William Cowper: The troubled and talented saint

The English poet and hymn writer William Cowper (1731-1800, pronounced Cooper) was afflicted with severe bouts of depression and haunting despair for virtually all of his life. While he was a contemporary of George Whitefield and John Wesley, and Rev. Continue Reading...

Radio free Acton hits the web!

The Acton Institute is proud to unveil the first edition of our brand new audio podcast, Radio Free Acton! We’re excited about the possibilities of taking our podcast to the next level, and we hope that if you haven’t already subscribed to our feed, that you’ll do so now. Continue Reading...

Religion in the ’08 election

Some of the most extensive discussion of a very extensively discussed subject here in the U.S.—religion and politics—occurs at the Pew Forum. The online proceedings of an early December conference on the subject were just brought to my attention. Continue Reading...

Bloggers @ ActonU 2008

I’m passing along this message from Kara Eagle, a program officer here at the Acton Institute. If you are a blogger and are interested in learning more about the pursuit of a free and virtuous society, keep reading: Greetings! Continue Reading...

Respect for Those Who Come After

Alan Donagan, the moral philosopher, in his text The Theory of Morality reflects upon Genesis 1:26 (“Let us make mankind in our image…”). This text can be seen, he writes, as an affirmation that the earth and all that is on it exist for the sake of the rational beings who live in it; that is, for the sake of man. Continue Reading...

Our moral obligations to the young

Robert Samuelson is absolutely right in today’s column. The next generation faces an increasing proportion of the Federal budget that goes to pay the expenses of retired workers. We can’t go on like this. Continue Reading...

Acton Media Roundup

A few radio appearances to let you know about today: Michael Miller made an appearance today on the Accent Radio Network to discuss the role of faith in the public square, especially in light of the ongoing presidential primary process. Continue Reading...

Check it out: ‘Big think’

A new interactive video sharing site for activism and “ideas,” Big Think (HT), including entries from experts like Niall Ferguson, Jagdish Bhagwati, Paul Krugman, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali (along with the requisite spate of politicians). Continue Reading...