| I've been talking in recent days about good news: the
emergence of a new breed of keen Christian thinkers
who are beginning on campuses across the country a
counter-attack against the entrenched forces of
secularism. One bright star is Princeton professor
Robert George. You don't just hear about Dr. George
on BreakPoint; stories by and about him are almost as
commonplace in some of the nation's leading
periodicals.
Few Christians in our culture live out their
worldview as consistently or effectively as does this
brilliant young man, and we would do well to learn
from his example.
Robert George holds the most prestigious endowed
academic chair at that hallowed Ivy League
university, as Cyrus McCormick Professor of
Jurisprudence. Woodrow Wilson was the first to hold
this chair, and Professor George is only the fifth.
And he's earned it: He's a prolific writer with a
prodigious academic reputation.
But in many respects, Robert George is a fish out of
water. Like many other top schools, Princeton is
dominated by a secular elite. Lest we forget,
Princeton's other most notable academic figure is the
so-called ethicist Peter Singer, who openly defends
the indefensible: infanticide, euthanasia, and
bestiality, among other things.
But Dr. George is a stalwart Christian. And while his
Christian worldview touches every sphere of life, in
his field -- of politics -- that can be
controversial.
But that didn't deter him from opening his class on
The Declaration of Independence with a moment of
silent prayer in recognition of the rights of freedom
granted by that hallowed document. The other faculty
sat with their mouths hanging open and startled
expressions. But hundreds of students prayed with him ... at Princeton!
Nor did controversy stop him from challenging this
country's leading exponent of postmodernism, Stanley
Fish. It was in a debate before the American Society
of Political Scientists, and it was on the issue of
abortion. It was a debate George won hands down as
Fish readily conceded before 200 wide-eyed and
startled political scientists.
George's uncompromising position on abortion,
euthanasia, genetic engineering, and other life
issues have made him conspicuous, and highly
respected, on the Princeton faculty.
But respect for Dr. George isn't limited to his
academic peers. His courses are so popular that
students actually fight to sign up for them. And once
they're in, their often unexamined cultural
assumptions are confronted with the full weight of
the Christian intellectual tradition.
But as the pages of The Washington Post recently
revealed, Robert George doesn't limit his cultural
engagement to the classroom. He is also engaged in
national politics; he's a frequent guest and witness
on Capitol Hill and part of an informal advisory
group at the White House. He played a similar role in
advising the late Governor Bob Casey of Pennsylvania.
The Wilberforce Forum, of which BreakPoint is a part,
asked Robert George to be a Senior Fellow of our
public policy and research institute, and he
accepted. And we're honored, as well, that he'll be
joining us for our upcoming worldview conference in
Chicago.
Men and women like Robert George are serving notice
on the entrenched, politically-correct, secularist
establishment -- which has had a lock on America's
campuses for a generation. The best in Christian
minds are mobilizing and are on the move. And that's
very good news indeed!
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