There are competing creation “myths” regarding American liberty. The Jamestown, Va., settlers of 1607 have vied with the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony in New England for dominance in America’s self-understanding of its origins. In this presentation, delivered as part of the 2019 Acton Lecture Series, Alan Crippen argues that these narratives have obscured the role of William Penn and his “holy experiment” of Pennsylvania as the most influential seedbed of American liberty. Subscribe to our pod...
Dec 30, 2021•57 min•Ep. 51
On May 5, 1994, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Clarence Thomas delivered the keynote address at the Acton Institute’s Fourth Anniversary Dinner. His remarks were entitled, “Religion and the Constitution of Liberty.” Subscribe to our podcasts About Clarence Thomas Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 23, 2021•30 min•Ep. 50
In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2021 Acton Lecture Series, featuring Rachel Ferguson, Ph.D., speaking on black liberation through the marketplace. Viewing America’s record on individual rights and constitutional order through a classical liberal lens, Ferguson sees the undeniable and blatant injustices perpetrated against black Americans. But she also discovers black entrepreneurs overcoming extraordinary obstacles and a black community that has cre...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 49
Robert Doar, a Morgridge Scholar and the president of the American Enterprise Institute, explores the history and future of welfare policy in America. Weaving together personal anecdotes and statistical insights, he explains the significant progress that has been made to alleviate poverty in past decades. At the same time, Doar maps out many of the obstacles still standing in the way of further advances. Based on decades of experience and the influence of his father's public service, Robert outl...
Dec 10, 2021•56 min•Ep. 48
America has experienced a surge in populism in recent years that has turned the established order of our politics on its head. Where does such a movement come from? What can history tell us about where it's going? And what can statesmen do to channel this political outrage for the good of all the people? In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2016 Acton Lecture Series, featuring Ben Domenech, co-founder and publisher of The Federalist, speaking on the rise...
Dec 03, 2021•36 min•Ep. 47
On November 17, 2021, an audience of Acton supporters and friends gathered in Grand Rapids, Michigan to celebrate Rev. Robert A. Sirico’s three decades of leadership of the institute as he officially transitioned to the role of President Emeritus. Sirico’s remarks were a reflection on those years of work in service of the cause of liberty, the current state of political and social discourse in the United States, and his vision for how the Acton Institute can help to bridge the vast social divide...
Nov 26, 2021•52 min•Ep. 46
Our world is a world of ever evolving technology. Every positive advancement in digital technology inevitably comes with an encroachment on privacy whether it be in business, health, families, or freedom. From rampant cancel culture and propaganda on social networks to data collection and surveillance, social manipulation has become the new digital contagion—influencing our behavior and threatening our security. Protection from the omnipresence of digital tech can come in many mediums whether it...
Nov 19, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 45
Andrew Klavan is a screenwriter, author, and two-time Edgar Award winner. Among his works are the internationally bestselling crime novels True Crime and Don't Say a Word. Both books were adapted into screenplays and went on to Hollywood success—the former directed by Clint Eastwood and the latter directed by and starring Michael Douglas. A prolific author, Klavan has also written thrillers for young adults, such as the bestselling Homelanders series, and a number of nonfiction works, including ...
Nov 12, 2021•27 min•Ep. 44
Distributism is a political and economic theory under which the means of productions would be redistributed to as many people as possible, as part of an effort to decentralize power to the greatest extent possible, and to protect the rights of smaller political and economic units against the encroachments of both central government and big business. While distributists and free market advocates can find some common ground, there remain significant differences between the two groups. On February ...
Nov 05, 2021•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 43
Religious-liberty litigants have won 18 of their past 19 cases in the U.S. Supreme Court, 14 of them unanimously or by supermajority vote. But a number of those decisions have been on narrow legal grounds and have not resolved the continuing tension between secular culture and those trying to live their faith in the public square. In this episode, John Bursch, vice president of appellate advocacy at Alliance Defending Freedom, discusses where we’ve been and where we might be going when it comes ...
