault  Use code aipod22 to get 30% off the book   Details about the book   Excerpt   About Alan Noble Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 free and virtuous society. We examine the Institute’s 10 core principles, which serve as the bedrock of who we are and what we do—namely, we seek to integrate religious truths (virtue) with free market principles (sound economics).   Subscribe to our podcasts    About Dan Hugger    About Dylan Pahman    Our Mission & Core Principles    Lord Acton's philosophy should guide our next two centuries    Foundations of a Free & Virtuous Society — Acton Bookshop    A Legacy of Liberty — Acton Bookshop  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 librarian and research associate, Dan Hugger, sits with Dylan Pahman, research fellow and executive editor of Acton’s Journal of Markets and Morality, to discuss the Institute’s mission and core principles. This is part one of a two-part series.    Subscribe to our podcasts    About Dan Hugger    About Dylan Pahman    Our Mission & Core Principles    Lord Acton's philosophy should guide our next two centuries    Foundations of a Free & Virtuous Society — Acton Bookshop    A Legacy of Liberty — Acton Bookshop  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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, Eric Kohn sits down with Mauren to discuss Acton’s vision for a free and virtuous society in 2022 and beyond. Subscribe to our podcasts About Kris Mauren Acton Institute Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 is a worthy endeavor, do we have to lie or equivocate about its past?   In this episode, Dan Churchwell, Acton’s director of program outreach, sits with Rachel Ferguson, economic philosopher at Concordia University Chicago, to discuss her new book, Black Liberation Through the Marketplace.   Exhausted by extremism on both left and right, a majority of Americans—black and white—still love this country and want to do right by all its citizens. In Black Liberation Through the Marketplace, Rachel Ferguson leaves readers with a better understanding of black history and creative ideas for how to make this nation one that truly enjoys liberty and justice for all.   Subscribe to our podcasts   About Rachel Ferguson    Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America    Anthony Bradley on why black lives matter    Acton Lecture Series

In this episode, Eric Kohn sits down with Neil Chilson, research fellow for technology and innovation at Stand Together, to discuss his new book, Getting Out of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World. Instead of trying to control people, systems, and protocols, Chilson explains how leaders must pursue the art of influence to lead and win.  Subscribe to our podcasts Getting Out Of Control: Emergent Leadership in a Complex World About Neil Chilson  Stand Together Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 discuss his new article featured in The Dispatch, "The Changing Face of Social Breakdown."   Levin notices a strange cultural trend. Although things may look great from a mere statistical perspective, something more ominous is going on in the background.    Levin writes:  “This mix of seemingly good and bad news is no paradox. The good news is often just one consequence of the bad. There are fewer divorces because there are fewer marriages. … There are fewer abortions because there are fewer pregnancies. …  There are fewer out-of-wedlock births because there are fewer births in general. … Fewer teenagers are dying in car accidents because fewer teenagers are getting driver’s licenses. There is less social disorder, we might say, because there is less social life. We are doing less of everything together, so that what we do is a little more tidy and controlled.” 

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 this episode, Reason magazine's managing editor, Stephanie Slade, sits down with Eric Kohn to discuss her new article on the pope who helped bring down communism.    The Pope Who Helped Bring Down Communism    Stephanie Slade on the future of fusionism    Will-to-power conservatism with Stephanie Slade    About Stephanie Slade    Subscribe to our podcasts Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of communications, sits down with Dallas Jenkins, director of The Chosen, an online multi season TV series depicting the life of Jesus. Later in this episode, Kohn interviews Jonathan Roumie, the actor who portrays Jesus.   The Chosen is the largest crowdfunded media project of all time. According to The Chosen website: “Season 2 was fully funded in November 2020. This time 125,346 people contributed a total of $10,000,000. 86% of people who funded Season 1 also funded Season 2, with an average contribution of $299.99.” Season 3 is over 90% crowdfunded. This has been achieved completely outside the Hollywood system, with no plans of ever being sold to a major studio. Watch | The Chosen TV  How A Crowdfunded Christian TV Series Could Change Entertainment    Subscribe to Acton Line, Acton Unwind, & Acton Vault  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.