Acton Line Dylan Pahman and John Pinheiro Are Exploring the Christian Roots of American Liberty
Jun 17, 2026
Dylan Pahman, research fellow and founder of the St. Nicholas Cabasilas Institute, and John Pinheiro, director of research and co-editor of the reader, explore the Christian roots of American liberty. They discuss choosing surprising sources like Filmer, how Locke’s biblical context changes readings, connections between property and religious freedom, and Christianity’s complex views on commerce and monastic trade.
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Locke Responded To Filmer Not Invented A Secular Theory
- Critics who label Locke and the American founders as secular ignore that Locke frames his argument as a refutation of Robert Filmer and repeatedly appeals to the Bible and natural law.
- John Pinheiro shows Filmer's opening pages expose the misconception by explicitly naming consent-of-the-governed ideas as common among medieval Christians, undermining the secular-origin claim.
Edict Of Milan Tied Religious Freedom To Property Rights
- The Edict of Milan (313) linked religious freedom to restoration of confiscated church property, establishing an early legal tie between liberty and private property.
- John Pinheiro argues returning church buildings and freeing Christians from mines made them materially and legally free, marking property as essential to liberty.
Founders Framed Happiness As Virtuous Not Hedonistic
- 'Pursuit of happiness' in founding thought links to cultivating virtue, not mere subjective pleasure, and commerce eventually came to be seen as compatible with virtue.
- Dylan Pahman and John Pinheiro note founders diverged from some fathers by valuing commercial virtues that developed over centuries.
