Acton Line
Dedicated to the promotion of a free and virtuous society, Acton Line brings together writers, economists, religious leaders, and more to bridge the gap between good intentions and sound economics.
Episodes
January 7, 2026 • 54 mins
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 ...
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January 5, 2026 • 9 mins
This month on the Acton Rundown Dan & Mark chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content.
Winter 2025 Religion & Liberty:
Why Orwell Still Matters by John Rodden
Video content:
Stephanie Slade Is Chronicling the New Right
Peter Boettke Is Teaching the Humanistic Foundations of Austrian Economics
Rev. Robert A. Sirico Responds to Jimmy Lai's Guilty Verdict #freejimmylai
Stephen Barrows Explains the Jimmy Lai Ver...
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December 31, 2025 • 35 mins
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?
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December 24, 2025 • 25 mins
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.
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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...
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December 17, 2025 • 23 mins
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 thei...
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December 10, 2025 • 62 mins
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Peter J. Boettke, Distinguished University Professor of Economics at George Mason University, as well as the director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, about the importance of the history of economic thought and the Austrian School of economics.
Why read the classics in economics? What is th...
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December 3, 2025 • 54 mins
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Stephanie Slade, senior editor at Reason magazine and a fellow in liberal studies at the Acton Institute, about the “New Right.” Who comprises the New Right, and what is their approach to politics? Has the old conservative movement failed? How does the New Right’s rhetoric relate to their larger political project? Who were the forerunners of the New Right? What are the religious currents of t...
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December 1, 2025 • 9 mins
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 Rig...
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November 26, 2025 • 39 mins
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Andrew Abela, founding dean of the Busch School of Business at the Catholic University of America and affiliate faculty member at Harvard University’s Human Flourishing Program, about his book Superhabits: The Universal System for a Successful Life. How do we best popularize virtues? How does the positive psychology account of the virtues differ from St. Thomas Aquinas’s theological account? ...
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November 19, 2025 • 57 mins
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 Tocquevil...
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November 12, 2025 • 59 mins
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Peter Lipsett, vice president at DonorsTrust, about the recently concluded 11-part series “What Is the Right?” for the Giving Ventures podcast. What is “the Right”? What are its largest and most influential factions? Does it share a common intellectual culture or merely political interests? How does the bottom-up nature of populism complicate the story we tell about intellectuals’ influence o...
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November 5, 2025 • 55 mins
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Anne Bradley, vice president of academic affairs at The Fund for American Studies and professor of economics at The Institute of World Politics, about Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s book Abundance, which she reviewed for Religion & Liberty Online. What is the concept of “abundance,” and who comprises the book’s audience? How do Klein and Thompson think through regulatory obstacles to materia...
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November 3, 2025 • 14 mins
This month on the Acton Rundown, Dan & Dylan chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content.
Essays and Books:The Kingdom of God and the Common Good: Orthodox Christian Social Thought
God at Work: Loving God and Neighbor Through the Book of Exodus
Super Habits: The Universal System for a Successful Life | Andrew Abela
Can Nigeria’s Church Survive the Storm | Kelechi L. Nwannunu
Are Americans Too Political? | Thomas Dia...
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October 29, 2025 • 57 mins
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with John Pinheiro, director of research at the Acton Institute, about his feature essay in the latest issue of Religion & Liberty: “Thomas Jefferson ant the Virtue of Limited Government.” What is Jefferson’s status today relative to the other Founding Fathers? What was Jefferson’s agrarian republican vision for America? How did that vision clash with those of the other Founders? What is Jefferson...
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October 22, 2025 • 59 mins
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 new book, The Kingdom of God & the Common Good: Orthodox Christian Social Thought. What is the state of contemporary Orthodox Social Thought? What is the “social question,” and how have churches sought to answer it? Why turn to the Bible to ...
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October 15, 2025 • 57 mins
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Anthony Bradley, Distinguished Research Fellow at the Acton Institute and research professor of Interdisciplinary and Theological Studies at Kuyper College. They discuss Anthony’s new book, God at Work: Loving God and Neighbor Through the Book of Exodus. Why is Exodus such a great evangelistic conversation starter? What human emotions drive the narrative of Exodus? How do thinkers like Gerard...
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October 10, 2025 • 68 mins
In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with John Pinheiro, director of research at the Acton Institute, and Caleb Whitmer, project manager at the Center for Social Flourishing, about Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te. This exhortation to all Christians encourages us to see Christ in the poor among us. How does Pope Leo use scripture to show us Christ in the poor? Which of the church fathers argue that charity is a m...
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October 8, 2025 • 62 mins
On today’s episode, Acton’s director of research and programs, Dan Churchwell, talks to CEO and founder of Permanent Equity Brent Beshore.
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Permanent Equity
Brent Beshore | Permanent Equity
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....
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October 6, 2025 • 13 mins
This month on the Acton Rundown, Dan and Dylan chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content.
Essays and Books:Universal Basic Community Now! | Acton Institute
The Evidence of Things Not Seen: Reflections on Faith, Science, and Economics | Vernon L. Smith
Video Content:
What Is the Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage?
Upcoming Events:
2025 Pittsburgh Dinner | Acton Institute
Orthodox Christian Social Though...
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October 1, 2025 • 52 mins
On this episode, Acton’s director of program and education, Dan Churchwell, interviews Dr. Jeffery Degner following his participation in an Acton Lecture Series panel discussion.
They talk about themes such as the importance of family as an ideal for community health, the overlooked importance of fatherhood, and how economic factors such as inflation shape the incentive families face.
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