{"id":18175,"date":"2021-04-19T14:14:11","date_gmt":"2021-04-19T18:14:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/?p=18175"},"modified":"2021-04-19T16:36:28","modified_gmt":"2021-04-19T20:36:28","slug":"tusculum-students-and-president-discuss-faith-and-government-with-u-s-sen-marsha-blackburn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2021\/tusculum-students-and-president-discuss-faith-and-government-with-u-s-sen-marsha-blackburn\/","title":{"rendered":"Tusculum students and president discuss faith and government with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn"},"content":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Tusculum University<\/a> students and administrators built on the institution\u2019s mission to inspire civic engagement within a caring Christian environment through a recent question-and-answer session with one of Tennessee\u2019s top elected officials on the intersection of faith and government.<\/h3>\n
\"\"

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., bottom left, recently held a question-and-answer session with Tusculum University students and administrators.<\/p><\/div>\n

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, joined nine Tusculum students; Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum\u2019s president; and Dr. Tricia Hunsader, the university\u2019s provost and vice president of academic affairs<\/a>, for the 30-minute discussion. During the event, the first-term senator answered questions posed by the students and Dr. Hummel.<\/p>\n

One of the questions inquired how Blackburn intentionally incorporates her faith into her work and daily conversations.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things I do is pray my way through the day,\u201d Blackburn said. \u201cI take time to pray before a meeting, pray for an outcome and pray for God\u2019s blessing to be felt in a certain situation. Those are wonderful ways to manifest and incorporate my faith in meetings and in speaking truth and gentleness during those gatherings.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blackburn\u2019s faith and friendships help her handle the pressure of public office.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a great circle of friends \u2013 close friends \u2013 who are always there for me and with me,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a wonderful family, and in public service, that is so important because your family, whether they like it or not, are going to be in the public eye. When you have those good, solid relationships and people you can confide in, that is very helpful. In our church, we have small group fellowships, and the small community that we are with within our church is a wonderful sounding board for me. There is a group of women I talk with, and they pray for me every Monday morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

People in the United States need to look to the Constitution for guidance on the possibility of a stronger connection between church and state, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Constitution limits the interconnectivity between your church and your state,\u201d Blackburn said. \u201cBut what I do support and where I think citizens should be mindful is looking at an individual public official or a candidate and determining what is their philosophy of life and what is their philosophy of government and how are they going to make decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another question touched on the ability of elected officials to make the best decisions for America together when there are divisions between political parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cPoliticians should put aside differences \u2013 stand on your principle but look for ways that you can agree,\u201d Blackburn said. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to disagree, do it in a respectful way. Our nation and our form of government, a democratic republic, have been well served by robust, respectful political debate. As Christians, that is what we should carry into the debate \u2013 seeking to understand, seeking to solve problems and issues \u2013 and arrive at a conclusion that is going to add to the quality of life of all citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n

On another subject, one student wondered how the Supreme Court could rule that it is unconstitutional for teachers to lead a class in prayer at a public school but to require them to teach a class about religions or curriculum that violates their religious consciences. She wondered how it could not be an infringement on a teacher\u2019s personal religious beliefs.<\/p>\n

Blackburn said she hears from teachers who raise a concern about curriculum requirements with which they disagree.<\/p>\n

\u201cChristians should not be forced to recite a Muslim prayer, and Muslims ought not to be forced to recite a Christian prayer,\u201d she said. \u201cAt the same time, this nation is built on a Judeo-Christian ethic, and displaying the Ten Commandments and pausing and having a prayer for individuals who want to have that time of prayer, these are things that many school districts and school boards are reviewing.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, they have that time for a flag-raising ceremony, where they honor the country and take that time for a prayer as a way to set the day. Or they take that time for a silent prayer so people of different faiths can pray silently during that moment set aside for silent prayer. We are going to continue to hear these conversations, and I think it is important that we look at them as choices and not as mandates.\u201d<\/p>\n

Students who participated and their majors are Grace Beddingfield, psychology; Andrew Campbell, history; Ben Gall, business administration; Trenton Gibson, sport management; Katlyn Jones, psychology; Ashley Keller, nursing; Avonlea Knode, business administration; Logan Mitchell, interdisciplinary studies K-5; and Meredith Wilson, who is seeking a Master of Arts in teaching.<\/p>\n

Dr. Hummel appreciated the opportunity for him and the students to connect with Blackburn through this event.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a faith-based institution, we are proud of our Presbyterian heritage and the liberty for our students, as well as our faculty and staff members, to explore their faith,\u201d Dr. Hummel said. \u201cAt the same time, we welcome students, faculty and staff who have a different or no faith system and treat them with just as much respect. We are grateful to Sen. Blackburn for sharing her faith story with us and helping our students know that they can embrace their faith and allow it to be part of their life journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information about Blackburn, please visit https:\/\/www.blackburn.senate.gov\/<\/a>. To learn more about the university, please visit www.tusculum.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GREENEVILLE<\/strong> \u2013 Tusculum University<\/a> students and administrators built on the institution\u2019s mission to inspire civic engagement within a caring Christian environment through a recent question-and-answer session with one of Tennessee\u2019s top elected officials on the intersection of faith and government.<\/h3>\n

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican, joined nine Tusculum students; Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum\u2019s president; and Dr. Tricia Hunsader, the university\u2019s provost and vice president of academic affairs<\/a>, for the 30-minute discussion. During the event, the first-term senator answered questions posed by the students and Dr. Hummel.<\/p>\n

One of the questions inquired how Blackburn intentionally incorporates her faith into her work and daily conversations.<\/p>\n

Read the full article…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[131,91,19,150,1,6,147,149,145],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nTusculum students and president discuss faith and government with U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn :: Tusculum University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www3.tusculum.edu\/news\/news\/2021\/tusculum-students-and-president-discuss-faith-and-government-with-u-s-sen-marsha-blackburn\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tusculum students and president discuss faith and government with U.S. Sen. 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