CHESTERTON HOUSE:
A CENTER FOR CHRISTIAN STUDIES
"daring to discuss the important and the amusing"
NEWSLETTER #29
SPRING 2008
There has been a lot of interesting work recently in the field of "faith-based diplomacy." Very briefly, the idea behind faith-based diplomacy is that for too long those in foreign policy have treated religious faith as a kind of inconvenient birthmark--something we should try hard to ignore. But with the demise of secularization theory--the idea that faith will wither away in the face of modernity--some are finding that faith is an asset, not a liability, to foreign affairs and international diplomacy. (See, e.g., Thomas Farr, "Diplomacy in an Age of Faith: Religious Freedom and National Security.")
The same holds true for higher education. Especially in public universities like Cornell, where there exists a commitment to the non-establishment of religion, faith has too often been perceived as a threat to civil discourse. The result has been a privatization or compartmentalization of faith. And yet, as with foreign affairs, many now believe faith is the very thing needed to reinvigorate campus conversations.
What is interesting is that some of the best work being done in the area of faith-based diplomacy is being done by those who previously worked for the government but who have started their own non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Take, for example, Douglas Johnston, who worked for the Secretary of Defense prior to founding the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy, or Robert Seiple, who worked in the State Department prior to founding the Institute for Global Engagement, or Gary Haugen, who worked at the Department of Justice before founding International Justice Mission. This should not be surprising. Being independent gives these individuals and organizations more freedom to move, unrestrained not only by bureaucracy but also by concerns related to the establishment clause. As we should expect, many of these organizations have been effective and successful where the government has not. "When we first started out in 1999," Johnston says, "there was a sort of tepid acknowledgement at the State Department. Now there's downright enthusiasm, both at State, at Defense, and at the CIA."
Again, the same holds true in public universities. Just as government employees face constraints related to the establishment clause, so too professors who profess a faith must play by a different set of rules than if teaching at a confessional school--no opening class in prayer, etc. Consequently, there exists a space--an ecological niche of sorts--for faith-based conversation and discussion. In Britain, confessional colleges are nestled within the larger academic community. In the U.S., increasingly, we have Christian Study Centers. And just as Douglas Johnston found that skepticism yielded over time to enthusiasm for his work, so too here at Chesterton House we have found a warm reception to our contributions to the academic life of the university.
Having just completed our eighth year of programming, Chesterton House has faced the usual array of successes and setbacks. Building on our past programming, one of our recent successes is the co-sponsorship of a number of speakers and events with six different academic departments. We couldn't be more pleased with the receptivity to the programs we have proposed. Just a few weeks ago I met with one of the West Campus House Professors and Deans, and he too was downright enthusiastic about collaborating with us next year. I suspect he understands, as Tim Keller puts it in The Reason for God, that faith is not merely an artifact to be studied, but rather a lens through which we see the world. And students are sincerely interested in exploring which lens--which worldview--has the most explanatory force. We might say that tepid acknowledgement of our work has given way to downright enthusiasm.
Another significant milestone is the addition of a second staff position! In August of this year, we will welcome Justin McGeary as our first Director of Undergraduate Ministries. McGeary is arriving from Pittsburgh, where he graduated from Geneva College, summa cum laude. McGeary, who joins us by way of a partnership with the Coalition for Christian Outreach, survived a rigorous selection process and rose to the top of a very competitive field of applicants. Please join us in thanking the Lord for this timely provision and in extending a warm welcome to Justin upon his arrival.
Virtually all ministries struggle with finances, and Chesterton House is no different. Although we have foundation grants to cover the new staff position, we have for the first time finished the fiscal year with a deficit. Because we no longer enjoy the benefits of the matching grant, making budget this year requires that we raise $30,000 in new revenue. Many of you already give very generously, and we are deeply grateful for your support. We hope you will consider how else you might help--including 1) spreading the word about the ministry and its work, 2) purchasing our "Heaven" CD for yourself and/or your friends, or best of all 3) hosting a dinner in your home on behalf of the ministry. More information on hosting dinners, along with coming events and other items of interest, can be found below.
COMING EVENTS
Saturday, September 6, 7:00pm
"God's Law and Our Law"
Dr. David Skeel, Law Scholar, University of Pennsylvania
Graduate Christian Fellowship Roundtable
Big Red Barn
Thursday, October 2, 7:00pm
Dr. Alvin Plantinga, Philosopher, Notre Dame
Graduate Christian Fellowship Roundtable
Big Red Barn
Thursday, October 16
Dr. Guy Consolmagno, Astronomer, Fordham University
Details TBA
Saturday, November 1, 7:00pm
"Conversation on America's Future"
Dr. Jim Skillen, Executive Director, Center for Public Justice
Bethel Grove Bible Church
YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO HELP
Have you ever thought, "Gee, the work of Chesterton House is so cool, I wish there were a way I could help"? Well now there is. This summer we are inviting any and all friends of Chesterton House to help us generate the resources we need to sustain the work of the ministry simply by having some friends over for dinner. Hosts prepare a dinner and invite six, eight, ten, or any number of friends to join them, in exchange for a donation to the ministry of $25 to $50 per person. That's all there is to it. Hosts do not need to present the ministry and its programs nor solicit any additional funds. And guests need not be familiar with the ministry beforehand. Your job as host is simply to enjoy your friends and food. I will be contacting a number of you shortly to encourage you to help in this way. In the meantime, please feel free to contact me for more information at your convenience.
We hope to see these dinners happen in New York, Boston, Washington D.C., and elsewhere. Speaking of elsewhere, did you know that our newsletter goes out to folks in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, England, France, Germany, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Nepal, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Taiwan, Uganda, and Uzbekistan?! It would be wonderful to hear from folks near and far gathering together over good food and fellowship to support the work of the ministry!
HISTORIAN MARK NOLL TO SPEAK
We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting Notre Dame historian Mark Noll for a three-day visit March 5-7, 2009. Noll, "as fine a historian as America now boasts" (The New Republic), is the author of many books, including America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln (Oxford, 2002) and The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Eerdmans, 1994). In collaboration with Cornell United Religious Work, Noll will give the university's Frederick C. Wood lecture, tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 6th. On Saturday, March 7th, Noll will provide a one-day conference geared for Christian faculty and graduate students. For those in or near the Metro NY area, we expect that Noll will also be giving a lecture at the Cornell Club as part of his time with us. More details in our next newsletter.
FOR CORNELL ALUMNI
We just hosted our first All Christian Fellowship Reunion breakfast. It was great fun, with attendees ranging from the class of '48 to the class of '03. We are just getting to the point where alumni who have been out for five years have nostalgic memories of Chesterton House movie nights and other programming. We will be sure to make this an annual event, so watch for it next time you return for a reunion.
Also, did you know that gifts to Chesterton House can receive giving credit for reunion or the Far Above campaign? If you plan to make a gift to Cornell before the end of the fiscal year on June 30, please consider designating the gift to Chesterton House. Recently we have been receiving more gifts online through Cornell, including some matching gifts, every bit of which is a help and an encouragement. From the Giving Page, just select "Student and Academic Services" from the drop-down menu, and then enter "Chesterton House" under Other Gift Designation.
"The training ground for the evangelical elite is the same as the training ground for the American elite. It’s Harvard, Princeton, Yale [and, he meant to say, Cornell]. Where we really ought to be paying attention is the rise of evangelical campus groups on these elite college campuses . . . there is more intellectual space to bring religious conviction into wider conservations in the academy."
Michael Lindsay, author, Faith in the Halls of Power
http://www.chestertonhouse.org