Acton Line

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Dylan Pahman, research fellow at the Acton Institute and founder and president of the St. Nicholas Cabasilas Institute for Orthodoxy & Liberty, about his account of the history of economic thought found in his new book, The Kingdom of God and the Common Good: Orthodox Christian Social Thought (Ancient Faith, 2025). What is the Christian prehistory of economics? How do moral questions inform the work of the classical political economists? Why does modern economics distance itself from moral questions? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here The Kingdom of God and the Common Good: Orthodox Christian Social Thought | Dylan Pahman Dylan Pahman Is Starting the Conversation on Orthodox Christian Social Thought | Acton Line From Christian Political Economy to Christian Socialism | 2nd Annual Academic Colloquium The Mainstreaming of Marx: Measuring the Effect of the Russian Revolution on Karl Marx’s Influence | Phillip W. Magness and Michael Makovi History of Economic Analysis | Joseph A. Schumpeter If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

Dan and Mark kick off with hilarious holiday anecdotes and a spirited debate on Christmas movies. They dive into the latest issue of Religion & Liberty, spotlighting John Rodden and Father Robert Sirico. New video content is highlighted, featuring insights from Stephanie Slade and Peter Boettke. Exciting upcoming events include an entrepreneurship gathering and the Chicago luncheon. Plus, recordings from an AI conference are now available online. Don't miss the buzz about Acton University 2026!

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Kris Mauren, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, about all things Acton. What was the original, animating idea behind the founding of the Acton Institute? Why a think tank? What makes Grand Rapids so grand? What are the greatest challenges Acton faces in fulfilling its mission? What new initiatives should viewers be on the lookout for? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Acton Institute Sources in Early Modern Economics, Ethics, and Law (First Series) Sources in Early Modern Economics, Ethics, and Law (Second Series) Journal of Markets & Morality Makers of Modern Christian Social Thought The History of Freedom | Lord Actonnotes If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Father Robert Sirico, co-founder and president emeritus of the Acton Institute, about the true meaning of Christmas. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here A Charlie Brown Christmas | Charles M. Schulz A Christmas Carol | Charles Dickens Pied Beauty | Gerard Manley Hopkins If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Stephen Barrows, chief operations officer of the Acton Institute, about the recent conviction of entrepreneur and pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai, who was found guilty by a Hong Kong court on Monday in a landmark national security trial. Who is Jimmy Lai, and what is his long-standing relationship with Acton? What were the charges brought against him, and why are there reasons to doubt their fairness? How does Jimmy’s arrest, trial, and conviction show the erosion of freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and the rule of law in Hong Kong? What has been the reaction of the international community to the conviction? How can freedom-loving people show solidarity with Jimmy Lai? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Hong Kong Court Finds Jimmy Lai Guilty in National Security Trial Governments and groups condemn conviction of Hong Kong activist Jimmy Lai Rev. Robert A. Sirico Responds to Jimmy Lai's Guilty Verdict #freejimmylai The Hong Konger (documentary) The Call of the Entrepreneur (documentary) If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.

Peter J. Boettke, a Distinguished University Professor of Economics at George Mason University, shares his insights into the Austrian School's significance in today's economic landscape. He discusses why reading classic economic texts is crucial for understanding current theories. The conversation explores the humanistic approach of Austrian economists and their historical ties to early modern religious thought. Boettke also highlights how education at Mercatus and GMU supports the next generation of scholars while emphasizing the intertwining of economics, philosophy, and politics.

Stephanie Slade, senior editor at Reason magazine and a fellow at the Acton Institute, delves into the complexities of the New Right. She explores who constitutes this movement and contrasts it with traditional conservatism. The discussion highlights the New Right's confrontational rhetoric and its pursuit of state power. Slade also examines religious currents within the movement and the cultural grievances of its supporters, urging a return to foundational principles to effectively engage with modern conservatism.

This month on the Acton Rundown Dan & Mark chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content. Essays: Fall 2025 Religion & Liberty American Religion by the Numbers by Miles Smith A Pope for the 21st Century   Video content: Anne Bradley Interrogates Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s Abundance Yasir Qadhi on LEAVING Salafism and Rejecting Sectarianism Peter Lipsett Is Podcasting to Answer the Question, "What Is the Right?" How to Rebel John Wilsey Is Priming Conservatives for Religious Freedom Andrew Abela Is Popularizing the Virtues with “Superhabits” Upcoming events: Artificial Intelligence, Human Dignity, and the Free Society | Acton Institute Acton University 2026 | Acton Institute

Andrew Abela, the founding dean of the Busch School of Business and a scholar on character formation, discusses his book, Superhabits. He explains how superhabits offer a practical take on classical virtues, connecting them to Aquinas and Aristotle. The conversation dives into enhancing human flourishing through virtues, the gap in current habit literature, and the necessity of reshaping virtues for modern readers. Abela also reveals how cultivating small virtues can revitalize personal lives and society, emphasizing their role in addressing civic and familial challenges.

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with John Wilsey, professor of church history and chair of the Department of Church History and Historical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, about his new book, Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer. How have the spirit of religion and the spirit of liberty existed harmoniously in the American tradition? What contrasts between French and American society did Alexis de Tocqueville observe in his own day? Has the American experiment failed? How does Peter Viereck’s conservative nostalgia for the permanent beneath the flux chart a course distinct from both progressive and reactionary utopian politics? Is religious traditionalism antithetical to dispositional conservativism? Why does the human imagination loom so large in conservative thought? What should secular dispositional conservatives make of religion? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Religious Freedom: A Conservative Primer | John Wilsey The Man vs. the Myth: Who Was John Foster Dulles? | Acton Line Democracy in America | Alexis de Tocqueville The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856) | Alexis de Tocqueville Conservatism: From John Adams to Churchill | Peter  Viereck Conservatism Revisited: The Revolt Against Ideology | Peter Viereck The Leopard | Giuseppe Di Lampedusa The Great Conversation: The Substance of a Liberal Education | Robert Maynard Hutchins If you’d like to support this podcast, you can help by leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts. If you have questions or suggestions for a future episode, you can email us at podcast@acton.org.