Acton Line

Betsy DeVos joins Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of marketing and communications, in the studio to discuss her new book, “Hostages No More.“

In her book, DeVos writes about her experiences working in the Trump administration and how the “woke” curriculum is negatively impacting our children’s learning. She also lays out a detailed approach to fixing America’s badly broken education system and securing a prosperous future for our kids. 

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Hostages No More by Betsy DeVos | Center Street

About Betsy DeVos

Redemption, not retreat: Betsy DeVos' vision for redeeming U.S. education | Acton Institute PowerBlog 

Betsy DeVos and Sal Khan on education and entrepreneurial disruption | Acton Line Podcast

What's driving the decline of religion in America? Secular education | Acton Institute PowerBlog 

The Myth of a Value-Free Education | Acton Institute

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In this episode, Dan Churchwell, Acton’s director of program outreach, sits down with Dr. Richard Turnbull, the director of the Center for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics, to discuss how banks and credit unions develop a culture of savings, independence, and poverty prevention. Do trends in the direction of large, national, even global banking institutions best serve these ideals? And what are the implications of the loss of diversity in institutional and local provisions for personal saving? What does all this tell us about the nature of civil society?

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About Dr. Richard Turnbull 

Centre for Enterprise, Markets and Ethics 

4 arguments for the free market | Acton Institute

Brexit: One last roll of the dice? | Acton Institute

How to rebuild the economy after COVID-19 | Acton Institute

Boris Johnson: The great survivor? | Acton Institute PowerBlog

John Calvin and God's civil government | Acton Institute PowerBlog 

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Daniel Wagner, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of philosophy at Aquinas College, sits down with Dan Hugger, Acton’s librarian and research associate, to explore the Aristotelian-Thomistic account of the human good, natural law, and living well. Why should we seek to know ourselves? How is the human good related to excellence and virtue? How do we reconcile this account of the good with the divergent moral views we see in the world?

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About Daniel Wagner 

The Elements of Philosophy: A Compendium for Philosophers and Theologians | William Wallace, OP 

Aristotle | Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy 

Aquinas 101 | The Thomistic Institute 

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In this episode, Sam Gregg sits down with award-winning political theorist Yoram Hazony to discuss Hazony’s new book, “Conservatism: A Rediscovery.” 

Hazony argues that the idea that American conservatism is identical to “classical” liberalism, which has been widely held since the 1960s, is seriously mistaken. According to Hazony, the best hope for Western democracy is a return to the empiricist, religious, and nationalist traditions of America and Britain. These conservative traditions brought greatness to the English-speaking nations and became the model for national freedom for the entire world.

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Conservatism: A Rediscovery

About Yoram Hazony

Edmund Burke Society & The Russell Kirk Center 

What I Saw at the National Conservatism Conference, by Dan Hugger | Acton Institute 

The Post-Liberal Right: The Good, the Bad, and the Perplexing, by Sam Gregg | Public Discourse 

Patrick Deneen and the Problem with Liberalism, by Sam Gregg | Public Discourse 

Nationalism and the Future of Western Freedom, by Yoram Hazony | Mosaic Magazine

What Is Conservatism? by Yoram Hazony | American Affairs Journal

The Challenge of Marxism, by Yoram Hazony | Quillette

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In this episode of Acton Line, Dylan Pahman, research fellow and executive editor of the Journal of Markets & Morality here at Acton, sits down with Jeff Fisher, professor of theology and director of spiritual formation, and Branson Parler, professor of theology and director of theological education, both of the Foundry, to discuss their entrepreneurial alternative to traditional Christian higher education for ministry leaders. Topics range from the specifics of how the Foundry works to broader questions of the economic and identity crises of colleges and universities across the country. What is the role of the Church in training the next generation of pastors and teachers? Is the Foundry’s model the new way forward or a further symptom of the breakdown and silo-ization of the university? 

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The Foundry: Strengthening and Supporting Church Leaders 

About Branson Parler and Jeff Fisher 

New seminary head aims to revive church life and an entrepreneurial spirit in Venezuela | Acton Institute 

Lincoln Christian University Revamping Its Model, May Sell Campus | Christian Standard

Abilene Christian University eliminated a $4.5 million budget deficit and reimagined itself | Mindstream

Hundreds of Positions Eliminated at Evangelical Colleges and Universities | Christianity Today

The Great Upheaval | Arthur Levine & Scott Van Pelt 

Deschooling Society | Ivan Illich 

After Whiteness | Willie James Jennings 

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Kevin Schmiesing, director of research at the Freedom & Virtue Institute, takes you on a journey through American history to more than two dozen sites and events that symbolize and embody America’s rich Catholic past in his new book, “A Catholic Pilgrimage through American History: People and Places that Shaped the Church in the United States.” 

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Apply now for Acton University 2022 

"A Catholic Pilgrimage through American History: People and Places that Shaped the Church in the United States"

Freedom & Virtue Institute  

About Kevin Schmiesing

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In this episode, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Acton’s president emeritus, and Dan Hugger, Acton’s librarian and research associate, dismiss the many misinterpretations of Jesus' parables to reveal their timeless wisdom as explored in Rev. Sirico’s new book, “The Economics of the Parables.”

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"The Economics of the Parables" — Regnery Publishing 

The Rev. Sirico Leadership Fund — Acton Institute

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In this episode, Gerard Wegemer, professor of English at the University of Dallas, sits down with Sam Gregg, Acton’s director of research, to discuss Wegemer’s new book, “The Essential Works of Thomas More.” For the first time, Thomas More’s most influential English and Latin works have been gathered into a single volume, creating a unique resource for anyone interested in More’s teaching on theology, statesmanship, and renaissance humanism. 

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Apply now for Acton University 2022 

"The Essential Works of Thomas More"

About Gerard Wegemer, Ph.D. 

St. Thomas More: Saint, Scholar, Statesman, Martyr — EWTN 

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Kevin Vallier, political philosopher and associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University, joins Dylan Pahman, Acton’s executive editor of the “Journal of Markets and Morality,” to discuss Vallier’s new book, “Trust in a Polarized Age.” 

America seems to be falling into further hopelessness, divisiveness, and cultural decay. Yet Vallier sees things differently. He offers effective ways we can defend liberty, protect democracy, strengthen liberal economic institutions, and respect basic human rights. 

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"Trust in a Polarized Age"

About Kevin Vallier 

"Are We a Nation?" with Samuel Goldman 

How to talk about rights in our polarized age – Acton Line Podcast

Adam MacLeod on morality in public discourse – Acton Vault Podcast

Divided we fall: America after the 2020 election – Acton Lecture Series   

We are a fractured nation, but there is still hope – PowerBlog 

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Matthew Continetti’s new book, The Right, gives readers a clear historical perspective of the conservative movement—from the Progressive era to the present. He tells the story of how conservatism began as networks of intellectuals, developing and institutionalizing a vision that grew over time. This book is essential for anyone looking to understand what it truly means to be an American conservative.

In this episode of Acton Line, Eric Kohn, Acton’s director of marketing and communications, sits down with Continetti to discuss The Right and especially where the conservative movement is headed.

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About Matthew Continetti  

The Right by Matthew Continetti 

An Awkward Alliance: Neo-Integralism and National Conservatism | Acton Institute 

Rise of the national conservatives with Matthew Continetti | Acton Institute

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