Acton Line

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 Van Groningen, Reinhold Niebuhr, Karen Honey, and Abraham Kuyper help us understand the meaning of Exodus? What lessons for individuals, churches, and society are contained in Exodus? What is the role of women in the Exodus narrative? How does Exodus speak particularly to the anxiety of men and boys particularly?

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God at Work | Anthony B. Bradley

From Creation to Consummation | Gerard Van Groningen

The Nature and Destiny of Man: A Christian Interpretation | Reinhold Niebuhr

The Neurotic Personality of Our Time | Karen Horney

Common Grace: God’s Gifts for a Fallen World: Volume 1 | Abraham Kuyper

Common Grace: God’s Gifts for a Fallen World: Volume 2 | Abraham Kuyper

Common Grace: God's Gifts for a Fallen World, Volume 3 | Abraham Kuyper

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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 matter of justice? Why is it so important to have a wholistic definition of poverty? Can economic data be trusted? Why is meaningful work the best solution to poverty? Do Christians have a duty to accompany migrants? How can we embrace almsgiving today?

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Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te of the Holy Father Leo XIV on Love for the Poor (4 October 2025)

Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991)

Laborem Exercens (14 September 1981)

Universal Basic Community Now! | Rachel Ferguson

Pope Francis’ Plea for Migrants and Acton’s Core Principles | Stephen Barrows

Center for Social Flourishing

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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

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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 Thought: The Kingdom of God and the Common Good | Acton Institute

2025 Portland Dinner | Acton Institute

Acton’s 35th Annual Dinner | Acton Institute

Acton Institute Fifth Annual Academic Conference: Character, Commerce, and Human Flourishing

Virtues, Not Values: Reclaiming the Human Core of Business | Acton Institute

Rethinking Charity: Local Agency, Commercial Society, and the Human Person | Acton Institute

Annual Calihan Lecture and Novak Award Presentation | Dr. Kirstin Anderson Birkhaug | Acton Institute

Artificial Intelligence, Human Dignity, and the Free Society | Acton Institute

Acton University 2026 | Acton Institute

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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Acton University

Acton On-Demand

Is There a Future for the Family? A Panel Discussion | Acton Lecture Serie

Dr. Jeffery Degner

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In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Noah Gould, Alumni and Student Programs manager at the Acton Institute. They discuss two recent pieces Noah has written on corporate social responsibility (CSR). First off, what is it? Why do some oppose CSR initiatives? Is there a relationship between CSR and fraud? How are religious people particularly attracted to CSR? What should be the role of business in society, and does that role change depending on whether a business is privately or publicly held?

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The ‘Religious’ Corporate Social Responsibility Trap | Noah Gould

A Friedman Doctrine: The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits | Milton Friedman

Corporate Politics: Fads Can’t Replace Meaning or Community | Noah Gould

The Nature of the Firm | R.H. Coase

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 [email protected].

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Bradley J. Birzer, Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies and professor of history at Hillsdale College, about Russell Kirk and the American conservative movement. What role did Kirk play in the conservative intellectual ferment of the early 1950s? How does the biographical framing of the Conservative Mind point to its humanistic nature? Who entered and left The Conservative Mind during its revisions? How did Kirk’s relationships and conflicts shape the evolution of his thought? Why did Kirk get involved with the Goldwater campaign and how did it affect his reputation? What is the political legacy of the conservative intellectual movement?

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Acton University

Russell Kirk: American Conservative | Bradley J. Birzer

Ten Conservative Principles | Russell Kirk

Individualism True And False | F.A. Hayek

Seven Conservative Minds| Bradley J. Birzer

The Conservative Mind: From Burke to Eliot | Russell Kirk

The New Science of Politics: An Introduction | Eric Voegelin

Witness | Whittaker Chambers

The Genius of American Politics | Daniel J. Boorstin

Natural Right and History | Leo Strauss

The Quest for Community: A Study in the Ethics of Order and Freedom | Robert Nisbet

Fahrenheit 451 | Ray Bradbury

Plutarch's Lives, Vol. 1 (Modern Library Classics)

From Dawn to Decadence: 1500 to the Present—500 Years of Western Cultural Life | Jacques Barzun

Why I Am Not a Conservative | F.A. Hayek

The Imaginative Conservative

Lord Acton on Revolution | Russell Kirk

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 [email protected].

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Stephen Barrows, chief operating officer at the Acton Institute, about the relationship between Catholic Social Teaching and economics. In what sense is economics a science? How does Catholic Social Teaching relate to social science? How well has the Catholic Church integrated the insights of economics into its social teaching? What can economists learn from Catholic Social Teaching? How does the Acton Institute apply the best insights of economists vis-à-vis Catholic Social Teaching in service of the common good?

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Acton On-Demand

Rerum Novarum | Pope Leo XIII 

Pope Francis’ Plea for Migrants and Acton’s Core Principles | Stephen Barrows

Labor Economics and the Development of Papal Social Encyclicals | Stephen Barrows

CORE: Economic Way of Thinking | Anne Rathbone Bradley

The Call of the Entrepreneur—Full Movie | Ed O’Brien | Peter Boettke | George Gilder

The Humane Economist: A Wilhelm Röpke Reader | Dan Hugger, Editor

A Value Judgment on Value Judgments (1941) | Wilhelm Röpke

A Value Judgment on A Value Judgment on Value Judgments | Samuel Gregg

Economics in One Lesson | Henry Hazlitt

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 [email protected].

This month on the Acton Rundown Dan, Mark, and Nathan chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content.

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Acton On-Demand

Nathan Mech on Interfaith Dialogue at the Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage

DEBATE: Carl Trueman & Vincent Phillip Muñoz | Christianity and Liberalism

Is There a Future for the Family? | Acton Institute

Acton Experience Brasil | Acton Institute

2025 Pittsburgh Dinner | Acton Institute

2025 Portland Dinner | Acton Institute

Acton's 35th Annual Dinner | Acton Institute

Acton Institute Fifth Annual Academic Conference: Character, Commerce, and Human Flourishing | Acton Institute

Virtues, Not Values: Reclaiming the Human Core of Business | Acton Institute

Rethinking Charity: Local Agency, Commercial Society, and the Human Person | Acton Institute

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 [email protected].

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Nathan Mech, Founding Director of the Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage at the Acton Institute. They discuss the history and work of the Collins Center. What makes up the Abrahamic heritage? Why is dialogue between Christians, Jews, and Muslims important? How does interreligious dialogue enrich participants from different faith traditions? What contributions have different faiths made to the history of freedom?

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Collins Center | Acton Institute

Collins Center: Christianity and Liberalism

DEBATE: Yasir Qadhi vs. Mustafa Akyol | Islam and the State

DEBATE: Sebastian Morello vs. Kevin Vallier | Christianity and the State

Early Islam and the Birth of Capitalism | Benedikt Koehler

Nathan the Wise: A Dramatic Poem in Five Acts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing | Project Gutenberg

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 [email protected].