Welcome listeners to the editor's desk, our regular podcast here at First Things.

I'm Rusty Reno.

I'm in New York.

And I'm at the editor's desk. And I have with

me Nigel Bigger, Regis Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at Oxford, to talk about his article

in the October issue of First Things, a Christian Defense of American Empire. Welcome to the podcast.

Thanks, Rusty. I'm very glad to be here.

I should also mention that Nigel is the author.

He loves the provocative titles, as in a book in Defense of War,

another book, What's Wrong with Rights?

And then a book very relevant to, which I found very helpful,

less provocative in its title,

but very relevant to our discussion between kin and cosmopolos and ethic of the nation.

So, well, let's jump in here.

I mean, I guess for why the E word when it comes to the United States

in our present projection of power across the world?

Well, Rusty, given the history of the United States and your origins,

I speak here as a Britain, not an American, although I'm married to an American.

Given you a history, I have no difficulty at all understanding

why the E word is something that Americans tend instinctively to be suspicious of, and most Americans

think of America as being in its origins anti-imperial.

And I'm sure your listeners don't need explaining why,

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