When moral conviction meets the realities of global politics, easy answers disappear.

In this episode of Tocqueville Talks, Director Brent Nelsen and co-host Elizabeth L’Arrivée sit down with Mark Amstutz, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Wheaton College and author of International Ethics, Evangelicals and American Foreign Policy, and his recent book Building World Order: How the Christian Faith Fosters Global Peace, Prosperity, and Justice.

Drawing on decades of teaching, scholarship, and global engagement, Amstutz reflects on his unexpected vocational calling to equip students for service in church and society — and on the intellectual journey that led him to wrestle with immigration, nuclear deterrence, humanitarian action, and the ethical challenges of international affairs.

His newest work argues that Christian moral vision can contribute to a more humane global order by shaping public service, international cooperation, and responsible statecraft.

The conversation explores how Christian convictions have shaped public life through missionary work, humanitarian networks, religious freedom advocacy, and refugee care — while also confronting the limits of moral idealism in a world governed by power, law, and political constraints.