Podcasts about acton lecture series

On today's episode, Dan Churchwell, Acton's director of programs and education, talks to James Hartley, professor of economics at Mount Holyoke College, ahead of James' Acton Lecture Series event. They survey the discipline of economics and how James came to study it for over 30 years. The lecture, entitled “Tariffs, Trade Wars, and the State […]

How should you allocate your personal wealth? How do the decisions you make regarding personal wealth impact your character? In his Acton Lecture Series talk, Kenneth Elzinga discussed Christian stewardship and proposed a new way to think about the relationship between “donor” and “receiver.”   Before his lecture, Professor Elzinga sat down with Acton Alumni […]

In this episode, we bring you a recent Acton Lecture Series event with Kevin Vallier. The 20th century featured an unusual phenomenon: global secularizing movements. In the 19th century, these movements were confined mostly to Western Europe, but in the 20th century they exploded, suppressing the influence of religion around the world. In some milder […]

In this episode, we bring you a recent Acton Lecture Series event with Kevin Vallier. The 20th century featured an unusual phenomenon: global secularizing movements. In the 19th century, these movements were confined mostly to Western Europe, but in the 20th century they exploded, suppressing the influence of religion around the world. In some milder cases, as in Turkey and India, the political expression of only the great religions was throttled. In others, such as in the USSR and Mao's China, ferocious religious persecution was an ideological necessity. In light of new political realities, however, older religious traditions are beginning to take back their influence in the public square. And they're doing so by rejecting the “liberalism” they see as their oppressor.  Dr. Vallier discusses these different anti-liberal movements, critiques them, and explains how Christian liberals can understand and engage them. Subscribe to our podcasts  Acton Lecture Series

In this episode, we present the most recent installment of the Acton Lecture Series, with Dr. Mary L. Hirschfeld. Economists investigate the workings of markets and tend to set ethical questions aside. Theologians often dismiss economics, losing insights into the influence of market incentives on individual behavior. Dr. Hirschfeld bridges this gap by showing how a humane […]

In this episode, we present the most recent installment of the Acton Lecture Series, with Dr. Mary L. Hirschfeld. Economists investigate the workings of markets and tend to set ethical questions aside. Theologians often dismiss economics, losing insights into the influence of market incentives on individual behavior. Dr. Hirschfeld bridges this gap by showing how a humane economy can lead to the good life as outlined in the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas.

In this episode, we're bringing you a talk from our Acton Lecture Series from 2019.To be economically literate requires neither formal training nor advanced study. For those with the inclination, the most valuable economic principles can be understood with just a little nurturing of the so-called “economic way of thinking.” In this talk, Dr. Sarah Estelle shares how she sees the economic way of thinking as instructive in some of the ways we can love, too. What does economics have to say about our love for mankind? our neighbors around the globe? the least of these among us? our local communities and families? Integrating a Christian perspective and sound economics, Estelle considers in what cases market exchange can communicate love and in which situations market approaches would only crush it. Dr. Sarah Estelle is an associate professor of economics at Hope College. Most recently she has undertaken work bridging the principles of traditional Christian teaching and classical liberal economics and especially applying the lessons of economics to the Christian virtue of love, thickly construed. She is the director of Religious Liberty in the States, a brand-new statistical index that measures the legal safeguards for the free exercise of religion in the United States. Dr. Estelle is the founding director of Hope's Markets & Morality student organization, which explores economic issues through a Christian lens and brings speakers and film screenings to campus to enrich the Hope community's understanding of markets. Markets & Morality celebrates its 10th year in 2022–23.Subscribe to our podcastsApply Now for Acton University 2023 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The year is 1837. Imagine that you live in Calcutta and a man with a thick Boston accent offers you some ice cream. There is no such device as a refrigerator, much less a freezer, and yet here is a man offering you a cold (and delicious) treat. How did it get there? In this lecture from the 2019 Acton Lecture Series, Dave Hebert explains how ice harvesters in 19th century Boston were able to create their own system of property rights that allowed each person living around a local pond to thicken ice as needed. The result? These entrepreneurs shipped blocks of ice to destinations as far flung as India, opening up a new market to places where ice (and all its benefits) did