Acton Line

Molly Worthen Refines the Definition of “Charisma”

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.

Acton Rundown | April 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

Daniel Darling Is Defending Christian Patriotism

In this episode Dan Hugger speaks with Daniel Darling, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and fellow at the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. They discuss his latest book, In Defense of Christian Patriotism, published by Broadside Books. The conversation explores why patriotism needs defending today, why Christians are called to be patriotic, and how Christian patriotism can revitalize and reinvigorate modern pluralistic America. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Daniel Darling In Defense of Christian Patriotism | Daniel Darling “Nationality,” The History of Freedom and Other Essays | Lord Acton 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.

Josh Herring Finds the Gender Theory We Need in C.S. Lewis

In this episode, Dan Hugger speaks with Josh Herring, professor of humanities and classical education at Thales College. They discuss Josh’s new book, Sons of Adam, Daughters of Eve: C.S. Lewis’s Images of Gender, published by the Davenant Institute. Is it fair to describe Lewis as a gender theorist? Why should we turn to Lewis in times of gender trouble? How does his consideration of gender diverge from contemporary gender ideology? What are the sources for Lewis’s own theory on gender? How does Lewis’s conception of gender show up in his fiction and nonfiction? What do Lewis’s critics get wrong about his views on gender? Does he speak about these issues in a unique way, or is he simply an outstanding representative of an older tradition? Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Sons of Adam, Daughters of Eve: C.S. Lewis’ Images of Gender The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | C.S. Lewis The Space Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength) | C.S. Lewis Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold | C.S. Lewis Prince Caspian: The Return to Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia, Book 4) | C.S. Lewis The Four Loves | C.S. Lewis The Abolition of Man | C.S. Lewis Spenser's Images of Life | C.S. Lewis Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature | C.S. Lewis Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy | Rhys Laverty, ed. C.S. Lewis and the Apocalypse of Gender | J.C. Scharl Science Fiction with a Soul | Bradley J. Birzer 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.

Fr. Robert Sirico and Kris Mauren on Richard DeVos

In the month of what would’ve been his 100th birthday, Acton co-founders Fr. Robert Sirico and Kris Mauren take a moment to remember an early supporter of the Acton Institute, Richard DeVos. Subscribe to our podcasts Watch this podcast here Believe! | Richard M. DeVos DeVos to Receive Faith and Freedom Award Richard M. DeVos Accepts the 2010 Faith and Freedom Award 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.