Episodes

  • Thomas Howes Explains Why Postliberalism Failed

    Thomas Howes Explains Why Postliberalism Failed
    May 13 2026
    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Thomas Howes, editor-in-chief of The Vital Center and lecturer at Princeton University, about his and James Patterson’s forthcoming book, Why Postliberalism Failed. ⁠Subscribe to our podcasts⁠ ⁠Watch this podcast here⁠ ⁠Why Postliberalism Failed | Patterson & Howes⁠ ⁠Why Postliberalism Failed Podcast⁠ 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 ⁠podcast@acton.org⁠. The tip at the opening of this podcast is informational and educational in nature. It is not offering professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. For specific advice about the effect of any planning concept on your tax or financial situation or with your estate, please consult a qualified professional advisor.
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    1 hr and 18 mins
  • Caleb Whitmer on Fraud and the Flood of Cataclysmic Money in Minneapolis

    Caleb Whitmer on Fraud and the Flood of Cataclysmic Money in Minneapolis
    May 6 2026
    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Caleb Whitmer, project manager at the Center for Social Flourishing at the Acton Institute. They discuss Caleb’s essay on the long-developing welfare-fraud scandal in Minnesota, titled “After the Flood in Minnesota,” published at Law & Liberty. The nature and scope of the fraud is unpacked along with some of the underlying approaches to policy and community dynamics that made it so lucrative. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here After the Flood in Minnesota | Caleb Whitmer Putting Clan over Country Will Ruin America | Ayaan Hirsi Ali The Death and Life of Great American Cities | Jane Jacobs The tip at the opening of this podcast is informational and educational in nature. It is not offering professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. For specific advice about the effect of any planning concept on your tax or financial situation or with your estate, please consult a qualified professional advisor.
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    51 mins
  • Acton Rundown | May 2026

    Acton Rundown | May 2026
    May 4 2026
    This month on the Acton Rundown, Dan and Dylan chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content. The Christian Roots of American Liberty | Pahman and Pinheiro Essays: Persuasion and Propaganda: How Poetry Helps Navigate Politics | J.C. Scharl “Only a Digger”: The Misunderstood Story of the First Christian Socialist | Dylan Pahman Did Anti-Federalists Pass the Religious Test? | John Pinheiro Video content: Molly Worthen Refines the Definition of “Charisma” Jason Sorens Builds a Case for Reforming American Housing Policy Jeffrey Polet on the Philosophy of Gen. Stanley McChrystal Dylan Pahman and John Pinheiro Are Documenting the Christian Roots of American Liberty Dylan Pahman and John C. Pinheiro on Christian Roots of American Liberty | The IRD Upcoming events: Chicago Thinker’s American Identity Summit & Gala 2026: America at 250May 15–16, 2026 Acton University 2026 | Acton InstituteJune 22–26, 2026 Acton Experience Brasil August 7–8, Belo Horizonte Acton’s 36th Annual DinnerNovember 10, 2026
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    10 mins
  • Dylan Pahman and John Pinheiro Are Documenting the Christian Roots of American Liberty

    Dylan Pahman and John Pinheiro Are Documenting the Christian Roots of American Liberty
    Apr 29 2026
    In this episode Dan Hugger speaks with John Pinheiro, director of research at the Acton Institute, and Dylan Pahman, research fellow at the Acton Institute and founder and president of the St. Nicholas Cabasilas Institute, about their new book, The Christian Roots of American Liberty: A Reader. The book is a response to new movements on the right and old prejudices on the left that dismiss the American founding as hopelessly secular. The book builds the case for enduring principles of natural rights, the rule of law, religious liberty, private property, limited government, and representation and consent by bringing together sources in the Christian tradition—ancient, medieval, and modern—that informed America’s founding. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here ⁠The Christian Roots of American Liberty: A Reader⁠ 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 podcast@acton.org. The tip at the opening of this podcast is informational and educational in nature. It is not offering professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. For specific advice about the effect of any planning concept on your tax or financial situation or with your estate, please consult a qualified professional advisor.
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • Jeffrey Polet on the Philosophy of Gen. Stanley McChrystal