not exist.David Hebert graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics from Hillsdale College in 2009, and then attended George Mason University, where he earned a master's in 2011 and a doctorate in 2014. During graduate school, he was an F.A. Hayek fellow with the Mercatus Center and a fellow with the Department of Health Administration and Policy. He also worked with the Joint Economic Committee in the U.S. Congress. Since graduating, he has worked as an assistant professor at Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, and Troy University in Troy, Alabama. He was also a fellow with the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, where he authored a comprehensive report on federal budget process reform.Subscribe to our podcastsRegister Now for Business Matters 2023Apply Now for Acton University 2023 (Early Bird Pricing) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we're bringing you a talk from our Acton Lecture Series from January 2023, that was co-sponsored by the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal.In their own time, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Russell Kirk occupied different ends of the political spectrum. Their philosophies inspired the two most powerful movements of the age: the Nonviolent Movement (which led the larger Civil Rights Movement) and the modern Conservative Movement. Without King and Kirk modern American Social Justice liberalism and modern American conservatism as we know them would not exist. And yet, for all of their differences, our modern politics suffer because contemporary liberalism and conservatism lack the grounding in virtues, communitarian values and faith in an ordered universe that both Kingian Nonviolence and Kirkian Conservatism held fast to. Is it possible that by reacquainting ourselves with these lost traditions we could summon the better angels of left and right and restore a politics of virtue for the modern age?John Wood Jr. is a writer, podcaster, and noted public speaker nationally recognized as a leading voice on issues of political and racial reconciliation. He is national ambassador for Braver Angels, America's largest grassroots, bipartisan organization dedicated to political depolarization.Subscribe to our podcastsRegister Now for Business Matters 2023Apply Now for Acton University 2023 (Early Bird Pricing) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode takes us back in time to September 2018 for a talk from our Acton Lecture Series.Students of 20th century American history know of the importance of the Marshall Plan to the effort to rebuild Europe after World War II, as well as the leading role taken by the United States in building international institutions and alliances that would be central to maintaining peace and checking the expansionist desires of the communist world. What you may not know is that a central figure in the creation of those institutions was a United States Senator from Michigan who, prior to the war, had been a leader of the isolationist faction in Congress. The story of how Arthur Vandenberg came to be one of the founders of modern American foreign policy is recounted in the book Arthur Vandenberg: The Man in the Middle of the American Century, from Hank Meijer.Hank Meijer is co-chairman and CEO of Meijer, Inc. in Grand Rapids and vice-chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. He serves on the executive committee of the Food Marketing Institute and is a trustee of the National Constitution Center and The Henry Ford. He is a member of the University of Michigan's President's Advisory Group and the Ford School of Public Policy board of advisors and chairs the board of the Kettering Foundation.His biography of Senator Vandenberg was published in 2017 by the University of Chicago Press.Subscribe to our podcastsArthur Vandenberg: The Man in the Middle of the American Century | Amazon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why does federal aid seem to have a reverse Midas touch? Drawing on examples from the nation's past and present—from the fur trade and railroads, to cars and chemicals, to aviation and Solyndra—"Uncle Sam Can't Count” is a sweeping work of economic history that explains why the federal government cannot and should not pick winners and losers in the private sector. In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2015 Acton Lecture Series, featuring American historian Burton W. Folsom speaking on his book (co-written with Anita Folsom) “Uncle Sam Can't Count.” Subscribe to our podcasts Uncle Sam Can't Count: A History of Failed Government Investments, from Beaver Pelts to Green Energy About Burton W. Folsom Biden's 'stimulus' for a growing economy is all about central control | Acton Institute America's public debt: Crisis or the cost of civilization? | Acton Institute Emanuel Cleaver: People get 'saved' through government spending | Acton Institute See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2013 Acton Lecture Series, featuring Samuel Gregg, Acton's director of research, speaking on his book Becoming Europe: Economic Decline, Culture, and How America Can Avoid a European Future. In Becoming Europe, Gregg explains how European economic life has drifted in the direction of what Alexis de Tocqueville called “soft despotism” and ways in which similar trends are discernible in the United States. The good news is that economic decline is not inevitable and that the path to recovery lies in the distinctiveness of American economic culture. Yet there are ominous signs that some of the cultural foundations of America's historically unparalleled economic success are being eroded in ways not easily reversible, and so the European experience should serve as the proverbial canary in the coal mine. Subscribe to our podcasts About Samuel Gregg, D.Phil. (Oxon.) Becoming Europe: Economic Decline, Culture, and How America Can Avoid a European Future | Samuel Gregg Are We All Europeans Now? | National Review The U.S. Bishops and the Tweet Heard 'Round the World | Acton Institute See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Rooted in the tradition of the Orthodox Church and its teaching on the relationship between God, humanity, and all creation, Fr. Michael Butler and Prof. Andrew Morriss offer a new contribution to Orthodox environmental theology. Too often policy recommendations from theologians and church authorities have taken the form of pontifications, obscuring many important economic and public policy realities. The authors establish a framework for responsible engagement with environmental issues undergirded not only by church teaching but also by sound economic analysis. Fr. Butler and Prof. Morriss take the discussion of Orthodox environmental ethics from abstract principles to thoughtful interaction with the concrete, always sensitive to the inviolability of human dignity, the plight of the poor, and our common pursuit of communion with God. This presentation was delivered as part of the 2015 Acton Lecture Series. Subscribe to our podcasts The False Promise of Green Energy | Acton Institute Fr. Michael Butler offers insight on Laudato Si' | Acton University 2015 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2022 Acton Lecture Series, featuring Matthew Tuininga, Ph.D., associate professor of Christian ethics and the history of Christianity at Calvin Theological Seminary, speaking on Abraham Kuyper's principles for Christian liberalism. Kuyper was a staunch critic of the secularist liberalism he identified as the legacy of the French Revolution, but in its place he advocated what might be described as Christian liberalism. Subscribe to our podcasts Apply now for Acton University 2022 Calvin Theological Seminary About Matthew J. Tuininga The Abraham Kuyper Collection – Acton Bookshop See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What's it like to be the son or daughter of a dictator? Not just any dictator, but a genocidal monster on the level of a Josef Stalin? What's it like to bear a name synonymous with oppression, terror, and evil? Jay Nordlinger, a senior editor of National Review, set out to answer that question in his book “Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators.” He looks into the families of the worst of the worst: Stalin, Mao, Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, and so on. Some of the kids are down-the-line loyalists. Some even succeeded their fathers as dictators themselves (as in North Korea and Syria). Some have doubts. A few defect. All have been rocked by prison, war, exile, and the like. These men and women lead all-too-interesting lives. This is a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2015 Acton Lecture Series. Subscribe to our podcasts About Jay Nordlinger Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators When Dad Is the Devil | National Review See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of Action Vault, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2013 Acton Lecture Series, featuring John Blundell speaking on the topic of “Ladies for Liberty: Women Who Made a Difference in American History.” Blundell was director general and Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs. He passed away on July 22, 2014, at the age of 61. Subscribe to our podcasts Acton Lecture Series About John Blundell See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of Action Vault, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2014 Acton Lecture Series, featuring F.H. Buckley, Foundation Professor at George Mason University's Scalia School of Law, speaking on the unchecked presidential power we're witnessing today in our government. Buckley explains that what we assume was the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of a separation of powers was not what the Founders had in mind. What they expected was a country in which Congress would dominate the government and in which the president would play a much smaller role. Subscribe to our podcasts Acton Lecture Series About F.H. Buckley See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Do private property and religious liberty go hand in hand? Are they truly inseparable? The Rev. Robert A. Sirico, president emeritus and co-founder of the Acton Institute, defends private property as the solid ground of religious liberty in this contribution to the 2016 Acton Lecture Series. Subscribe to our podcastsActon Lecture Series About Rev. Robert A. Sirico Acton research on private property Private property and public goodThe Church, property rights, and the environmentIn defense