Hopeful Realism: Evangelical Natural Law and Democratic Politics

Drawing on their new book, Hopeful Realism, Jesse Covington, Bryan T. McGraw, and Micah Watson lay out an Augustinian and evangelical theory of the natural law and show how it can be employed within the context of a pluralistic democratic order. Jesse Covington is Professor of Political Science and Director of the Augustinian Scholars Program at Westmont College. He teaches much of the political theory curriculum at Westmont, which includes major questions about the nature and ends of political life, within the context of a Christian liberal arts education. His research interests focus on the interrelation of religion and government, particularly as regards First Amendment law, natural law, and the foundations of political liberalism. Dr. Covington is currently working on a book manuscript provisionally titled Taken on Faith: The Concept of Religion in First Amendment Jurisprudence. He is also engaged in an ongoing collaborative project on evangelical political thought. Dr. Covington s interests include the place of formation in Christian higher education--particularly in the context of the liberal arts. He directs and teaches in the Augustinian Scholars Program. Bryan T. McGraw is Professor of Politics and International Relations and Dean of Natural and Social Sciences at Wheaton College. He has always had an interest in the normative and philosophical aspects of politics and only started learning about political theory in graduate school. He is particularly interested in the ways modern states seek to establish and enforce their own normative visions and how religion plays into that process. He has taught previously at the University of Georgia, Notre Dame, and Pepperdine University. His first book was published by Cambridge University Press, and he has a new book on evangelical natural law. Micah Watson is the Paul B. Henry Chair for the Study of Christianity and Politics at Calvin University. Professor Watson joined the faculty at Calvin College in the fall of 2015. He was also selected to serve as the William Spoelhof Teacher-Scholar Chair for the 2015-16 year, and became the Program Director for Calvin s new Politics, Philosophy and Economics (PPE) Program in 2020. Also in 2020, he became the Executive Director of the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics. He is a native of the great golden state of California where he completed his undergraduate degree at U.C. Davis. He earned his M.A. degree in Church-State Studies at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and holds M.A. and doctorate degrees in Politics from Princeton University.

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