Acton Line

In this episode, Acton director of marketing and communications Eric Kohn talks to Kevin Vallier about his book “All the Kingdoms of the World,” the conversations he’s had with young college students interested in ideas like Catholic integralism and post-liberalism, and where he thinks movements rooted in those ideas are at today.   Subscribe to our podcasts     Acton University   Kevin Vallier   All the Kingdoms of the World    The Rise and Fall of American Integralism | The Dispatch

In today’s episode, we bring you one of the plenary talks from Acton University 2024. Here Dr. John Tomasi, a distinguished political philosopher and president of Heterodox Academy, delves into the critical role played by universities in supporting a free society.    Subscribe to our podcasts   Acton University   Acton On-Demand   Heterodox Academy 

Each summer, the Acton Institute welcomes a cohort of students to Grand Rapids, Michigan, as part of our Emerging Leaders Program. This leadership-development program is not your typical internship. Students from across the United States and around the globe get to participate in eight weeks of seminars, networking, and Acton events to develop professional experience, grow their network, and go deeper into the ideas of a free and virtuous society.   In this episode, Noah Gould, Acton alumni and student programs manager, talks to three Emerging Leaders about how they found Acton, how they’ve spent their summer, and how they’ll take what they’ve learned into their future vocations.   Emerging Leaders Program

Common ground is hard to find in today’s politics. In a society teeming with irreconcilable political perspectives, many people have grown frustrated under a system of government that constantly demands compromise. More and more Americans on both the right and the left have come to blame the Constitution for the resulting discord.    But the Constitution is not the problem; it’s the solution, says Yuval Levin in his new book, American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—And Could Again.    In today’s episode, Acton director of marketing and communications Eric Kohn talks to Yuval about his new book, the constitution, and how a proper understanding of our system of government can heal our broken politics. Subscribe to our podcasts   American Covenant | Basic Books   Yuval Levin | American Enterprise Institute

In this episode, Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of marketing and communications, sits down with financial expert David Bahnsen to discuss the current state of the American and global economies, where inflation is at, and the role of the Federal Reserve. Subscribe to our podcasts   Acton University   Acton On-Demand   Full-Time: Work and the Meaning of Life | David Bahnsen

In the 34-year history of the Acton Institute, never have we had an opportunity to combine Ludwig Von Mises and the Austrian school of economics with mixed martial arts. That is, until Renato Moicano presented us with just that opportunity at Acton University 2024.   Hailing from Brazil, Renato has been a professional MMA fighter since 2010 and currently competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Rather than boasting about himself after a match in April, he took the opportunity to express his enthusiasm for the U.S. Constitution, private property, the Second Amendment—and then gave a shout-out to Ludwig Von Mises and the Austrian school of economics.    After this viral clip caught our attention, we welcomed Renato to Acton University 2024 for a conversation with Acton’s co-founder and president emeritus, Fr. Robert Sirico. In this episode, we bring you that conversation.   Subscribe to our podcasts   Watch the video here   Acton University   Acton On-Demand   Renato Moicano

Gurcharan Das was born in Lyallpur, Punjab, during World War II. His mother noted in her diary that he was a restless child, and by age 3 was a “troublemaker.” He discovered one day, however, that he could also run—and he’s been running ever since. Gurcharan set out to become an engineer but wound up with a philosophy degree from Harvard instead. From there he abandoned a promising academic career to become a salesman for Vicks VapoRub in India’s colorful bazaars, eventually leading him to become CEO of Procter & Gamble India. Then, at the peak of his professional life, he walked away from his corporate identity to become a celebrated writer and public intellectual.  He’s written on the classical Indian goals of the ideal life, political reforms around the world, and most recently a memoir entitled Another Sort of Freedom. In this episode, Acton librarian and research fellow Dan Hugger speaks with Gurcharan from Acton University 2024 about his writing, politics in India, and pursuing a life of action. Subscri

For four days each summer, Acton University brings together from around the developing and the developed worlds leaders in business, academia, and the church, as well as students of all ages, for a four-day exploration of theology, philosophy, entrepreneurship, international development, and market-based economics. Hundreds of attendees from more than 75 different countries pack our venue in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to listen to dozens of experts bring thought-provoking presentations on the intellectual and practical foundations of a free society.  As you can imagine, a lot goes into putting on a conference of this scale. Most of this work is done by Acton’s programs team under the leadership of Dan Churchwell, director of programs and education. In this episode of Acton Line, Acton’s director of marketing and communications, Eric Kohn, talks to Dan about Acton University—what makes it unique and why you should attend.  Subscribe to our podcasts Acton Institute Acton University Contact the Acton Programs Team