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 42
Is the market economy rooted in greed and self-interest? Jeffrey Tucker, founder and president of the Brownstone Institute, says no. Many degrees of love are at the core of what it means to exchange, invent, speculate, and produce. True love of neighbor cannot neglect private ownership, the profit motive, and personal vision, all of which are necessary for a vibrant economy that works for everyone. This presentation was delivered as part of the 2015 Acton Lecture Series. Subscribe to Acton Vault...
Oct 22, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 41
On Thursday, Sept. 23, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, debated Joshua Davis, executive director at the Institute for Christian Socialism, at the St. Augustine's Catholic Center at the University of Idaho on the question of Capitalism vs. Socialism: How does each system serve a Christian conception of a healthy society? Subscribe to Acton Vault, Acton Unwind, & Acton Line Capitalism vs Socialism: How does each system serve a Christian conception of a he...
Oct 15, 2021•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 40
What makes a president "good" or "bad"? Are historians always the best judge of such things? Or should we be getting second opinions? In this lecture, Larry Reed, president emeritus of the Foundation for Economic Education, offers his answers to these questions while taking us on a stroll through the triumphs and follies of some of the men who have occupied the White House. Reed’s presentation was delivered as part of the 2014 Acton Lecture Series. More from Larry Reed Foundation for Economic Ed...
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 39
Between Catholics and Protestants, the list of common beliefs, values, and practices is much longer and more substantive than the differences. (Assuming, of course, they are not heretics to their own traditions.) Why, then, has our alliance been so weak in stemming the tide of public secularization, immoralism, and decadence? In this episode, we bring you a lecture that was delivered as part of Acton University 2018, featuring Peter Kreeft speaking on the commonalities enjoyed by Catholics and P...
Sep 24, 2021•47 min•Ep. 38
In this episode, we are bringing you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2014 Acton Lecture Series featuring John “Chuck” Chalberg as he plays the role of G.K. Chesterton. In his performance, Chesterton speaks about America, which he thought was the only country with the soul of a church. He also addresses the state of the family, past and present. His starting point and end point is this: "Without the family we are helpless before the state." Is GK Chesterton Still Relevant? Why, Y...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 37
On September 11th, 2001 terrorists struck the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth hijacked airliner was crashed in a field near Shanksville, Penn., after a group of passengers rushed the cockpit to take the plane back. The attacks resulted in the deaths of thousands of Americans. This attack challenged the way we celebrate our fundamental freedoms here in America. One month later, The Acton Institute had its 11th Annual anniversary Dinner. The dinner...
Sep 10, 2021•54 min•Ep. 36
Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse describes how the socialist ideal of equality has played an independent role in the breakdown of the family, arguing that socialism has attacked the family directly and has adopted policies that have led to demographic collapse. This presentation was delivered as part of the 2008 Acton Lecture Series. Bio | Jennifer Roback Morse, Ph.D The Ruth Institute Acton Lecture Series Subscribe to Acton Vault podcast Subscribe to Acton Unwind podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...
Sep 03, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 35
In this episode, we're bringing you a plenary session featuring a conversation with Fr. Robert Sirico and Michael Novak which was delivered as part of Acton University 2012. The life of Novak has been a story of intellectual exploration, with philosophy, Roman Catholic theology, and economics as the pillars of his career. Novak has changed the hearts and minds of millions to rethink how we approach human anthropology within the free market. Novak was a public intellectual, author, professor, and...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 34
In this episode, we're bringing you a plenary speech given by Joel Salatin which was delivered as part of Acton University 2015. Salatin is a full-time, third generation alternative farmer in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. He speaks on defending small farms, local food systems, and the right to opt out of the conventional food paradigm. His farm, Polyface Inc, the “Farm of Many Faces” has been featured in Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, Gourmet, and countless other radio, television an...
Aug 20, 2021•55 min•Ep. 33
For over half a century America has been suffering from a growing but strangely overlooked crisis: a flight from work by men in the prime of life. Just before the COVID-19 crisis, almost 7 million men 25-54 were neither working nor looking for work. Employment rates for prime aged U.S. men mirrored those near the end of the Great Depression. In the wake of the COVID-19 shock, America's 'men without work’ problem has become even more acute. In this episode, we're bringing you a presentation that ...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 32
Communism took power in Cuba through deceit and intrigue in 1959. While Fidel Castro denied he was a communist, promising to restore democracy in the island, he began consolidating totalitarian rule and exporting revolution in Latin America and Africa. As the totalitarian dictatorship became evident, Cuba's democratic resistance defied the Castro regime in two phases: 1959-1966 (violent resistance) and 1976 - present (non-violent resistance). US Cuba policy would undergo dramatic changes between...
