God and Man in America at 250 Years: Reclaiming Our Humanity — from Genesis to the Declaration
Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D.
Free and open to the public, followed by Q & A.
Tuesday September 8th at 7:00 pm
As our nation marks 250 years since its founding, what does it mean to be created — and to be free? Ryan T. Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, invites us to read the Declaration of Independence alongside the opening chapters of Genesis and to consider the vision of the human person the two hold in common.
Reflecting on creation, the natural law, and the “Nature and Nature’s God” the founders invoked, Dr. Anderson will explore what it means that each of us is made in the image and likeness of God — and how that truth undergirds our endowment with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He will consider why we are created male and female, and why we are made not for isolation but for friendship and communion, with one another and with God, and the significance of the family as the foundation of society.
Come for an evening of substance and hope, with time for questions and conversation to follow.
Hear Ryan speak about “Faith in a Fractured Culture” at this panel discussion on April 6, 2026.
About the Speaker: Ryan T. Anderson, Ph.D.
Education
- Princeton University — B.A. in Music, 2004 (magna cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa).
- University of Notre Dame — Ph.D. in Philosophy, 2014. Dissertation: Neither Liberal Nor Libertarian: A Natural Law Approach to Social Justice and Economic Rights.
Publications
Books
Author
- Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom (2015).
- When Harry Became Sally: Responding to the Transgender Moment (2019).
Co-author
- What Is Marriage? Man and Woman: A Defense (2012), with Robert P. George and Sherif Girgis.
- Debating Religious Liberty and Discrimination (2017), with Sherif Girgis and John Corvino.
- Tearing Us Apart: Why Abortion Harms Everything and Solves Nothing (2022), with Alexandra DeSanctis.
Co-editor
- A Liberalism Safe for Catholicism? Perspectives from the Review of Politics (2017), with Daniel Philpott.
- Natural Law: Five Views (2025), with Andrew T. Walker.
Book chapter
- “Religious Exemptions,” with Sherif Girgis, in Ethics, Left and Right: The Moral Issues That Divide Us (2020).
Recent Articles (selected, past two years)
- “The March for Life Is Needed ‘to Rejuvenate the Pro-Life Grassroots’” (interview), National Catholic Register, January 22, 2026.
- “In Colorado ‘Conversion Therapy’ Case, Children’s Health Is at Stake,” Washington Examiner, October 6, 2025.
- “Victims of the Revolution,” Public Discourse, June 18, 2025.
- “Dignity, Discrimination, and Gender Identity,” Texas Review of Law & Politics, December 16, 2024.
- “The Way Forward After Dobbs,” First Things, October 2024.
- “A ‘You Are Here’ Moment for the Pro-Life Movement,” Breakpoint, July 11, 2024.
For his complete and current list of writing, see eppc.org/author/ryan_anderson.
Video & Media Appearances (selected, past two years)
- “Putting Ethics Back in Public Policy” — Donors Trust, June 23, 2026.
- “Faith in a Fractured Culture” — The Napa Institute, April 6, 2026.
- “Leo XIII’s Blueprint for the Future Church” — The Napa Institute, March 11, 2026.
- “In the Library with Albert Mohler” (interview), September 24, 2025.
For the full video archive, see eppc.org/author/ryan_anderson (Appearances).
Career
Current
- President, Ethics and Public Policy Center (since 2021).
- John Paul II Teaching Fellow in Social Thought, University of Dallas.
Previously
- Senior Research Fellow, The Heritage Foundation (until 2021).
- Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Public Discourse, the online journal of the Witherspoon Institute (founded 2008).
- Adjunct Professor of Philosophy and Political Science, Christendom College.
- Research Fellow, Veritas Center for Ethics in Public Life, Franciscan University of Steubenville.
- Assistant Editor, First Things.
- Executive Director, the Witherspoon Institute.
- Ministry Coordinator (part-time), the Aquinas Institute — Princeton’s Catholic campus ministry.