As one of only two presidents to have never formally joined a church, people have wondered just how much Abraham Lincoln himself was under God when he said that the United States should consider itself as such as it strove for a new birth of freedom.

Pope Francis has frequently critiqued capitalism, most famously in his encyclical Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home. But is it true that a capitalist society cannot also be a society that cares for the environment and the poor? In this lecture, Professor Robert Whaples will cover the strengths of capitalism from an economist’s viewpoint, and then detail what Pope Francis sees as its failures. What can economists learn from the pope?

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).

Acton Institute President and Co-founder Rev. Robert A. Sirico delivers the closing plenary lecture of Acton University 2018 on June 22, 2018 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Honorable Janice Rogers Brown, retired judge of the United States Circuit Court for the District of Columbia, delivers an evening plenary address as part of Acton University 2018 on June 21, 2018 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Kenneth Elzinga, Robert C. Taylor Professor of Economics at the University of Virginia, delivers an evening plenary address as part of Acton University 2018 on June 20, 2018 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His topic for the evening was C.S. Lewis and Freedom: Christianity's Most Famous Apologist Meets Adam Smith.

On October 18 2017, United States Secretary of Education and former member of the Acton Institute board of directors Betsy DeVos addressed an audience of nearly 1,000 people at Acton's 27th Anniversary Celebration at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan. DeVos has been one of President Donald Trump's most controversial appointees to his cabinet, and her appearance in Grand Rapids attracted protests similar to those she has encountered at other speaking engagements across the country.

United States Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos delivers her remarks at the Acton Institute's 27th Anniversary dinner at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 18, 2017.

Acton Institute President and co-founder Rev. Robert A. Sirico delivers remarks at the Acton Institute 27th Anniversary Dinner. The event took place on October 18, 2017 at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids, Michigan.