Join us for a May 12, 2026, Conversation between Dr. Nicolas McAfee and Dr. Shaun Rieley on “Thomas More: Augustinian Statesman”
If Christians often speak of the present life as a “valley of tears,” what place is there in Christian living for energetic love of country and its political life? And is it possible to be a vigorous patriot without turning a blind eye the sins of one’s countrymen, past or present? To tackle these questions, Drs. Shaun Rieley (Hillsdale College) and Nicolas McAfee (Christendom College) will return to the Basilica of St. Mary to offer a wide-ranging discussion of the Augustinian character of St. Thomas More’s statesmanship. Click here to listen to a podcast relating to their 2025 conversation on St. Thomas more.
Biographies of the speakers:
Dr. Nicolas McAfee is Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Economics at Christendom college. He completed his doctoral studies in political philosophy from the University of Dallas in 2022. His research centers on the politics of William Shakespeare and Thomas More, and he is the author of Political Wisdom in Late Shakespeare: A Way out of the Wreck (Lexington: 2024). He and his wife live in Winchester, VA.
Dr. Shaun Rieley is Director of Educational Programs & Teaching Fellow at Hillsdale College’s Washington, DC, campus, where he oversees numerous programs, including the James Madison Fellowship and the AWC Lecture series, and teaches courses in political thought and literature for the Van Andel Graduate School of Government. He earned a Ph.D. in political theory at the Catholic University of America with a doctoral dissertation that offers a critical interpretation of St. Thomas More’s classic work, Utopia, seeking to elucidate More’s political philosophy in light of early modern Christian humanism. He also serves president of the Academy of Philosophy and Letters, as a member of the board of directors for the National Civic Art Society, and as an associate editor for the journal Humanitas. He served as an enlisted infantryman in the Army National Guard for nine years, attaining the rank of sergeant. His service included overseas tours in support of contingency operations in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Iraq. A native of Delaware, he currently resides in Maryland with his wife and two daughters.