Current debates over “Christian nationalism” can feel confusing and intractable. This is because both of the critical terms—“Christian” and “nationalism”—are often left surprisingly vague. This lecture will argue for an alternative trajectory for Christian political engagement under contemporary conditions, exploring how a distinctively Christian understanding of created limits should inform the economic questions that drive so much modern policymaking.

This lecture will be followed by a panel discussion with NCF Faculty members as well as an audience Q&A and reception with light refreshments.

John Ehrett is an attorney and writer based in Washington, D.C. He serves as chief of staff to Commissioner Mark Meador at the Federal Trade Commission, and previously worked as chief counsel to U.S. Senator Josh Hawley and lead Republican counsel for the Senate Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law. He is a Commonwealth Fellow at the Davenant Institute and a member of the Civitas political theology colloquium at the Theopolis Institute. He holds a J.D. from Yale Law School and an S.T.M. from the Institute of Lutheran Theology. He is the author, most recently, of Martin Luther’s Theology of Antitrust (Davenant Press, 2025), and numerous academic and popular articles.