by Jorge Gomez • 2 minutes
Please join us in congratulating Kirstin Anderson Birkhaug—a Research Fellow at First Liberty’s Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD)—on receiving the Acton Institute’s 2025 Novak Award.
Birkhaug is being recognized for her outstanding research in the field of American political thought, with an emphasis on the contributions of women. Her project, Profiles in Citizenship: The Women Architects of American Identity, examines the role of founding-era women in constructing ideals of American civic life.
“Dr. Birkhaug is an outstanding choice for this year’s award and she deserves hearty congratulations,” said Jordan Ballor, Director of Research at the CRCD. “The Novak Award is one of the premier honors that any young scholar who is committed to liberty can receive.”
Named after the distinguished American theologian, the late Michael Novak, the award recognizes new exceptional scholarly research concerning the relationship between religion, economic freedom, and the free and virtuous society. Novak is a renowned and towering figure in 20th-century religious, political and social thought. His 1982 seminal work, The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism, influenced thinkers in the United States, Latin America and Soviet-controlled countries.
The award is presented to scholars early in their academic career who demonstrate intellectual merit in advancing the understanding of religion’s connection to human dignity, the rule of law, limited government and religious liberty.
Her other recent projects (published in edited volumes and journals including Political Science Reviewer) have examined citizenship, liberty and constitutionalism, drawing inspiration from historical figures such as Phillis Wheatley, Mercy Otis Warren, James Wilson and Alexis de Tocqueville.
She is the third CRCD fellow to be recognized with this award. Catherine R. Pakaluk and Hunter Baker are past recipients.
Birkhaug is an assistant professor of political science at Hope College—her alma mater— where she teaches classes in political theory and American politics. She earned her PhD in political science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. She also serves as the book reviews editor of the CRCD’s Journal of Religion, Culture & Democracy, a peer-reviewed, open-access scholarly publication focused on the intersection of religion and civil society.
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