Acton Line

We are bringing you a conversation with Trent Horn, staff apologist for Catholic Answers, and Eric Kohn, the director of communications here at Acton. In this episode, they discuss Horn’s new book, Can a Catholic be a Socialist?

Horn explains that, “Societal injustices are the result of deeper moral evils like greed, envy, indifference, and selfishness. However, simply reordering society so people aren’t poor can’t eliminate these vices (and doesn’t solve poverty, either).” 

Some Catholics who claim to be socialists look at government as an altruistic solution - if done correctly - to solve all the world's problems with their infinite resources and boundless regulation. This simply just isn't the case. Horn writes that “Governments are really just groups of individuals who have been given weighty responsibilities. Those individuals are not immune to the effects of vice; in fact, the temptations that government officials face make them more susceptible to sin and the magnitude of the problems they face make them more prone to error."

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, socialism is dangerous. Government interference can and will threaten individual freedom and liberty. The Church teaches the principle of “subsidiarity,” which “opposes all forms of collectivism. It sets limits for state intervention. It aims at harmonizing the relationships between individuals and societies. It tends toward the establishment of true international order.”

We must work towards building a free and virtuous society. As long as humans are running our governments, there will be no “utopia.” The solution is not an overarching government, the solution starts and ends in our homes, where we build virtuous families, and care for our communities. As Horn puts it, “so we can have confidence and peace that in applying ourselves with hard work and diligence we can joyfully participate in God’s co-creation—a task we are urged to take up for the good of our families and our communities.”

Can a Catholic be a Socialist?

Is Raphael Warnock right that ‘the early church was a socialist church’? 

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In this episode, Acton Institute president and co-founder Rev. Robert Sirico joins John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, to discuss Mackey’s new book, “Conscious Leadership.” This conversation was part of Acton Institute’s Business Matters online conference. Leading experts and CEOs discussed the current challenges, and ethical principles needed for businesses to thrive in the midst of COVID-19, civil unrest, and political turmoil.

A conscious leader, as Mackey defines it, is one who’s more conscious of their purpose, emotions, and what motivates them to move forward in a successful direction with their business. He says that “business people create the most value in the world more so than any government in history.”

A conscious leader creates value for their customers, employees, suppliers, investors, and communities. He furthers his point by saying that “there should be no contradiction between purpose and profit, as they belong together.”

Mackey, also the author of “Conscious Capitalism”, explains the benefits provided to society by entrepreneurs and the free market, while also discussing engaging topics like the effects of raising the federal minimum wage, Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods, and more.

Business Matters 2021 playlist

Conscious Leadership: Elevating Humanity Through Business 

Conscious Capitalism and the Higher Purpose of Business 

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In this episode, we are bringing you a conversation with Stephanie Slade, the managing editor of Reason Magazine, and Eric Kohn, the director of communications here at Acton. In this episode they discuss the philosophy of fusionism. 

Slade writes that Fusionism is the marriage of two value sets: liberty & virtue. “Liberty - in the classical sense of freedom from aggression, coercion, and fraud; and virtue - in the Judeo-Christian sense of submission to God's commands.” In this unifying value set, we can see fusionism as a “distinct philosophical orientation unto itself.”

Rather than a tug of war between two philosophies which we see played out today, fusionism introduces the idea that liberty and virtue should have never been separated. With Fusionism, we see this unbreakable bond between these two philosophies. Thus people can freely choose to live out their individual rights and freely live out the teachings of Christianity.

The founding fathers believed that virtue and liberty were, according to Slade, “Mutually reinforcing—and that neither could survive long without the other. A free society depends on a virtuous populace.”

The question we explore in this episode is this: If a free society requires morality, how do we live virtuously in an age that rejects it? 

Stephanie Slade - Reason Magazine

Is There a Future for Fusionism? - Stephanie Slade

The Future of Fusionism - Jordan Ballor

Fusionism and Western Civ - Jordan Ballor

Free marketers should take social conservatives’ concerns more seriously - Sam Gregg

The Conservative Fight over the Size of Government - Sam Gregg

Will-to-power conservatism with Stephanie Slade - Acton Line

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To listen to economic nationalists, national conservatives and certain politicians, you would believe that we’re in a period of mass deindustrialization. Employment in American manufacturing has been declining since the early 1980s. And manufacturing’s share of the economy has been declining since 1970. These trends, they argue, pose not just social and economic challenges to the country, but national security challenges, as well.

