Activity 1

As you know, since the Enlightenment modern liberal values, with their stress on secularism, have often clashed with Christian values. The United States was founded upon Enlightenment principles, including the separation of church and state as articulated in the Constitution. However, Christian organizations have long played an influential role in American public life, using Christian principles to advance a variety of political and social agendas. One prominent example is Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Council that advanced the progressive cause of civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s; another example is the Christian Coalition that, during the 1980s and 1990s, successfully advanced a conservative "family-oriented" agenda. The debate over the proper role of religion in public life continues. You may recall the recent controversy over the phrase "one nation, under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. Secularists called for the omission of the phrase, citing the Constitutional separation of church and state, while others argued that the phrase rightly acknowledges that Americans owe their rights to God. With these issues in mind, consider the statements of two contemporary American religious organizations. Read The Baptist Faith & Message of the Southern Baptist Convention and A Code of Ethics for Christian Witness of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. How do the principles articulated in these statements resemble and differ from each other? What core values of Western civilization can you see in these statements? Do you think organizations such as these exert a positive or negative influence on American public life? To what extent do you think the debate over the role of religious organizations in politics is a debate between two competing visions of the Western tradition?

Activity 2

One recent step in the movement for European unity was the adoption of the Euro, the single currency designed to replace the individual currencies of the EU member states. Most members of the EU have adopted the Euro. However, Britain has so far retained its traditional currency, the Pound Sterling, and a fierce debate between supporters and opponents of the Euro continues to rage throughout the country. Consider some of the perspectives on this issue. Go to no euro and read the page "The Euro and You." When you finish, visit the Web site of Britain in Europe and read the organization's mission statement. Then click on the "Briefings" link and go to "The effect of the Euro": take a look at the information about the potential effects of the Euro on the British economy and British society. Finally, read two overviews of the debate that appeared in the British newspaper, The Guardian: UK's euro vision contest and Nil point in this eurovision contest. What are the arguments for and against adoption of the Euro? What does Britain stand to gain and/or loose by integrating its currency system with the rest of Europe? What role do you think nationalism plays in these arguments?