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Faith and freedom are the animating principles of Grove
City College’s storied mission to provide a quality education in a Christian
atmosphere at an affordable cost. In order to amplify those principles on
campus and throughout society, Grove City College President Richard Jewell ’67
formed The Center for Vision & Values in 2004. Jewell named best-selling author
and Grove City College political science professor Dr. Paul Kengor to lead the
Center in 2005.
Advancing freedom with
Christian scholarship is the focus of The Center for Vision & Values. We affirm
as truth the biblical teaching that men and women are created in the image of
God. And we believe that the biblical understanding of humans as bearers of
God’s image has historically provided both grounds and impetus for some of
history’s most important moments of progress in political, civil, economic, and
religious liberty.
We concur with the authors
of the American Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and
the Pursuit of Happiness.” Acting in the absence of such truths, humanity has
too frequently suppressed freedom. As a result, power, rather than truth, often
becomes the means to advance ideological agendas. To defend and advance
freedom, civilization requires institutions like The Center for Vision & Values
that seek to preserve and promote truth – such as that in the Declaration – and
to discover and advance truths that affect the political, economic, religious,
scientific and social spheres of life.
The Center for Vision &
Values at Grove City College presupposes that God is sovereign, that the God of
the Bible is the indispensable starting point for understanding truth, that man
is made in the image of God and is therefore of inestimable and eternal value,
and that mankind is mandated to exercise responsible stewardship and dominion
over the Created order. Such presuppositions inform our thinking in every field
of scholarship.
The Center develops
scholarship in the forms of white papers, books, conferences and college
classes. We use this scholarship as a foundation to teach students and
society. We popularize and distribute the scholarship via newspaper opinion
editorials, radio and television interviews, luncheons, our web site and a
variety of electronic formats. The equivalent advertising value of the Center’s
media placements runs into the millions of dollars. In some areas, we are also
using our research to plan and promote positive social and cultural
interventions. The Center is making an impact inside and outside of the
classroom.
Initiatives for the
2006-2007 fiscal year included instituting an annual Ronald Reagan Lecture this
Spring. The first speaker was Michael Reagan, Ronald Reagan’s son, in February
of 2007.
The Center’s third annual
major conference was held in April of 2007, titled, “From Nicaea to Nietzsche:
The De-Christianization of Europe.” Scholars from Europe, the United States and
Grove City College wrote about, discussed and debated the rise and decline of
Christian Europe and its affect on the world today. These scholars included
World Congress of Families founder Alan Carlson, family scholar and activist
Maggie Gallagher, British sociologist Grace Davies, and George Weigel of the
Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., who authored a
highly-regarded biography of Pope John Paul II, and another recent work entitled
The Cube and the Cathedral: Europe, America and Politics Without God.
The Center for Vision and
Value’s first conference, in 2005, looked at the consequences of U.S. President
Lyndon Johnson’s famous “War on Poverty” forty years after its inception, and
included the involvement of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise’s
Robert Woodson. For years, Mr. Woodson has been advancing approaches to
addressing poverty and inner-city violence by supporting grass-roots initiatives
rooted in faith, family, and community.
The Center’s second
conference, in 2006, was entitled “Mr. Jefferson Goes to the Middle East.” The
focus of the conference was on prospects for democratic change in the Middle
East. Speakers included prolific Catholic scholar Michael Novak, Muslim
scholars such as Dr. Sherifa Zuhur, Anthony Sullivan, and Paul Marshall.
Conservative Jewish
commentator Michael Medved has spoken at each of our conferences and has also
broadcast his radio show on site. And of course, our own Paul Kengor, author of
a book exploring Ronald Reagan’s role in winning the Cold War, as well as
spiritual biographies of both Reagan and George W. Bush, has also presented at
each conference.
On the planning board for
next Spring is a conference entitled “Church & State,” an exploration of the
religion and politics nexus with special focus on the U.S. 2008 Presidential
election. Confirmed speakers include journalists and commentators Fred Barnes,
Morton Kondracke, and Don Feder; Wall Street Journal editor Naomi
Schaefer Riley, Michael Cromartie of the Ethics and Public Policy Center,
Michael Duffy of Time Magazine who just completed a book on the Rev.
Billy Graham entitled The Preacher and the Presidents, author of Faith
and the Presidency Gary Smith, Michael Medved, and of course Paul Kengor.
In another arena, the Center
facilitates white papers by Grove City College faculty and other friends of the
Center, including (just a few among many) on such topics as:
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Can America Be a Christian State or Nation?: What History Teaches About
Church-State Relations
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Honestly Considering Abstinence Education
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The Clash of Civilizations Within Islam
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Sexual Education and Public Schools
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Health Education as Social Advocacy
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Same-Sex “Marriage” and the Schools
The Center for Vision and
Values has also established 10 working groups involving about 30 faculty members
in focused research and related activities. For example, one working group,
dealing with Poverty Studies and led by David J. Ayers (author of two social
science texts), has been studying “Violence Free Zone” (VFZ) initiatives,
supported by the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise, in 5 American
cities. This group has also helped plan a new VFZ project in nearby Pittsburgh,
and a summer program to help higher-achieving disadvantaged youth learn skills
to succeed in college. Another, supported by Fellow Warren Throckmorton, has
generated numerous opinion, white paper and conference pieces dealing with
homosexuality and defending traditional sexual ethics against gay activists.
Following a successful
luncheon titled “John Jay: America’s Wilberforce” in June 2006, the Center
started a luncheon series in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania entitled “The
American Founders Series.” Matthew Spalding of The Heritage Foundation
delivered the first lecture on George Washington in September of 2006. Since
then another luncheon has focused on the religious faith of Thomas Jefferson,
and another on religion and the U.S. courts.
The Center will continue
its efforts to popularize its research via media outlets, generate 75-100
opinion editorials and pursue components of our long-range strategic plan. A
major component of this plan is mentoring young scholars by establishing a
student fellows program. Oxford University Press recently published Center
scholar Dr. Gary Smith’s latest book “Faith and the Presidency: George
Washington to George W. Bush” in September and Regan Books/Harper Collins
recently published Center’s director Dr. Paul Kengor’s fourth book, “The
Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.”
Although Grove City College
does not offer tenure, the College is fortunate to attract and retain some the
country’s finest Christian scholars who are interested in advancing the cause of
liberty. The Center for Vision & Values is the vehicle established by President
Jewell to further that goal. If you would like to join us in this work you may
contact us at The Center for Vision & Values, 100 Campus Drive, Grove City,
Pennsylvania 16127. If you would like to learn more about the Center, please
call (U.S.) 724.458.3332 or visit our web site at
www.visandvals.org
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