The response from some political leaders in Washington is arguments for increased economic protectionism, tariffs, and subsidies to shore up the American manufacturing sector and the support people who work in it.

But is deindustrialization really happening?

In this episode, we speak with Scott Lincicome, senior fellow in economic studies at the Cato Institute, about his new paper: “Manufactured Crisis: ‘Deindustrialization,’ Free Markets, and National Security.” In it, Lincicome argues that the data paint a picture of the American economy and manufacturing base that is strong and resilient, even as it and the larger economy undergo disruptions, the consequences of which are in most cases beneficial, and in other cases better addressed by policy choices other than protectionism.

Scott Lincicome - Cato Institute

Manufactured Crisis: “Deindustrialization,” Free Markets, and National Security - Scott Lincicome

Busting the ‘Deindustrialization’ Myth - Scott Lincicome

Tariffs (That Biden Won’t Remove) Threaten the U.S. Manufacturing Recovery (That Biden Wants) - Scott Lincicome

Scott Lincicome on how free trade benefits everyone - Acton Line

Scott Lincicome on how free traders crippled the free trade consensus - Acton Lecture Series

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On February 17, 2021, conservative radio broadcaster Rush Limbaugh passed away at the age of 70.

From his humble origins as a rock music DJ in Cape Girardeau, MO, Rush rose to become one of the most recognizable names and voices in radio history, media history and of the modern American political scene.

Enabled by the repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, The Rush Limbaugh Show went national in 1988, bringing Rush and his “Excellence in Broadcasting” network to radios from coast to coast. At its peak, the program was heard on over 600 radio stations and attracted more than 20 million listeners a week.A cheerleader for conservative causes, Rush was no stranger to controversy. Indeed, in many ways he courted it by, in his own words, illustrating absurdity by being absurd. In doing so, he inspired derision from his opponents as well as the loyalty of his listening audience.

What is the significance of Rush Limbaugh to American conservatism and what influence did he have our modern political culture?

In this episode, we talk with Matthew Continetti, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, about Rush’s legacy and his place in conservative history and conservative politics.

Matthew Continetti - American Enterprise Institute

Rush Limbaugh, RIP: 6 quotations on socialism, the Founding Fathers, and life - Rev. Ben Johnson

Rush Limbaugh on clergy who accept socialism - Rev. Ben Johnson

Rise of the national conservatives with Matthew Continetti - Acton Line

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and governments across the country ordered most businesses closed, people have increasingly turned to online services like Amazon to meet their needs. As a result, Amazon’s sales soared as the company reported a 37% increase in revenue in the third quarter of 2020, with total revenues north of $96 billion. This, in turn, has led to some increased scrutiny on people like outgoing Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, whose personal net worth increased by at least $28 billion since the onset of the pandemic.

Voices like former Clinton administration labor secretary Robert Reich have pointed to this growth in personal wealth, complaining that despite this massive increase in their personal wealth, they have refused to provide paid sick leave, raises, hazard pay, and more to their employees, who are all suffering real hardships.

But is this an accurate picture of what is happening?

In this episode, we speak with David Hebert, director of the Center for Markets, Ethics and Entrepreneurship and chair of the economics department at Aquinas College in Grand Rapids. Hebert argues that people like Reich misunderstand, purposefully or not, what this “accumulation of wealth” means to both Bezos personally and to a company like Amazon, and how it has been a benefit to consumers and workers alike.

David Hebert - Aquinas College

COVID-19 pandemic economics - Acton Line

COVID-19 and crony capitalism - Noah Gould

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As we look around the country and the world, we see towering barriers are holding millions of people back, and institutions that should help everyone rise that are not doing the job. We see crumbling communities and one-size fits all education. Businesses rig the economy. Public policy stifles opportunity and emboldens the extremes. As a result, this country is quickly heading toward a two-tiered society.

People are looking for a better way.

