NEW ORLEANS – At a time when people of faith are often relegated to the sidelines in public policy discussions, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary is launching the Institute for Faith and the Public Square (IFPS) to help reframe the debate. NOBTS officials announced the creation of the new research institute during the school’s trustee meeting Dec. 7.
“The need for a Christian voice in the public square has never been greater than it is today in our pluralistic culture,” said Lloyd Harsch, associate professor of church history at NOBTS and IFPS director. “The Judeo-Christian values and ideals upon which this country was founded are no longer assumed but challenged by an increasingly diverse society.”
Harsch believes that many people are confused about the role of faith in government and the political process. Religious liberty, a long-held hallmark of Baptist belief, has even been used by some to silence faith-informed voices, he said.
The institute will explore the role of faith in the development and application of public policy and create an open-minded academic forum where the concerns of Christians can be discussed in a thoughtful way without intimidation. NOBTS ethics professor Jeffrey Riley and theology and Islamic studies professor Page Brooks will serve as associate directors of the institute. The IFPS advisory board will include Tommy French, founding pastor emeritus of Jefferson Baptist Church in Baton Rouge and Republican State Central Committee member; Brian Egana, businessman and Democratic State Central Committee member; Mel Jones, director of Bethel Colony drug rehabilitation program and former Louisiana coordinator for Ross Perot’s presidential election bid; Daniel Holcomb, professor of church history at NOBTS; David Crosby, pastor of First Baptist Church of New Orleans and co-founder of the Baptist Crossroads Project; and Warren Jones, pastor of New Salem Baptist Church in New Orleans.
The idea for the institute grew out of Harsch’s own political involvement during a sabbatical in 2007-2008 school year. That experience led to the development of a course – the church and political involvement – which he taught with Riley in 2008. The course was designed to coincide with and address issues from the 2008 presidential election. The two taught the class again this fall in conjunction with mid-term elections.
The goals of the new institute are far-reaching. The most comprehensive goal is “to apply biblical truth to moral, public policy, and religious liberty issues in order to transform American culture.” To accomplish this goal, the institute will work to establish a network to facilitate Christian interaction on moral and religious liberty issues, host ongoing special events and conferences and consult churches on their efforts to understand their role in the public square. Harsch and his team also will seek to communicate the implications of public policy to the life and ministry of local churches.
On the academic side, the institute will develop graduate-level and doctoral-level seminary courses and continuing education programs focused on public policy. Harsch believes the academic work will help future pastors and church leaders be better prepared for ministry.
“I want our students to be aware of the issues they will encounter when they are serving in their local churches,” Harsch said.
Earlier in the fall semester, Harsch hosted an event focused on church property and the law. Lloyd Lunceford, a lawyer, legal scholar and author, spoke on issues involving property law in relation to church polity. Though the institute had not officially organized at the time, Harsch considers Lunceford’s presentation the first event sponsored by IFPS.
A second event, “The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the Rebuilding of New Orleans,” is planned for April 11, 2011. Harsch will invite local, state and federal government leaders, as well as members of local churches and faith-based ministries to discuss the “possibilities, pitfalls and practicality” of utilizing government funds.
“There is a growing need to have a place for discussing issues of religious liberty,” Harsch said. “The United States is becoming increasingly hostile to ideas of faith from people of faith. We wanted to provide a place where issues that are important to people of faith from a variety of political perspecitves can be discussed in an academic forum and a place where we can do research into those areas.”
“[Christians] need to be involved in the political realm because it affects how we live our lives. At the same time, we need to keep the Gospel out there as the means of transforming our culture,” he said.
Future conferences will address the role of faith in the life of the politician, the implications of political involvement and legal issues pertaining to the church, Harsch said. The topics are vitally important, because the church, government and the law are interacting in more and more areas.
Much of the funding for the institute will come through private donations. For more information about the Institute for Faith and the Public Square, contact Harsch by telephone at (504) 282-4455, ext. 3212 or by email at lharsch@nobts.edu.
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