Acton Line

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.

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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.

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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.

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Watch the video here

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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.

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Gurcharan Das 

Another Sort of Freedom | Penguin 

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. 

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Acton University

Contact the Acton Programs Team

Acton On-Demand

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.

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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 1516–1831

Thomas Wright, Early Travels in Palestine

Isaac of Nineveh, Mystic Treatises

John of Damascus, Writings

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 Overweight Christian,” which explores the relationship between diet, health, and the Christian faith. 

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A C.L.E.A.N. Diet for the Overweight Christian | Religion & Liberty Online

Resources from Dr. Michael Jones

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. 

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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.

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The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves | Alexandra Hudson

Acton Lecture Series