Mission Week Event, February 7, 2008: A Balanced Discussion?

A circular e-mail sent to all Marquette faculty:

The Office of Mission and Identity is pleased to announce that this year’s Mission Week keynote event will feature a ninety-minute, vigorous exchange among concerned and knowledgeable individuals on the topic of, “War, Peace and People of Faith.” Ms. Soledad O’Brien of CNN has agreed to act as the moderator for this conversation, during which four distinguished panelists will discuss how faith affects moral decision making in addressing contemporary issues of conflict around the world. After offering opening remarks to the audience O’Brien will be joined on the stage by:

• Rev. Drew Christiansen, S.J., Editor-in-Chief of America magazine former head of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Office of International Justice and Peace (1998-2004), and lead staff person in the drafting of the U.S. Bishops’ 1993 peace pastoral, “The Harvest of Justice Is Sown in Peace,” which provided the basis for USCCB’s post-Cold War policy;
• Dr. James Turner Johnson, Professor of Religion and Associate Member of the Graduate Department of Political Science at Rutgers University focusing on the historical developments and moral traditions related to war, peace, and the practice of statecraft, and author/editor of 14 books on the moral questions related to contemporary warfare;
• Rev. John Dear, S.J., former Executive Director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (largest interfaith peace organization in the United States), Coordinator of Pax Christi New Mexico, noted peace activist, retreat leader, author/editor of 25 books on peace and justice, and columnist for the National Catholic Reporter.
• Mr. Nicholas Coddington, Former Senior U.S. Army Intelligence Officer with NATO Southern Region, senior officer deployed to Baghdad to establish the Iraqi Military Academy, and leader of various humanitarian and crisis relief operations in the Balkans, Middle East, Northern/Central Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia.

The support of faculty members has been essential to the success of Mission Week over the years – thank you for all you have done to encourage student participation and involvement. Please mark your calendar for the Mission Week Keynote Panel at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7 in the Varsity Theatre and consider building this event into your syllabi for the second semester. Further information and online teaching resources for Mission Week will be forthcoming. Do not hesitate to contact the Office of Mission and Identity (8-1881) with any questions or suggestions you may have for Mission Week 2008.

Our very preliminary assessment is that this is, in fact, a balanced discussion -- at least if Coddington is hawkish (there is virtually nothing about him on the web).