Menard Family George Washington Forum presents ‘The Theology of Liberalism’ on April 14 Published: April 6, 2021 Author: Staff reports Nelson is the Robert M. Beren Professor of Government at Harvard University, where he was an undergraduate before earning his Ph.D. at the University of Cambridge. In his most recent book, “The Theology of Liberalism: Political Philosophy and the Justice of God” (2019), Nelson examines modern liberalism, often thought of as developing upon philosopher John Rawls’ theory of fairness for a more secular world after World War II. Rawls envisioned a world of democracies, equal rights and egalitarian economies that could sustain peace in the wake of two world wars.