of private property See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2014 Acton Lecture Series featuring Jay Richards, Ph.D., senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation and New York Times bestselling author, speaking on why a belief in God is necessary for libertarianism to flourish. Subscribe to our podcastsActon Lecture Series About Jay Richards See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Organizations commonly face roadblocks when trying to address poverty or engage effectively with people directly affected by it. When it comes to poverty alleviation, organizations tend to think that what is needed is the perfect strategy, a new idea, or a great program. What's most important, however, are the people involved, the relationships built, and the process we use to get to the solution. In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2022 Acton Lecture Series featuring Marlo Fox speaking on building solutions with the people directly affected by poverty, creating organization and community cultures that strengthen social capital across economic lines. Subscribe to our podcasts Thinktank-inc.org About Marlo Fox Acton Lecture Series See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

We often say what's right and what's wrong can be vague and not always easy to discern. The natural law tradition says that's nonsense: Moral basics are known to every human being. If this is true, then we aren't ignorant of the good, just self-deceived. So what happens when we tell ourselves that we don't know what we really do know?In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2017 Acton Lecture Series, featuring Dr. J. Budziszewski speaking on natural law and the revenge of conscience. Subscribe to our podcasts About Dr. J. Budziszewski Acton Lecture Series See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we bring you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 1994 Acton Lecture Series featuring Sister Connie Driscoll speaking on the welfare myth. Sister Connie (1933–2005) was the co-founder of St. Martin de Porres House of Hope, now the Southside Center of Hope, in an impoverished neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. It's a community for women and their children who are healing and recovering from substance abuse.Sister Connie believed in personal responsibility and refused any type of government aid. When women entered the community, Sister Connie took their welfare checks and taught them how to pay rent. She described her practice in a 1997 Forbes interview: “They have to turn over 80 percent of their welfare check and 50 percent of their food stamps. I put the money and stamps into a safe-deposit box and return it when they're ready to leave. We teach them to pay rent, utilities and food bills first, then prioritize what else they need. The word on the street is that ours is a tough house. The women always have somewhere to be: career or computer training, GED classes, Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous meetings or a job here in the house.”Subscribe to our podcastsAbout Sister Connie Driscoll Acton Lecture Series See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 podcasts Acton Lecture Series Faith and Liberty Discovery Center See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

If we face America's racial history squarely, must we conclude that the American project is a failure? Conversely, if we think the American project is a worthy endeavor, do we have to lie or equivocate about its past? In this episode, Dan Churchwell, Acton's director of program outreach, sits with Rachel Ferguson, economic philosopher at Concordia University Chicago, to discuss her new book, Black Liberation Through the Marketplace. Exhausted by extremism on both left and right, a majority of Americans—black and white—still love this country and want to do right by all its citizens. In Black Liberation Through the Marketplace, Rachel Ferguson leaves readers with a better understanding of black history and creative ideas for how to make this nation one that truly enjoys liberty and justice for all. Subscribe to our podcasts About Rachel Ferguson Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America Anthony Bradley on why black lives matter Acton Lecture Series with Rachel Ferguson See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 created flourishing institutions and culture. Subscribe to our podcasts About Rachel Ferguson Black Liberation Through the Marketplace: Hope, Heartbreak, and the Promise of America Anthony Bradley on why black lives matter Acton Lecture Series See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 outlines the most important features of an effective anti-poverty program that promotes work, family life, and civil society and that lays the groundwork for a more prosperous America.This presentation was delivered as part of the 2019 Acton Lecture Series. About Robert Doar Acton Lecture Series Subscribe to our podcasts See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 of American populism.Domenech looks at the history of populism in America, from Andrew Jackson to William Jennings Bryan, and traces that strain of politics straight through to the rise of Donald Trump. According to Domenech, the roots of the