Jul 23, 2021•55 min•Ep. 31
For decades, the race to space was the domain of the state. Today space is rapidly becoming commercialized, opening vast opportunities for entrepreneurs. The commercialization of space also brings challenges. In this episode, we're bringing you a panel discussion featuring Daniel Britt, PhD., Joel Sercel, PhD., and Paul Stimers, PhD., that was delivered as part of Acton University Online 2021. The discussion was moderated by Stephen Barrows, PhD., Managing Director of Programs here at the Acton ...
Jul 09, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 30
In January 1982, Marina Nemat, then just sixteen years old, was arrested, tortured, and sentenced to death for political crimes. Until then, her life in Tehran had centered around school, summer parties at the lake, and her crush on Andre, the young man she had met at church. But when math and history were subordinated to the study of the Koran and political propaganda, Marina protested. Her teacher replied, "If you don't like it, leave." She did, and, to her surprise, other students followed. S...
Jun 25, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 29
Saul Alinsky might be called the "anti-Acton". As Lord Acton warned that power corrupts, Saul Alinsky, the father of modern "community organizing", rejoiced that corruption empowers. Decades after Alinsky's death his ideas and teaching continue to shape the American political and social landscape. This lecture given by Joseph A. Morris, President of The Lincoln Legal Foundation, supplies an overview of Alinksy's thinking and shows its application in current events. This presentation was delivere...
Jun 11, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 28
In this episode, we're bringing you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2021 Acton Lecture Series featuring Dr. Carl Trueman on his book The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self. In this timely work, he explores the development of the sexual revolution as a symptom—rather than the cause—of the human search for identity. Trueman surveys the past, brings clarity to the present, and gives guidance for the future as Christians navigate the culture in humanity’s ever-changing quest for id...
May 28, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 27
The greatest civilization of ancient times expired more than 1,500 years ago but the lessons to be learned from its experience are eternal. In this lecture, Lawrence W. Reed focuses on the Roman Republic—the key features, personalities and events that defined its rise as well as those that caused its decay in the First Century B.C. into an imperial autocracy. Many of the trends of our day echo those of the ancient Republic, which make its lessons all the more relevant, even pressing, for us now....
May 14, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 26
In this episode, we're bringing you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2021 Acton Lecture Series featuring Jessica Hooten Wilson speaking on Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and his fight against propaganda using art to force "even an opposing heart to surrender." Through fiction, Solzhenitsyn provides a way to love our so-called enemies, encourage conversation rather than silencing, and, even when all appears despairing, open the door to hope. Solzhenitsyn: Prophet to America Solzhenitsyn's...
Apr 30, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 25
In this episode we bring you an Acton Lecture featuring Dr. Patrick Gerry as he addresses the false promise of big government. The debate over the size and scope of the federal government has raged since the New Deal. So why have opponents of big government so rarely made political headway? Because they fail to address the fundamental issue. Patrick Garry is a law professor with a Ph.D. in constitutional history. He has testified before Congress on constitutional issues and is a contributor to T...
Apr 12, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 24
Beginning with a conversation prompted by African American scholars like Dr. Alvin Poussaint of Harvard Medical School, to the current Black Lives Matter movement, there has been much debate about what led to the death of George Floyd as well as other systemic challenges that undermine black thriving. Anthony Bradley provides a distinctly Christian perspective on what is needed for black communities to thrive from within. In addition to the social and structural issues that must be addressed, wi...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 23
On June 17th, 1997, United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia delivered the keynote address at the Acton Institute's 7th Annual Anniversary dinner. His remarks were entitled "On Interpreting the Constitution." Justice Scalia was arguably the Supreme Court’s most famous originalist in interpreting the Constitution. Scalia was equally known for using a textualist approach to statutory interpretation of the law. Back when he gave this address, originalism and textualism were esse...
Mar 15, 2021•36 min•Ep. 22