In the new book, “Believe in People: Bottom-Up Solutions for the Top-Down World,” authors Brian Hooks and Charles Koch contend that today’s challenges call for nothing short of a paradigm shift – away from a top-down approach that sees people as problems to be managed, toward bottom-up solutions that empower everyone to realize their potential and foster a more inclusive society.

Such a shift starts by asking: What would it mean to truly believe in people?

In this episode, we speak with Brian Hooks, CEO of Stand Together and co-author of “Believe in People.” In the book, Hooks and Koch maintain that the only way to solve the really big problems – from poverty and addiction to harmful business practices and destructive public policy – is for each and every one of us to find and take action in our unique role as part of the solution.

Brian Hooks - Stand Together

Believe in People - Charles Koch & Brian Hooks

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Over the course of two weeks in January 2021, the stock price for GameStop – the brick-and-mortar video game retailer – rose by a shocking 1,500 percent. Suddenly, a handful of hedge funds who had shorted GameStop’s stock, betting that the stock price would go down, found themselves the victim of what’s called a short squeeze.

What made this wild ride on Wall Street different is that the short squeeze was organized and coordinated by retail traders, primarily on online chat forms like Reddit and Discord, and executed on retail, commission-free investing apps like RobinHood. 

What actually happened in the GameStop short squeeze? Are there are identifiable heroes and villains in this story? In what way is this a financial manifestation of our populist political moment? And, how particularly should Christians think about this market rollercoaster?

In this episode, we talk with David Bahnsen – the founder, managing partner, and chief investment officer of The Bahnsen Group – to simply and clearly explain the GameStop story, and what is likely to come of it.

David Bahnsen - The Bahnsen Group

Dividend Cafe - The Bahnsen Group

Capital Record Podcast - David Bahnsen

Sirico & Bahnsen: Liberty & Morality in the Midst of Crisis - Acton Institute

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The question of how to reconcile our faith and our work is a permanent challenge after the fall into sin. 

In the Hebrew scriptures we read that God judges Adam: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.” Recent years have seen a reinvigorated discussion, and even a broad movement, focused on the intersection of faith and work in the modern world. 

What does our worship have to do with our work? And what might our work have to do with our worship? 

Today, Acton senior research fellow Jordan Ballor talks with the coauthors of a new book focused on these questions. Matthew Kaemingk is assistant professor of Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary and Cory Willson is Jake and Betsy Tuls Associate Professor of Missiology and Missional Ministry at Calvin Theological Seminary, and together they are the authors of Work and Worship: Reconnecting Our Labor and Liturgy.

Matthew Kaemingk - Fuller Theological Seminary

Cory Willson - Calvin Theological Seminary

Work and Worship - Matthew Kaemingk & Cory Willson

Get Your Hands Dirty: Essays on Christian Social Thought (and Action) - Jordan Ballor

Work: The Meaning of Your Life - Lester DeKoster

Faithful in All God's House - Gerard Berghoef

Matthew Kaemingk and Cory B. Willson on Work and Worship - Calvin Institute of Christian Worship

Wisdom and Work: Perspectives on Human Labor from Ecclesiastes - J. Daryl Charles

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Over the past several years, American institutions have faced challenges that have placed an enormous amount of stress and strain on them. Some of those challenges have been emergent phenomenon, while other challenges have been intentionally inflicted by political actors. 

In addition to the institutions themselves faltering for their own internal reasons, and in some senses being fed by that faltering, the American people have lost confidence in the legitimacy of government, business, media, and more. 

The downstream effects of this institutional crisis and loss of confidence have been higher than usual embraces of conspiracy theories and other forms of unreality. The January 6th riot at the United States Capitol was a striking and vivid example of the consequences of these problems.

In this episode, Yuval Levin, director of social, cultural, and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute and the editor of National Affairs, explains these institutional crises, the failures of political leadership in this populist age, the growing embrace of forms of unreality, and what can be done about it.

Yuval Levin - American Enterprise Institute

National Affairs

Failures of Leadership in a Populist Age - Yuval Levin (National Review)

Trump's rebellion against reality - Yuval Levin (The Dispatch)

The four cultural crises revealed by the D.C. riots - Rev. Ben Johnson (Acton Institute)

Yuval Levin on why trust in institutions is declining - Acton Line

Yuval Levin on the search for solidarity in the age of Trump - Acton Lecture Series

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