    Jeffrey Polet on the Philosophy of Gen. Stanley McChrystal
    Apr 22 2026
    In this episode Dan Hugger speaks with Jeffrey Polet, professor emeritus of political science at Hope College and director of the Ford Leadership Forum at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. They discuss his review of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's book On Character: Choices That Define a Life, “The Honor of General Stanley McChrystal,” which was published at Religion & Liberty Online. The conversation explores the nature of honor, the distinction between conviction and discipline, and what philosophy for soldiers looks like in practice. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here The Honor of General Stanley McChrystal | Jeffrey Polet On Character: Choices That Define a Life | General Stanley McChrystal 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 podcast@acton.org. The tip at the opening of this podcast is informational and educational in nature. It is not offering professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. For specific advice about the effect of any planning concept on your tax or financial situation or with your estate, please consult a qualified professional advisor.
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    49 mins
  • Jason Sorens Builds a Case for Reforming American Housing Policy

    Jason Sorens Builds a Case for Reforming American Housing Policy
    Apr 15 2026
    In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Jason Sorens, senior research fellow at the American Institute of Economic Research. They discuss the American housing market, the role of institutional investors in single family housing, the 21st century ROAD to Housing Act, and the path to a future of housing abundance. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Jason Sorens Are Institutions Buying Up Single-Family Homes? | Jason Sorens H.R.6644 - 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act National Zoning Atlas Housing Reform in the States: A Menu of Options for 2026 | Salim Furth, Emily Hamilton, Charles Gardner 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 podcast@acton.org. The tip at the opening of this podcast is informational and educational in nature. It is not offering professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. For specific advice about the effect of any planning concept on your tax or financial situation or with your estate, please consult a qualified professional advisor.
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    49 mins
  • Molly Worthen Refines the Definition of “Charisma”

    Molly Worthen Refines the Definition of “Charisma”
    Apr 8 2026
    In this episode, Dan Churchwell, Acton’s director for programs and education, talks to Molly Worthen about her new book: “Spellbound: How Charisma Shaped American History from the Puritans to Donald Trump.” Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Acton Lecture Series Who Do We Trust Now? Charisma, Expertise, and the Future of Leadership | Acton Lecture Series Spellbound | Molly Worthen 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 podcast@acton.org. The tip at the opening of this podcast is informational and educational in nature. It is not offering professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. For specific advice about the effect of any planning concept on your tax or financial situation or with your estate, please consult a qualified professional advisor.
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    1 hr
  • Acton Rundown | April 2026

    Acton Rundown | April 2026
    Apr 6 2026
    This month on the Acton Rundown Dan & Mark chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content. At the Frontiers of Scholasticism: Scientific Method, Innovation, and Economic Reasoning The Christian Roots of American Liberty Essays: Rescuing Souls from the Totalitarian Temptation The Consolation of the Cross When Hitler Was a Moral Compass After the Flood in Minnesota Video content: Jordan Ballor Expounds How Christ Is King John Pinheiro on Alexander Hamilton’s and Thomas Jefferson's Conflicting Visions Fr. Robert Sirico and Kris Mauren on Richard DeVos A Conversation on the History and Future of The Acton Institute | The Freedom Series Josh Herring Finds the Gender Theory We Need in C.S. Lewis Poverty Trap First Impressions: Houston Who Do We Trust Now? Charisma, Expertise, and the Future of Leadership | Acton Lecture Series Daniel Darling Is Defending Christian Patriotism Upcoming events: Free Market Roadshow: Panel: Who Governs the Machine? AI, Enterprise Freedom, and the Search for Regulatory Guardrails Billionaires are Good for the Working Class: A Braver Angels Debate Chicago Luncheon April 30th Rethinking Charity: "Building Civil Society” FAVs April 30, 2026 – May 2, 2026 Courtyard Marriott Grand Rapids, MI Acton University 2026 | Acton Institute June 22, 2026 to June 25, 2026 Acton Experience Brasil August 7-8, Belo Horizonte Acton’s 36th Annual Dinner November 10, 2026 6:00pm
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    18 mins