Civil Politics for the Common Good

Central Presbyterian Church is pleased to offer a series of discussions designed to help us embrace and move toward a Christian approach to politics in a diverse culture.

Unable to join us in person? Both the Friday night and Saturday morning sessions of the conference will be streamed live and available for on-demand viewing afterwards. Visit https://livestream.com/centralpres/civilpolitics or download the Livestream app to your mobile device, AppleTV, or Roku box.

Friday, September 9 | 7 - 8:30pm

A Conversation on Engaging with Deep Differences in Politics, Culture, and Religion

Many Christians today see politics and culture as antithetical to faith and witness.  But might it be that the reality of our pluralistic country provides an opportunity for renewed engagement from Christians with both politics and culture?  In this panel discussion, former Senator John C. Danforth and law professor John Inazu discuss the ways in which Christian individuals and institutions can live faithfully in the world around them.  Rather than seeking to rule from a position of power or flee from a position of weakness, Christians who are called to love their neighbors and to strengthen the social fabric can confidently engage both politics and culture.  The discussion will be moderated by Sabrine Rhodes, Director of Admissions and School Culture at Central Christian School, and the evening will provide ample opportunity for dialogue and questions from the audience.  Following the discussion, a reception will take place in the Fellowship Hall.

Saturday, September 10 | 8:30am - 12pm

Engaging Differences in Christian Views of Government

Why do Christians disagree about politics?  Some disagreements occur because Christians have been shaped (knowingly or unknowingly) by very different theological traditions and assumptions about the purpose and role of human government. Professor Mark Valeri will offer two lectures on the primary historical traditions that continue to influence Christian views of politics, and Pastor Mike Farley will draw together some foundational principles and questions for Christian political engagement.  The conference will conclude with an extended period of audience questions and discussion with Professors Mark Valeri and John Inazu and Pastor Mike Farley.  Light, continental breakfast will be served as refreshments on Saturday morning.

8:30 – 9:20:  The Dangers of Sin and Corruption: Church and Government in Lutheran and Anabaptist Perspectives (Mark Valeri)

9:20 – 9:30: Break 

9:30 – 10:10: Creation Redeemed and the Common Good: Church and Government in Reformed/Presbyterian and modern Catholic Perspectives (Mark Valeri)

10:10 – 10:30: Concluding Lessons and Questions for a Christian View of Government Today (Mike Farley)

10:30 – 10:45:  Break

10:45 – 11:45: Audience Q & A and Panel Discussion (Mark Valeri, Mike Farley, John Inazu)

Click her for location, directions, and important parking information.

John Danforth

Senator John C. Danforth served in the United States Senate as a member of the Republican Party from 1976 to 1995. His areas of interest included trade, tax policy and civil rights.   In 1999, Danforth was appointed Special Counsel to investigate the federal raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Senator Danforth was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations in July 2004 by President George W. Bush. An ordained Episcopal priest, he authored the books Resurrection (1994), Faith and Politics: How the “Moral Values” Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together (2006) and The Relevance of Religion (2015).  Prior to his election to the Senate, Danforth was Attorney General for the State of Missouri from 1968-1976.  Senator Danforth graduated with honors from Princeton University and then earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School and a Bachelor of Laws degree from Yale Law School.  He is a partner in the law firm of Dowd Bennett in St. Louis.

John Inazu

John Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis, and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. He teaches courses in criminal law, law and religion, and the First Amendment. His scholarship focuses on the First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion, and related issues of political and legal theory. John’s first book, Liberty’s Refuge: The Forgotten Freedom of Assembly, was published by Yale University Press in 2012. He has written broadly for mainstream audiences in publications including USA Today, CNN, The Hedgehog Review, The Los Angeles Times, and The Washington Post. His second book, Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference, was published this year by the University of Chicago Press.Despite the confident pluralism of his academic training (BSE and JD from Duke and PhD from UNC-Chapel Hill), he remains an avid Duke fan.

Sabrine Rhodes

Sabrine Rhodes is the Director of Admissions and School Culture at Central Christian School in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. Rhodes is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, where she completed degrees in African and African American studies, legal studies, and psychology and served as the president of the Association of Black Students.  She also has a masters degree from Washington University’s Brown School of Social Work.  As a school social worker in the Maplewood-Richmond Heights school district in St. Louis, she was invited to spearhead a long term Cultural Responsiveness Training for teachers, in response to an achievement gap between white students and students of color in the district.  Sabrine consults regularly with educational, religious, and other nonprofits that are seeking to increase greater awareness and proficiency about racial and cultural diversity within their organizations.

Mark Valeri

Mark Valeri is the Reverend Priscilla Wood Neaves Distinguished Professor of Religion and Politics with the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics.  Valeri’s areas of specialization include religion and social thought, especially economics, in America; Reformation theology and the political history of Calvinism; Puritanism; and enlightenment moral philosophy. Valeri came to Washington University from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where he served as the Ernest Trice Thompson Professor of Church History since 1996. His prior appointment was in the Religious Studies department at Lewis and Clark College.  His latest book, Heavenly Merchandize: How Religion Shaped Commerce in Puritan America, (Princeton University Press, 2010), received the 2011 Philip Schaff Prize from the American Society of Church History. Mark has also co-edited Global Neighbors: Christian Faith and Moral Obligation in Today’s Economy (Eerdmans, 2008).  Mark earned the Ph.D. from Princeton University, his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School, and his B.A. from Whitworth College.

Mike Farley

Mike Farley is the Pastor of Spiritual Formation at Central Presbyterian Church in St. Louis, Missouri and an adjunct professor at Covenant Theological Seminary. Mike received an M.Div. from Covenant Theological Seminary in 2000 and his Ph.D. in historical theology at Saint Louis University in 2007 where he did research on the history and theology of Christian worship and also taught as an adjunct professor of Theological Studies until 2012.  Mike Farley earned a B.A. from Wittenberg University, and an M.S. in biochemistry from Indiana University.  Mike Farley has published articles in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Calvin Theological Journal.