Brad Littlejohn

Fellow

Brad Littlejohn, Ph.D., is a Fellow in EPPC’s Evangelicals in Civic Life Program, where his work focuses on helping public leaders understand the intellectual and historical foundations of our current breakdown of public trust, social cohesion, and sound governance. His research investigates shifting understandings of the nature of freedom and authority, and how a more full-orbed conception of freedom, rooted in the Christian tradition, can inform policy that respects both the dignity of the individual and the urgency of the common good. He also serves as President of the Davenant Institute.

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Brad Littlejohn, Ph.D., is a Fellow in EPPC’s Evangelicals in Civic Life Program, where his work focuses on helping public leaders understand the intellectual and historical foundations of our current breakdown of public trust, social cohesion, and sound governance. His research investigates shifting understandings of the nature of freedom and authority, and how a more full-orbed conception of freedom, rooted in the Christian tradition, can inform policy that respects both the dignity of the individual and the urgency of the common good. He also serves as President of the Davenant Institute.

A scholar and writer in the fields of Christian ethics, historical theology, and conservative political thought, he earned his PhD in Theological Ethics at the University of Edinburgh in 2014, where he studied the relationship of freedom and authority in the English Reformation. He is the author of The Peril and Promise of Christian Liberty and The Two Kingdoms: A Guide for the Perplexed, among other books, as well as numerous peer-reviewed and popular-level articles and book chapters on topics ranging from freedom of conscience to the nature of property rights to the moral architecture of digital technology.

In 2013 he founded the Davenant Institute, an organization dedicated to retrieving and renewing the Protestant theological and ethical tradition, and frequently writes, speaks, and teaches for their publications, conferences, and courses. He has also taught at Moody Bible Institute and Patrick Henry College, and served as Headmaster of Loudoun Classical School.

Most recently, he worked as a Senior Fellow of the Edmund Burke Foundation as lead author on multi-year project entitled “Foundations of Liberty: Rediscovering the Anglo-American Conservative Tradition.” His essays arising out of this research have appeared in journals such as National Affairs, American Affairs, The American Conservative, First Things, and Modern Age.

He is also a weekly Opinion Contributor at WORLD Magazine, and publishes regularly on questions of Christian ethics and political theology for outlets such as The Gospel Coalition, American Reformer, Desiring God, and Mere Orthodoxy.

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Loving New Neighbors

Brad Littlejohn

Pandemic migrations bring challenges to small towns—but great potential for America.

Articles

WORLD Opinions / August 9, 2022

On Naming The World:A Protestant Vision for Training in Wisdom

Brad Littlejohn

When I walk into my living room each morning, the first thing that greets me (assuming I’ve awoken early enough…

Articles

The Davenant Institute / August 4, 2022

The Vindication of Democracy

Brad Littlejohn

The Supreme Court’s action was a rightful exercise of constitutional government.

Articles

WORLD Opinions / August 2, 2022

A Review of Beyond Order

Brad Littlejohn

There has been some concern among his admirers that Peterson may be losing some of his poise and slipping into the caricatures which his worst critics have made of him over the years. Let us hope not.

Articles

Ad Fontes Journal / July 28, 2022

The Ghost of Christian Past

Brad Littlejohn

As Christianity fades into the twilight, we should not be surprised to find monsters that we thought long since slain again stalking the darkness that lies behind the death of God.

Articles

American Reformer / July 28, 2022

Three Responses to “Hopeful Realism”

Brad Littlejohn

Christ’s own glory is the reason any logical law exists.

Articles

The Public Discourse / July 25, 2022

Why is Europe up in Arms over Abortion in America?

Brad Littlejohn

Progressives on both sides of the Atlantic have a vision of inevitable “progress.”

Articles

WORLD Opinions / July 19, 2022

Is the Supreme Court Leading a Conservative Revolution?

Brad Littlejohn

The Dobbs decision represented a return to text, tradition, and restraint.

Articles

WORLD Opinions / July 19, 2022

Money and Christian Witness

Brad Littlejohn

Tough economic times provide powerful gospel opportunities.

Articles

WORLD Opinions / July 12, 2022

The Queen and the Role of a Christian Monarch

Brad Littlejohn

As the “defender of the faith,” Elizabeth serves as an inspiration to other political leaders

Articles

World Opinions / June 28, 2022

A Conservative Revolutionary

Brad Littlejohn

Since no one loves the inherited goods of community, faith, and custom as dearly as the conservative, no one is liable to fight more fiercely when they are under mortal threat.

Articles

National Affairs / June 21, 2022

The Western Water Crisis and the Mandate of Stewardship

Brad Littlejohn

A call for creative innovation and personal sacrifice

Articles

WORLD Opinions / June 16, 2022