current populist uprising in America can be traced to the failure of elite institutions to address or even acknowledge the problems and needs of average citizens. Subscribe to our podcasts About Ben Domenech The Federalist: Culture, Politics, Religion See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 to America's “first freedom”: religious liberty.This presentation was delivered on Oct. 28, 2021 as part of the Acton Lecture Series.Subscribe to Acton Line, Acton Unwind, & Acton Vault Alliance Defending FreedomBio | John Bursch See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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, Acton Unwind, & Acton LineBrownstone InstituteBio | Jeffrey A. Tucker Latest Book | Liberty or LockdownThe Purges Have BegunWhy Masks? Control, Power, and Revenue See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 Education Subscribe to Acton Vault, Acton Unwind, & Acton Line See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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, YesVideo | An Evening With GK ChestertonActon Lecture Series Subscribe to Acton Vault, Acton Unwind, & Acton Line See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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.DThe Ruth Institute Acton Lecture Series Subscribe to Acton Vault podcastSubscribe to Acton Unwind podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 was delivered as part of the 2021 Acton Lecture Series featuring Nicholas Eberstadt, as he outlines the dimensions of the problem, examines some of its causes, discusses its far-reaching implications, and speculates about possible solutions.Men Without Work: America's Invisible CrisisCovid relief bill's side effects on our future economyHow to rebuild the economy after COVID-19Bio | Nicholas Eberstadt, Ph.D.Acton Lecture Series See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 1959 and the present with consequences for the entire hemisphere. In this episode, we're bringing you a presentation that was delivered as part of the 2018 Acton Lecture Series featuring John Suarez as he explores Cuba's history and looks to its future in this address.Bio | John Suarez Center for a FREE Cuba Cuba Libre: Protestors call for an end to communism and oppression How global leaders used COVID-19 to restrict religious liberty Acton Lecture Series Acton Institute Events Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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. Soon she was arrested with hundreds of other youths who had dared to speak out, and they were taken to the notorious Evin prison in Tehran. Two guards interrogated her. One beat her into unconsciousness; the other, Ali, fell in love with her. Sentenced to death for refusing to give up the names of her friends, she was minutes from being executed when Ali, using his family connections to Ayatollah Khomeini, plucked her from the firing squad and had her sentence reduced to life in prison. But he exacted a shocking price for saving her life -- with a dizzying combination of terror and tenderness, he asked her to marry him and abandon her Christian faith for Islam. If she didn't, he would see to it that her family was harmed. She spent the next two years as a prisoner of the state, and of the man who held her life, and her family's lives, in his hands. Her search for emotional redemption envelops her jailers, her husband and his family, and the country of her birth -- each of whom she grants the greatest gift of all: forgiveness.Marina Nemat was born in 1965 in Tehran, Iran. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, she was arrested at the age of sixteen and spent more than two years in Evin, a political prison in Tehran, where she was tortured and came very close to execution. She came to Canada in 1991 and has called it home ever since. Her memoir of her life in Iran, "Prisoner of Tehran" (Penguin Canada 2007), has been published in 28 other countries, and has been an international bestseller. In 2007, Marina received the inaugural Human Dignity Award from the European Parliament, and in 2008, she received the prestigious Grinzane Prize in Italy. In 2008/2009, she was an Aurea Fellow at University of Toronto's Massey College, where she wrote her second book, "After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed" (Penguin Canada 2010). Marina regularly speaks at high schools, universities, and conferences around the world and sits on the Board of Directors at CCVT (Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture) and on advisory boards at ACAT (Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture) and PEN Canada. She also teaches memoir writing, in Farsi and in English, at the School of Continuing Studies at University of Toronto and writes book reviews for The Globe and Mail.This presentation was delivered as part of the 2015 Acton Lecture Series. Prisoner of Tehran: One Woman's Story of Survival Inside an Iranian Prison Religious liberty versus secular tyranny Marina Nemat speaks at Acton University 2013 An interview with Marina Nemat Acton Lecture Series Acton Institute Events Podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 delivered as part of the 2010 Acton Lecture Series. Although this lecture was 11 years ago, the influence of Alinksy's