Resources on Catholic and Protestant social thought abound, but where are the resources for answers to the social question to be found in Eastern Orthodoxy? Dylan Pahman, executive editor of the Journal of Markets & Morality and research fellow at the Acton Institute, has spent his career tracking them down. In this interview, he and Acton’s librarian and research associate, Dan Hugger, explore the nature and unique approach of Orthodox Christian social thought. Then they drill down into the history of Orthodox communities in the Middle East and their creative responses to invasion, conquest, and flux that allowed them to flourish until the 20th century. The example of these communities demonstrates that the universal call to holiness can be embraced even in the most trying circumstances. Subscribe to our podcasts   Notes on Arab Orthodoxy Samuel Noble and Alexander Treiger, The Orthodox Church in the Arab World, 700–1700 Constantin Alexandrovich Panchenko, Arab Orthodox Christians Under the Ottomans 1516–183

That America has a weight problem is no surprise. According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 70% of Americans are overweight or obese.  A wide variety of so-called solutions are on offer from diet gurus, traditional healthcare practitioners, and social media fitness influencers. One need only browse the shelves of bookstores or an Instagram feed to find details of all different kinds of diets promising how “this one weird trick” will help you lose weight quickly, keep it off, and live a healthier life. And yet Americans’ obesity problem persists. How can those in the church find the narrow gate of healthy living and avoid the wide road of bodily destruction without judgment and shame? On this episode, Acton director of marketing and communications Eric Kohn talks to Acton distinguished research fellow Anthony Bradley and Dr. Michael Jones about their coauthored essay in the Spring 2024 issue of Religion & Liberty entitled “A C.L.E.A.N. Diet for the Overwe

In 2022, the Acton Institute launched The Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage. The mission is to advance research and education on economics, liberty, and human flourishing from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic perspectives. As part of this mission, earlier this year the Collins Center launched a debate series on the relationship between government and religion, featuring robust dialogue between scholars and leaders of different faiths.  On today’s episode, we present to you the second of these debates. Moderated by Acton’s director of research, John Pinheiro, senior editor of The European Conservative Sebastian Morello and professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University Kevin Vallier discuss whether government and religion really should be separate.  Subscribe to our podcasts The Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage DEBATE: Sebastian Morello vs. Kevin Vallier | Christianity and the State

During times of extreme divisiveness, civility can help us transcend important differences and flourish amid them. It is through true civility, the recognition of the innate dignity of others, that we can bridge social, cultural, and political disagreements. In this episode, Alexandra Hudson discusses her new book, “The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves,” with Acton’s director of programs and education, Dan Churchwell.  How can we empower people to live tolerantly with others? How should our shared humanity inform the respect that we have for others with different lives and opinions? We can’t change others, but if enough of us choose civility, we might be able to change the world. Subscribe to our podcasts The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves | Alexandra Hudson Acton Lecture Series

On today’s episode, Acton librarian and research associate Dan Hugger sits down with Acton research director John Pinheiro to talk about the state of higher education in America and contrast it with the philosophy of liberal learning advanced by the late Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.  Has philosophy fled the academy? How does the crisis in higher education compromise the teaching and learning of the liberal arts? What are the perils and promises of liberal learning outside the university? Are the “Great Books” the solution to the crisis? What role should the Christian faith play in higher education? What practical steps can students and teachers take to advance liberal learning in institutions uncongenial to the cultivation of wisdom and virtue? Subscribe to our podcasts   Education for a Free Society | Acton Line Podcast Rumble in the Christian College Jungle | Acton Unwind Podcast On Christians and Prosperity | James V. Schall The Great Books: Enemies of Wisdom? | Frederick Wilhelmsen A Student's Guide to Liber

In 2022, the Acton Institute launched The Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage to advance research and education from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic perspectives on economics, liberty, and human flourishing. As part of its mission, the Collins Center earlier this year launched a debate series on the relationship between government and religion, featuring robust dialogue between scholars and leaders of different faiths.  On today’s episode, we present the first of these debates: dean of the Islamic Seminary of America Yasir Qadhi and Cato senior fellow Mustafa Akyol exchange a wide range of ideas on Islam and the state. The dialogue is moderated by Collins Center manager Nathan Mech. Subscribe to our podcasts The Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage DEBATE: Yasir Qadhi vs. Mustafa Akyol | Islam and the State

