Acton Unwind

This week, host Dan Hugger is joined by Dylan Pahman and Anthony Bradley to ask, what should politics look like in church? A highly polarizing election season is upon us and debates about church involvement in politics and how difficult political questions are discussed in church have renewed vigor. How does the way particular churches and religious traditions navigate politics differs according to time, place, and circumstance? In what way’s does America’s own history shape the way churches in America think about politics? In what ways can churches and church members constructively engage American politics without opting out into quietism or indulging in partisan polarization?

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Calming the Storm of Images | Acton Institute

The Rambler and the Transformative Power of Magazines | Acton Institute

Globalization and Orthodox Christianity | Victor Roudometof

Citizenship Without Illusions: A Christian Guide to Political Engagement: Koyzis, David T.: 9781514008621: Amazon.com: Books

Catechism of the Catholic Church | USCCB

Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation - 2017 Edition - Concordia Publishing House (cph.org)

The Commentary of Dr. Zacharias Ursinus on the Heidelberg Catechism - Google Books

An Exact Exposition Of The Orthodox Faith : St John of Damascus : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

This week, host Dan Hugger is joined by Dylan Pahman and Noah Gould to ask, Are those jobs numbers fake? Can we trust economic data, and do they tell the whole economic story? They then discuss the emerging bipartisan consensus that America should “build, baby, build” to address housing shortages and rising costs. How does such a consensus emerge, and is this a positive development? The panel concludes by scrutinizing the megachurch model. Why are some Catholic dioceses embracing the model? Should we welcome our new praise-and-worship overlords?

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Too Fake to Tell | balajis.com

No, the Biden Administration Is Not Manipulating Jobs Data | National Review

Democrats Are Pushing One Policy Loud and Clear: Build, Baby, Build | POLITICO

The Intellectual Roots of YIMBYism | Marginal REVOLUTION

Kamala Harris’ Economic Policies Can’t Keep Her Promises | Religion & Liberty Online

Catholic priest shortage gives rise to California “megachurch” as parishes expand | CBS News

Why Catholic bishops rocked out to megachurch worship hits | The Christian Century

Church in a Digital Age: Must We Worship Bodily to Worship at All? | Acton Lecture Series

AI and the Discipline of Human Flourishing | Acton Institute

This week, host Dan Hugger is joined by Anthony Bradley and James Patterson to discuss James’ recent essay at Law & Liberty: “Into the Reactionary Abyss.” Why are post-liberal Catholics drawing on European reactionary thinkers to critique liberalism? Why is the use of such sources dubious? And how do the arguments of public intellectuals form and deform young people? The panel then counts the costs of marijuana legalization: Was it a good idea? What have we learned in the past decade post-legalization? The panel concludes with an examination of some of Vice President Harris’ recent proposals to lower the cost of living. Are grocers price-gouging? Do we just need to subsidize more demand?

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Into the Reactionary Abyss | James M. Patterson

After Republican Virtue | James M. Patterson

Why Postliberalism Failed | YouTube

An Awkward Alliance: Neo-Integralism and National Conservatism | James M. Patterson

Maybe Legalizing Weed Wasn’t Such a Great Idea | Tyler Cowen           

Harris Is Set to Lay Out an Economic Message Light on Detail | The New York Times

Harris to propose up to $25K in down-payment support for 1st-time homebuyers | ABC News

This week, new host Dan Hugger is joined by Noah Gould and Dan Churchwell to discuss the recent unrest in Bangladesh, why the rule of law matters, and the importance of religious liberty to free societies. They then explore Vice President Harris’ selection of Minnesota governor Tim Walz as her running mate. What does this mean for the Democratic Party and for the presidential race going forward? Is Senator Vance’s love of Magic: The Gathering and Governor Walz’s addiction to SEGA Dreamcast the path through polarization? Finally, what do Americans think about tariffs and trade? The panel digs into a new CATO Institute study. Do the populist politicians and the populace agree on trade and globalization?

Bangladesh has achieved its second liberation, says Muhammad Yunus | The Economist

Bangladesh has ousted an autocrat. Now for the hard part. | The Economist

Muhammad Yunus on Bonsai People [PovertyCure Episode 3] | Acton Institute

Harris chooses Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as VP Pick | The Washington Post

JD Vance talks Tim Walz, Ukraine, and Ohio State football with Semafor | Semafor

Tim Walz Was a Clear Eyes, Full Hearts Kind of Coach | The New York Times

Poll: 63% of Americans Want to Increase Trade with Other Nations, 75% Worry Tariffs Are Raising Consumer Prices | Cato

The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger | Marc Levinson

This week, it’s Eric’s final episode hosting Acton Unwind. Bye, Eric! He’s joined by David and Dan to discuss the national debt hitting $35 trillion. That seems bad. Then they discuss Republican VP nominee J.D. Vance’s recent comments that it would be worth $10 million to save a single toaster-manufacturing job in America. That seems expensive. And finally, the stock market is tanking. How bad is that?