writings are more dominant now in our political culture than ever before. The Heartland Institute - Joseph A. Morris Events | Acton Institute The roots of radicals' rage See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 identity.Book: The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self Why the Market Needs the Family The libertine road to serfdom – Acton Institute PowerBlog What do the Cold War and the Sexual Revolution have in common? See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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 AmericaSolzhenitsyn's advice to the free worldSolzhenitsyn: Freedom's habits and hindrancesAlexander Solzhenitsyn - Religion & LibertyAleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the dragon slayer See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we’re bringing you an Acton Lecture Series event from December of 2016, featuring Ilya Shapiro speaking on judicial abdication and the growth of government.Ilya Shapiro is the director of the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies at the Cato Institute and publisher of the Cato Supreme Court Review.In this discussion, Shapiro recounts the fight for the Supreme Court during the 2016 presidential campaign and how that battle crystalized the importance of judges' both having the right constitutional theories and being willing to enforce them. According to Shapiro, too much "restraint" — like Chief Justice Roberts in the Obamacare cases — has led to the unchecked growth of government, toxic judicial confirmation battles, and even our current populist moment. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode, we’re bringing you the most recent presentation from our Acton Lecture Series program, featuring the recipient of the Acton Institute’s 2020 Novak Award, Dr. Gregory Collins.Named after distinguished American theologian Michael Novak, this honor rewards new, outstanding scholarly research concerning the relationship between religion, economic freedom, and a free and virtuous society. It recognizes those scholars early in their academic career who demonstrate outstanding intellectual merit in advancing the understanding of theology’s connection to human dignity, the importance of the rule of law, limited government, religious liberty, and freedom in economic life.Gregory M. Collins is a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer in the Program on Ethics, Politics, and Economics at Yale University. His book on Edmund Burke’s economic thought, Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke’s Political Economy, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2020 and has already garnered significant attention inside and outside the academic community. He has published, or has forthcoming, articles on Burke, Adam Smith, Leo Strauss, Britain’s East India Company, and Frederick Douglass in the Review of Politics, History of Political Thought, American Political Thought, Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Slavery & Abolition, and Perspectives on Political Science. His current book project is a comparative study of Burke and the Enlightenment.In this lecture, drawing out some important themes of his recently published book on Edmund Burke’s economic thought, Commerce and Manners in Edmund Burke’s Political Economy, Dr. Collins explains whether Burke overcame perhaps the most powerful moral and metaphysical objection to commercial exchange: that the never-ending process of economic satisfaction is fundamentally at odds with the good life.Acton Institute names Gregory M. Collins of Yale University the 2020 Novak Award winnerGregory Collins - Yale University See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today, we’re bringing you a presentation from our Acton Lecture Series program from January 2020 with Adam MacLeod, professor of law at Faulkner University, explaining the rise of morality in public discourse.According to MacLeod, our most contentious controversies today are moral. Political neutrality has failed. We disagree not only about questions of efficiency and democracy but also about what is right to do and who we are becoming as a people. We have not yet understood the implications of this shift in public reasoning from discourse about political ideals to debates about moral imperatives. To disagree well and to flourish together despite our differences, we need to understand the sources of our moral ideas. MacLeod’s lecture examines the roots of our disagreement and advances a proposal for doing difference well. We can preserve civil liberties and pluralism by grounding rights in moral reasons, which provide a more secure foundation for civil rights.Adam MacLeod - Faulkner UniversityUpcoming Acton Institute EventsHow to talk about rights in our polarized age - Acton Line podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On December 2nd, 2020, the economist Walter E. Williams passed away at the age of 84.Williams worked his way out of grinding poverty in the Philadelphia housing projects to chair George Mason University’s economics department. Over his career he authored 10 books and more than 150 other publications, and become one of the most recognized commentators on our American public life of the last four decades. Williams spread his