Research
I study the moral and political questions that arise when religious conviction meets public power and military force. I ask how we should act amid deep disagreement, what respect for persons requires, and how Christian discipleship bears on these judgments.
Religion and Liberal Democracy
I ask whether citizens should restrain their reliance on religious reasons when supporting coercive laws, and what respect requires of people who disagree about religion. I pursue these questions in Religious Conviction in Liberal Politics and in work on public reason and religious accommodation.
Ethics of War
I examine what makes a cause for war just, how proportionality limits the use of force, and how human worth should shape military judgment. I pursue these questions in Justice and the Just War Tradition, articles on cyber war and supreme emergency, and work on Christian faith and the profession of arms.
Christian Faith and the Profession of Arms
I ask how Christian love bears on the responsibilities of military service and command. In the article "Love on the Ground" and the manuscript Love and Faith at War, I explore how faith shapes moral judgment in the profession of arms.
C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Moral Imagination
I explore how Lewis and Tolkien illuminate the moral demands of war. How should courage and pity guide action, how should we respond to evil, and how can the exercise of power corrupt moral judgment?
Military Ethics and Leadership
My teaching of midshipmen preparing for naval and Marine Corps service informs my work on military ethics. I examine how moral reasoning and case analysis can cultivate the judgment required for command responsibility.