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U.S. National Debt Tops $35 Trillion for First Time | New York Times

J. D. Vance’s Toaster-Making Dreams Would Burn American Manufacturers | National Review

To Fix Economics, Try Teaching Economics | Alex Salter, Econlib

Dow drops 1,000 points, Nasdaq craters 4% in global market rout | CNBC

This week, Eric and Dan are joined by Mike Cosper of Christianity Today to discuss last week’s firing and then un-firing of ERLC president Brent Leatherwood and the subsequent resignation of ERLC board chairman Kevin Smith. What happened there, why, and what does it tell us about the political battles going on in the church? Then, is it worth being angry or upset over the blasphemous parts of the Paris Olympics opening ceremonies? And finally, does our American politics have a “childless cat lady” problem, as VP nominee J.D. Vance suggests?

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ERLC Retracts Announcement Firing President Brent Leatherwood | Christianity Today

Paris Olympics organizers sorry for Last Supper at Opening Ceremonies | Washington Post

Vance continues to feel the scratch of "childless cat ladies” | Axios

This week, Eric is joined by Dylan and Peter Balos from Acton’s Emerging Leaders class to discuss President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection. Is this a sign that our institutions are healing and that they’re starting to act in furtherance of their long-term interests? Then they examine former president Donald Trump’s choice of Ohio senator J.D. Vance as his vice presidential running mate, both of whom appeared at a rally in Grand Rapids on Saturday. Does this suggest a victory for the National Conservatives and their desired economic program?

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Peter Balos, Acton Emerging Leader

Acton’s Emerging Leaders Program

Statement from President Joe Biden

The Constitution Is Still the Answer | Acton Line

Pray for Our Nation | Acton Unwind

J.D. Vance, Breaking the Beard Barrier | New York Times

This week, Eric is joined by Dan Hugger, Anthony Bradley, and Stephanie Slade of Reason magazine as they discuss the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump over the weekend. Then they turn their attention to the National Conservatism 4 conference that took place last week in Washington, D.C. What is the state of this movement, where does it seem to be headed, and who were the standouts from the conference?

Questions Surround Attempted Trump Assassination | The Morning Dispatch

NatCon 4 Speakers

Vivek Ramaswamy Debuts 'National Libertarianism' at NatCon 4 | Stephanie Slade, Reason Magazine

What I Saw at the National Conservatism Conference | Dan Hugger, Religion & Liberty

National Conservatism One Year Later | Dan Hugger, Religion & Liberty

This week, Eric is joined first by Justin Brierley to discuss his essay in the Summer 2024 issue of Religion & Liberty, “The ‘God' of the ‘Philosophers,’” a review of the book “Philosophers on God: Talking about Existence,” edited by Jack Symes. Then Eric is joined by Dylan and Dave to discuss the current state of America and the Constitution in the wake of the country’s 248th birthday. They then turn their attention to the recent elections in the United Kingdom and France to wonder if there’s any theme, like anti-establishment/anti-incumbency, that ties it all together.

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The “God” of the “Philosophers” | Justin Brierley, Religion & Liberty

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The Dream of Scalable Democracy | Dylan Pahman, Law & Liberty 

5 Takeaways from France’s Snap Election | New York Times

Keir Starmer confirmed as Britain’s new prime minister after Labour Party’s decisive win | NBC News

This week, Eric, Anthony, and Emily are joined by Aaron Pomerantz, a post-doctoral research fellow at Rice University who specializes in conspiracy theories. They begin by discussing the first presidential debate through the lens of an observation by Anthony: that what we’re seeing is people caring more about politics than about Joe Biden’s well-being. Then Aaron shares his thoughts on why conspiracy theories still abound in this election and in modern society. And finally, the Supreme Court overturned Chevron deference. What will this mean for representative governance and the rule of law?

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Video of the Presidential Debate

The Psychology of Conspiracy Theories | Acton Line

Can Americans Learn to Trust Again? | Christine Rosen, Religion & Liberty

Supreme Court Overturns the Chevron Doctrine | The Morning Dispatch