Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
Acton Line podcast: The man vs. the myth: Who was John Foster Dulles?
Acton Line podcast: The man vs. the myth: Who was John Foster Dulles?
Jan 25, 2026 6:24 PM

If you’ve traveled to Washington, D.C., before, it’s likely that you’ve flown through Washington Dulles International Airport, named after President Eisenhower’s Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles. In fact, more than 60,000 people travel through Dulles airport every day, but not many people know much about its namesake. John Foster Dulles served in the early years of the Cold War and pursued a vigorous foreign policy meant to isolate and undermine international, expansionist Communism. Undergirding his foreign policy was mitment to natural law, a realistic understanding of human nature, and a clear vision of freedom. Since his death in 1959, Dulles has been characterized only as a dour, puritanical, and simple man. Joining the podcast today to shed more light on the life of Dulles is John D. Wilsey, associate professor of church history at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In this conversation, John brings perspective to Dulles’ legacy, uncovering both his public and private life, and showing how simple explanations of Dulles don’t help us accurately understand the man or his times.

Avery Cardinal Dulles (1918-2008)

The text of the Auburn Affirmation

“Shall the Fundamentalists Win?”: Defending Liberal Protestantism in the 1920s

Podcast: John Foster Dulles and America’s Great Commission – A Historical Case Study in the Contact Between American Civil Religion and Protestant Theology

Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen

Podcast: John Wilsey on American Exceptionalism & Civil Religion

New to the Acton Line podcast? Subscribe here! We also mend starting with these episodes:

Do you have feedback for the Acton Line podcast team? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected]. If you like Acton Line, don’t forget to leave a rating and review on the Apple podcast app!

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
When good intentions harm children
Imagine you are given three choices —A, B, or C. In the ranking, A is much preferred to B and B is exceedingly preferable to C. Which do you choose? Obviously, all else being equal, you’d choose A. Now let’s add the following restrictions to your choice: • You, your family, and your friends will all get A. But you must make the choice of A, B, or C, for other people who you will likely never meet. • If...
Exiles in the American Lion’s Den
We have routinelypointed to Jeremiah 29 as an introductory primer for life in exile, prodding us toward faithful cultural witness and away from the typical temptations of fortification, domination, and modation. As Christians continue to struggle with what it means to be in but not of the world, Jeremiah reminds us to “seek the welfare of the city,” bearing distinct witness even as we serve our captors. We are to “pray to the Lord for it,” Jeremiahwrites, “because if it...
New Barna Study on Americans’ Confused Morality is … Confused
The Barna Group recently released a fascinating new study on morality in America. The press release is titled, “The End of Absolutes: America’s New Moral Code.” It summarizes the study: New research from Barna revealsgrowing concern about the moral condition of the nation, even as many American adults admit they are uncertain about how to determine right from wrong. Sounds like a problem. And, indeed, the data does give reason to be concerned. But the framing of at least one...
Perverse Incentives Hurt Poor Defendants
Since the landmark Supreme Court decision Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) every state has developed a system of public defense. The decision guaranteed that those accused of felony offenses are entitled to a lawyer under the rights outlined in the 6th Amendment, which include, the right to a jury trial, a public trial, and pertaining to Gideon, “to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.” In the wake of the Gideon decision each state was required to develop a system...
Milton Friedman vs. Bernie Sanders
The presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders is about e to an end. Unfortunately, though, the Democratic Socialism espoused by Sanders will live on long after his presidential ambitions have faded. This type of socialism is nothing new, of course. For more than a century free market economists have been warning of the dangers of succumbing to the economic fallacies of democratic socialism. A prime example is the late, great Milton Friedman. Although he’s been gone for a decade, Friedman is...
Review and audio: Reconciling God and profit
Samuel Gregg’s latest book, For God and Profit: How Banking and Finance Can Serve the Common Good argues that making a profit and living a good, moral life are not mutually exclusive endeavors. People are taking notice. In a new review of the book at Zenit, Fr. John Flynn agrees with Gregg. “[M]oney and finance,” he begins, “play an essential role in the well-being of persons and nations and they are not of themselves immoral.” He continues: Another handicap to...
What Christians Should Know About Crony Capitalism
Note: Later today at the Faith & Freedom conference I’ll be speaking on a panel titled, “A Cronyism Crisis: How Corporate Welfare Undermines Markets and Human Flourishing.” If you’re at the conference please stop by this session. The Term:Crony capitalism (sometimes referred to as cronyism or corporatism) What it means:Crony capitalism is a general term for the range of activities in which particular individuals or businesses in a market economy receive government-granted privileges over their customers petitors. Why it Matters:...
Explainer: What You Should Know About ISIS and the Orlando Terrorist
On Sunday, an American-born terrorist named Omar Mir Seddique Mateen killed 49 and wounded 53 in Orlando. In a 911 call during the attack Mateen pledged his allegiance to the terrorist group ISIS. Although the group also claimed responsibility for the attack, U.S. officials said they haven’t seen a direct link between the gunman and the terrorist group. Here are five facts you should know about ISIS: 1. ISIS (aka ISIL, Islamic State, IS, Daesh) is the name of an...
5 Facts About Acton University
This is the week for the annual Acton University, a unique educational experience focused on the intersection of liberty and morality. Here are five facts you should know about Acton U. 1. Acton University is a four day annual conference on liberty, faith and free-market economics held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. 2. Each even includes nine sessions in which attendees can create a customized learning path from 100+ courses taught by 55+ international, world class experts. 3. The conference is...
Church of England: Maybe Margaret Thatcher Wasn’t So Un-Christian After All
“Economics are the method,” wrote Margaret Thatcher in 1981, “the object is to change the heart and soul.” Guided by her Christian faith, the prime minister believed that the welfare state was not only harming her fellow citizens but damaging the moral fabric of the United Kingdom. As Florence Sutcliffe-Braithwaiteexplains, Thatcher’s fears about the welfare state were twofold: First, she and her advisers thought that generous collective provision for unemployment and sickness was sapping some working-class people’s drive to work....
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved