In 2008, Dallas Willard asked, “Why after 25–30 years of Evangelical political involvement, at a high level of visibility and influence, there is little or no improvement in the ethical quality of American political discourse and practice?” (“The Failure of Evangelical Political Involvement in the Area of Moral Transformation“). Some fifteen years later, Dallas’s question has seemingly snowballed. Many would say that in recent years, the ethical bottom has dropped out of discourse and practice in American politics (see, for instance, the discussion of Michael Wear’s book, The Spirit of Our Politics).

In today’s post, we are featuring an interview with Dr. Jesse Covington by Dr. Steve Porter. Dr. Covington is a Martin Institute Senior Fellow, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Augustinian Scholars Program at Westmont College. Dr. Porter is the Senior Research Fellow and Executive Director of the Martin Institute for Christianity and Culture at Westmont.

The interview begins with a discussion of the Augustinian Scholars Program at Westmont. Then it moves to questions regarding our current political situation, how politics can malform us, and an approach to politics Dr. Covington and his colleagues refer to as “hopeful realism.” Hopeful realism, or “aspirational imperfectionism,” encourages Christians to lovingly work for as much real good as possible in our social arrangements–including government–while realizing there are limits to what can be accomplished in a fallen world. The interview ends with a connection to Willard’s understanding of perfection in Christian spiritual formation and how transformation in Christ connects to societal transformation.

Within this collection, you’ll also find Dr. Covington’s essay on Augustine as well as a second essay on “hopeful realism.”

For further exploration on this topic, consider Dr. Covington’s multi-authored book titled Hopeful Realism which is due out in early 2025.

If you are interested in more information on the Augustinian Scholars Program at Westmont, see here: Augustinian Scholars Program.