Each year the Department of History and Political Science at Grace College invites a chapel speaker to address some aspect of faith and politics as a way of marking Constitution Day. Last year, John Fea challenged our students with the question of whether or not America was founded as a Christian nation. This week, Bruce Barlow, a local Grace Brethren pastor, used the Hebrew prophets, particularly Jeremiah, to help us think about how Christians should seek justice in the rough and tumble world of American politics. Our campus is essentially evangelical but our heritage has strong ties to Anabaptism. The day before, our president, Ron Manahan spoke on a similar theme, offering a pretty standard evangelical take on giving to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which is God’s. It sparked healthy debate among some students, however, given Graces College’s recent involvement in a lawsuit against the Federal Government's HSS mandate. Given the spectrum of views on this topic, Bruce did a nice job connecting to our student body yet challenging us toward a “soft” two-kingdom theology. Barlow Speaks on Faith and Politics
Each year the Department of History and Political Science at Grace College invites a chapel speaker to address some aspect of faith and politics as a way of marking Constitution Day. Last year, John Fea challenged our students with the question of whether or not America was founded as a Christian nation. This week, Bruce Barlow, a local Grace Brethren pastor, used the Hebrew prophets, particularly Jeremiah, to help us think about how Christians should seek justice in the rough and tumble world of American politics. Our campus is essentially evangelical but our heritage has strong ties to Anabaptism. The day before, our president, Ron Manahan spoke on a similar theme, offering a pretty standard evangelical take on giving to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God that which is God’s. It sparked healthy debate among some students, however, given Graces College’s recent involvement in a lawsuit against the Federal Government's HSS mandate. Given the spectrum of views on this topic, Bruce did a nice job connecting to our student body yet challenging us toward a “soft” two-kingdom theology. 
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I only was able to heard Bruce this week in chapel but thought he had a very healthy perspective on the Christian and politics. He urged us not to look for super hero politicians to solve all our problems and not to get sucked into the rankor and anger as we move towards elections. I also appreciated his emphasis on social justice. Bruce has a fine shephard's/ pastor's heart and this came through in his talk.
ReplyDeleteAs a Grace College student I very much appreciate the fact that Grace College was able to bring in speakers who challenged students in this area. Students need to be challenged so as not to simply be stagnant thinkers but pursuers of truth who take ownership of their beliefs.
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