March 29, 2010 issue
Goshen plays anthem for first time
By Goshen College staffGOSHEN, Ind. — Before baseball and softball games on March 23, Goshen College played the national anthem for the first time since it began intercollegiate athletics in 1957.
After the anthem, the peace prayer of St. Francis of Assisi was read.
President Jim Brenneman read a statement to news reporters.
He said, in part: “The crux of the matter has to do with our relationship with God and with our country. We are asking ourselves such questions as: How should faithful Christians order their allegiances? How do we celebrate the freedoms and opportunities of this country and still challenge injustices that also exist in our midst? And how does a church college retain its historic peace heritage while welcoming an increasingly diverse student body from other traditions? . . .
“We have students committed to pacifism whose parents or grandparents were conscientious objectors and who grew up with a deep suspicion of patriotic observances. We have students raised as pacifists who have no objection to flying the flag or playing the anthem, particularly as part of a pregame sports ritual. We have students whose relatives served in the military and who are proud to fly the U.S. flag in honor of their service. We have students who are children of new immigrants who love this country for the freedom it has given their families. And we have international students for whom ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ has no personal meaning… .
“I am committed to retaining the best of what it means to be a Mennonite college, while opening the doors wider to all who share our core values.”
The college scheduled a campus convocation for March 24 on “Perspectives on the Anthem.”
Comments
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I would recommend that off-campus people interested in this issue listen to the audio of the campus convocation mentioned in the article. It can be found on the Goshen website...
http://www.goshen.edu/virtualgc/podcasts/
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