The modern world is a busy and complicated place for Christians. Obligations to jobs, friends, and family, along with personal interests, frequently overshadow our relationship with Christ.  In spite of all this, John Michael Talbot shows there are many ways to deepen a connection to Christ with a busy life. He's written 28 books, produced 59 music albums, and still maintains an active ministry from Little Portion Hermitage in Arkansas, where he teaches the importance of community living and finding inspiration in the Scriptures. In this episode, Acton's director of research, John Pinheiro, speaks to John Michael about converting to Christianity, the choice to live the monastic life, and the challenges of following Christ in today’s world. Subscribe to our podcasts  John Michael Talbot Late Have I Loved You | Troubadour

When celebrated American novelist and short story writer Flannery O’Connor died at the age of 39 in 1964, she left behind an unfinished third novel titled, “Why Do the Heathen Rage?” Scholarly experts uncovered and studied the material, deeming it unpublishable. It stayed that way for 40 years. Until now. For the past 10-plus years, award-winning author Jessica Hooten Wilson has explored the 378 pages of typed and handwritten material of the novel—transcribing pages, organizing them into scenes, and collating everything to provide a glimpse into what O’Connor might have planned to publish. “Flannery O’Connor’s Why Do the Heathen Rage: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at a Work in Progress” is the result.   In this episode, Acton alumni and student programs manager Noah Gould speaks to Jessica Hooten Wilson about introducing O’Connor’s unfinished novel to the public for the first time. Subscribe to our podcasts  Why Do the Heathen Rage | Jessica Hooten Wilson How Racist Was Flannery O'Connor? | The New Yorker There th

There is no question today that new technology is changing the way we think about and experience work. Speculation abounds about how the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies will affect the workplace. Worries about machines replacing humans on the job are common. Others, however, are optimistic about the way AI is changing how we work—they see AI as an important tool to promote better efficiency and productivity in the workplace. How will AI change the way work is done? How will it affect the workforce? How will it affect the economy?  To answer some of these questions and more, we bring you a panel discussion from our February Business Matters Conference. Acton’s director of programs and education, Dan Churchwell, leads Brent Orrell, Mark Johnson, and Máté Csak in a conversation looking to the future of work and the role disruptive technology will play in it. Subscribe to our podcasts   Business Matters 2024: Hope for Work and Enterprise | Acton On-Demand

Gertrude Himmelfarb was one of the foremost historians of Victorian life. She produced page-turning biographies of some of the age’s most intriguing and influential figures, including Lord Acton, Charles Darwin, John Stuart Mill, and George Eliot. She also produced social histories of the period and brought a Victorian sensibility to American politics as a leading conservative public intellectual. In this episode, Acton librarian and research associate Dan Hugger speaks with Nicole Penn, author of an essay just published in National Affairs entitled “The Historian’s Craft,” which deftly explores the life and legacy of one of the conservative movement’s most accomplished women. Subscribe to our podcasts   The Historian's Craft | National Affairs Middlemarch | George Eliot The Roads to Modernity: The British, French, and American Enlightenments | Gertrude Himmelfarb The Moral Imagination: From Adam Smith to Lionel Trilling: Gertrude Himmelfarb Write like a Man: Jewish Masculinity and the New York Intellectuals:

Many Christian congregations now offer hybrid worship services: you can worship in person or online. While these options have become increasingly popular, our understanding of them has not kept pace. Furthermore, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence will only complicate matters further. The contemporary church needs a way to make sense of the dizzying influx of emerging technologies, practices, and possibilities. In this episode, Acton director of programs and education Dan Churchwell talks to Rev. A Trevor Sutton, senior pastor of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Lansing, Michigan, and coauthor of “Redeeming Technology,” about hybrid worship, the effect AI will have on the church, and how to respond to concerns from laity and clergy alike. AI and the Discipline of Human Flourishing | Religion & Liberty Online Church in a Digital Age: Must We Worship Bodily to Worship at All? ‘Redeeming Technology’ | Concordia Publishing House  Acton Lecture Series

In this episode, Noah Gould, Acton’s alumni and student programs manager, speaks to Jane Clark Scharl about her verse play, Sonnez Les Matines, which asks, What if John Calvin, Ignatius of Loyola, and Francois Rabelais had their convictions put to the test while navigating their involvement in a brutal crime? Subscribe to our podcasts Sonnez Les Matines | Wiseblood Books  Calvin, Loyola, Rabelais: A Murder Mystery | Religion & Liberty The Violent Faith of Cormac McCarthy | Acton Unwind