|
Reflection on Public Witness Are We Witnessing in the Public Arena? “Bearing witness at the crossroads,” begins our vision statement, not “whispering our witness in a closet.” This season surrounding July 4th is a good time to ponder our witness in the public arena, how we live out Church/state relationships, whether or not we are prophetic as well as patriotic. Driving to and from the funeral for Stanley Griegg, a member of our President’s Cabinet who died suddenly at the Metropolitan Washington, D.C. synod assembly, Associate Dean Jim Cobb and I were pondering Stan’s public witness. A former congressman, the honorable Mr. Griegg also served with the Democratic National Committee during the historic era of Watergate. In fact, as noted in TIME magazine the week of Watergate’s 30th anniversary, the complaint filed following the break-in at Foggy Bottom bears the signature of this lifelong Lutheran from Iowa , Stanley Griegg. His was a marvelous witness in the public arena. Pastor Cobb and I reminisced about our common time as seminarians in an era of student and faculty activism. Following the bombing of Cambodia and escalation of the Viet Nam war, there were faculty-led protest marches to the Peace Light on the Gettysburg battlefield. A banner with a clenched fist hung over the chapel entrance for a season. Folks were writing op ed pieces in local newspapers. Along with other arms of the Church, seminaries in those days bore witness in the public arena. The assessment of many observers is that the past couple of decades have been a time of quietude in which seminaries and churches have retreated from engagement with the issues of the day. Accordingly, it was good to gather in Pittsburgh at the Association of Theological Schools biennial meeting under the theme, “The Public Character of Theological Schools.” Being not just academic institutions, but Christian communities, seminaries do have a stewardship of our witness. If our voices are not heard in the public square, how can we give witness? Is our role only to prepare students to go out and bear public witness post-graduation? If they don’t observe good modeling and learn Gospel-centered advocacy while in Seminary, how can they do it effectively later on in ministry settings? Earlier in the same week that we attended Stan Griegg’s funeral, Pastor Cobb and I also met with the leaders of LAMPA, the Lutheran Advocacy Ministry in Pennsylvania . We made arrangements for a jointly sponsored pre-election event in October. We’ll invite for reflection on important issues up for vote in the November general election not only our students and the campus community, but the broader public as well. This is one small way in which we can demonstrate to ourselves and others the public character of a theological school. In an ongoing way, we offer out students the option of a concentration in Theology and Public Life through our Lutheran Center for Theology and Public Life, part of our Washington , D.C. presence. We regularly publish and encourage participation in public affairs seminars sponsored by our new ministry partner in Washington, the Luther Institute. Are there issues under debate that you feel we at the Seminary should address in a public way? How are you bearing public witness in your ministry setting? Is your congregation’s collective voice lifted up in the public square? Would you send a note and share your story of public witness at your crossroads? Michael Cooper-White, |