message of racial equality, the dignity of work, and the morality of capitalism through his syndicated newspaper column, PBS documentaries, and frequent radio and TV appearances.Today, we feature a presentation that Dr. Williams gave in 1994 for the Institute’s Acton Lecture Series, discussing the legitimate role of government in a free society.A quick heads up: as we mentioned, this audio is from 1994. Our production team has done a lot of work to clean it up, but in the beginning of the talk Dr. Williams’ audio is very faint. Rather than cut out the beginning of his remarks, we’ve left them in. If you want to skip ahead to where the audio becomes clearer, then you can jump to the 7:46 mark in the podcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this Acton Lecture Series program from December 3rd, 2020, founder of the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation Justin Beene addressed the topic of transformational leadership in a time of crises. Today’s “new normal” demands authentic leaders who are grounded and yet reflective. Many of us go through life without a rhythm of both reflecting and discerning. Beene discusses how leaders can grow and contribute to the flourishing of our families, organizations, and culture during a time of crises.About Justin BeeneGrand Rapids Center for Community Transformation See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this Acton Lecture Series program from November 5, 2020, Acton Institute's Eric Kohn spoke with David French, senior editor at The Dispatch, about the outcomes of the 2020 election and his new book, “Divided We Fall: America's Secession Threat and How to Restore Our Nation.”In “Divided We Fall,” French surveys the landscape of a politically and culturally polarized America, examining the true dimensions and dangers of this widening ideological gap. Just two days after the 2020 election, French analyzed the impacts the election outcomes (to the extent that they were known) could have on an increasingly divided and tribalistic nation, with each faction believing their distinct cultures and liberties are being threatened by an escalating violent opposition. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, John Wilsey, affiliate scholar of theology and history at Acton, speaks with Allen Guelzo, professor of the Civil War Era at Gettysburg college, about reconstruction in the South after the Civil War. This discussion is a preview of Professor Guelzo’s upcoming Acton Lecture Series talk on the subject of Abraham Lincoln’s moral constitution on August 9 at Acton Headquarters in Grand Rapids, MI. Then, on the Upstream segment, Acton’s director of publishing, Jordan Ballor, and Robert Nelson, professor at the School of Public Policy in Maryland, talk about the new film First Reformed. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, Dan Hugger, librarian and research associate at Acton, speaks with Robert Whaples, research fellow at the Independent Institute and professor of economics at Wake Forest University on Pope Francis’ views on capitalism in a preview of Prof. Whaples' upcoming Acton Lecture Series talk. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker talks to author, musician, and poet Robert Hudson, on the connections between the singer Bob Dylan and writer Thomas Merton. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

(January 25, 2018) Only the family can provide the sense of security and the identity that every person needs. We are finding out that civilization itself depends on family. Family breakdown is expensive--taxpayers step in and provide programs when the family fails. Dr J is the speaker at this installment of the Acton Lecture Series, where she gives practical steps everyone can take to heal the family.

On this episode of Radio Free Acton, Trey Dimsdale, Director of Program Outreach at Acton, speaks with Jennifer Roback Morse, founder of the Ruth Institute, about her upcoming Acton Lecture Series talk on family breakdown and the economy. Then, on the Upstream segment, Bruce Edward Walker talks to Acton's Patrick Oetting on the new film "Darkest Hour." See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this edition of Radio Free Acton, we speak with cultural historian and author Victoria Coates on the capacity of democracy to inspire great works of art. Coates is the author of David's Sling: The History of Democracy in Ten Works of Art, and spoke on the topic as part of the 2016 Acton Lecture Series. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The first edition of Radio Free Acton hits the web with a look at the influence of religion on the upcoming Michigan primary, which takes place on Tuesday, January 15. Host Marc Vander Maas is joined by Acton colleagues Jordan Ballor, Ray Nothstine, and John Couretas to look at the polls, the campaign ads, and the ideas that are defining current Republican politics and the constituencies that seem to be in a fight for the future of the party. John Couretas also talks with Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse about her Acton Lecture Series address, "Freedom, the Family and the Market." Dr. Morse talks about the how the Marxist view of the traditional family still infects modern leftist opinion. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.