Democracy Conference Schedule

Tyler Syck (University of Pikeville)
“A Tragic Liberalism: Daniel Patrick Moynihan and the Future of American Democracy”

Daniel Patrick Moynihan is routinely dismissed as an inconsistent opportunist. This paper recovers him as a philosophically serious alternative to both interest group liberalism and its post-liberal critics. Grounding his thought in epistemic humility, Catholic subsidiarity, and suspicion of concentrated power in all its forms, Moynihan articulated a pluralist liberalism that sought to deploy state resources in ways that strengthened rather than displaced the intermediary institutions where democratic life is actually lived.
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Lynn Uzzel (Bethel University)
“Rights Endowed by the Creator”

This paper has two broad purposes: First, to show that the meaning of the word rights has evolved along a continuum over the centuries, with John Locke and Thomas Jefferson representing a similar but not identical understanding of natural rights. Second, to establish that it is philosophically impossible to arrive at the position of natural rights without presupposing a transcendent being that imposes a moral order on nature.
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Dan Young (Northwestern College-IA)
“Rereading Bernard Crick’s In Defence of Politics in 21st Century America”

Bernard Crick defined politics as a means of conciliating diverse interests in society. However, today American politics seems more of a friend/enemy contest. I use Samuel Huntington’s claim that every few decades America experiences a “creedal passion period” where discontent with American political realities as measured against its core political values is expressed with greater intensity. I speculate that such periods give rise to friend/enemy politics rather than Crick-style politics of conciliation of diverse interests. 
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DISCUSSANT
Paul Brink (Gordon College, Political Science)

Karl-Dieter Crisman (Gordon College, Mathematics)
“Ranking Controversy: Summarizing Current Research on “Ranked Choice”/Instant Runoff Voting in America”

Instant Runoff (IRV, "Ranked Choice") voting is increasingly used in the USA - from many cities, to Maine and Alaska. Conversely, Ohio just became the 19th state to ban it.  Confusingly, IRV has been characterized both as an attack on, and a savior of, democracy!

This talk introduces IRV, reviewing effects via the Begich-Palin-Peltola Alaska election.  We will summarize recent US IRV election results, with a view toward the mathematics behind both appeal and paradoxes.
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Kelly Foster (Gordon College, Art)
“The ‘Trump-Kennedy Center’ and the Contested Spatial Images of Democracy”

This paper will use the recent controversial actions related to the Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts to explore how we conceptualize our political lives through spatial imagery. Working from secular and theological aesthetics, an analysis of the architectural forms will lead to an analysis of how spatial images inform both our self-understanding and our interactions, thereby demonstrating how attending to these dynamics can help us lead more faithful lives within a liberal democracy. 
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Ya Lin Huang (Gordon College, Music)
“Beauty in the Symphony of Democracy: Music and the Global Resonance of American Independence”

In the context of the 250th anniversary of American independence, music provides a lens for understanding democracy. In his works, Tyzen Hsiao weaves together musical language and political meaning to articulate a vision of democracy grounded in Taiwanese identity. Close analysis of musical motifs, theological themes, and cultural references demonstrates how Hsiao transforms music into a vehicle for democratic expression that resonates across cultural boundaries.
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DISCUSSANT
Ian DeWeese-Boyd (Gordon College, Philosophy)

Christ and Covenant in Global Politics casts a compelling vision for a Christian approach to international relations that seeks to transform global politics from systems driven by fear to covenantal global community based in shared loves, drawing on Augustine’s understanding of rightly ordered loves and a contemporary Christian notion of covenantal pluralism.

This author meets critics panel will include an author presentation, critics' responses, and Q & A.
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Robert Joustra (Calvin University)
Chan Shin (Gordon College)
Stephanie Summers (Center for Public Justice)

Ryan Cowden (Gordon College)
“Desiring Democracy in a Time of Democratic Backsliding”

This paper considers the question of why professionals and concerned citizens alike should desire democratic governance arrangements that require experts to yield some of their authority to the general public. To address this question, I offer a synthesis of the works of John Dewey. Using these texts, I offer epistemic, moral, and generative arguments for democracy before considering how Dewey would respond to clashes between professionals and the public. 
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James Pingel (Concordia University Wisconsin)
“A Great ‘Two for One’: Teaching the American Revolution and God’s Word Through Biblical Devotions”

Religion has long helped shape the ideals and institutions of a democratic republic. In this panel session, Dr. Jim Pingel will present a practical, replicable framework for guiding students (or anyone) to write biblically grounded devotions rooted in historical inquiry. Using the American Revolution as a case study, participants will examine how to integrate historical content with theological examination and reflection.
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Dennis Savill (Southern Nazarene University)
“Logos in the Crucible: Biblical Epistemology and the Contest of Critical Theory in Collegiate Public Debate”

Collegiate policy debate functions as a unique intellectual laboratory in which emerging political and legal theories are refined before diffusing into broader discourse. This article argues that collegiate debate provides a microcosm for examining a deeper epistemological and ontological conflict: whether political theory is grounded in transcendent truth or in socially constructed power analysis. Drawing from the Christian doctrine of the Logos (John 1:1–4), this paper contends that logic, truth, and rational discourse are not merely procedural tools but ontologically grounded realities rooted in the divine nature. Thus, the very argumentative practices of debate presuppose metaphysical commitments often unacknowledged within secular critical frameworks.
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DISCUSSANT:
Timothy Sherratt (Gordon College)

Christians in Political Science, a national organization of political scientists from a variety of Christian faith traditions, has long provided a forum for Christian faculty and graduate students to explore the intersection of faith and politics.  More recently, CPS has been less active however, even though the subject of faith and politics is certainly as relevant as ever.  Join this conversation to help discern the future of CPS.  How might the organization be revived and strengthened?  What opportunities can we identify for future growth? 
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Paul Brink (Gordon College)
Corwin Smidt (Calvin University)
Chan Shin (Gordon College)