By GIRISH SWAMINATH

On Wednesday, Jan. 30, Fordham University hosted David P. Gushee,  a major voice in the theological community about religious, political and ethical issues. Gushee specializes in topics such as the environment, nuclear proliferation, abortion, immigration and torture.

The department of theology at Fordham University and the deans of the Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses co-sponsored the lecture at Tognino Hall. The speaker was distinguished university professor of Christian ethics and director of the Center on Theology and Public Life at Mercer University.

“By inviting Dr. Gushee to campus, [the theology department] hoped to facilitate a conversation about theological perspectives on the sacredness of human life with someone who is theologically nuanced and has worked to prevent the descecration of life in a wide variety of contexts,” Christiana Peppard, assistant professor of theology, science and ethics at FCLC, said.

Gushee also recently published a book entitled The Sacredness of Human Life and delivered the lecture based on his prior experiences and research while writing the book.

“Dr. Gushee’s work is characterized by a strong biblical focus that relates to his evangelical Protestant background and there are many similarities to what Catholics call the ‘seamless garment’ approach to right-to-life issues,” Peppard said.

The department aimed to provide students with an opportunity to have dialogue with a “thoughtful, accessible, accomplished scholar,” according to Peppard. She went on to say that Gushee’s work on such issues has been of major importance for Christians who reflect upon the “intersection between religion and public policy.”

“One of Professor Gushee’s true gifts is communicating complex ideas in a humble and accessible manner,” Peppard said. “I think that the student responses to the lecture indicated how much that kind of approach matters, especially in a political climate that is polarized and vindictive.”

Gushee advocates that all human life is considered sacred, regardless of race, color, creed and “other” characteristics that may be potentially utilized for discrimination. He feels that this ideal is not considered natural to humans but must be taught and acquired through divine revelation. His argument states that sacredness is egalitarian and promotes mercy and compassion towards the helpless, while preventing violent killings and abuses of the helpless. Furthermore, Gushee emphasizes that all humankind, especially Christians, are held responsible for fulfilling their duties of protecting the sacredness of human life.

Gushee rejects the idea that sacredness is dependent on whether an organism possesses rationality and self-awareness. He does not believe that differences in intellectual and physical abilities between Homo sapiens and other species contribute to any differences in sacredness among organisms. Gushee further critiques contemporary culture which, according to him, routinely desecrates life as a whole primarily due to the prevalence of secularism in society. As a result, Gushee feels that the Judeo-Christian definition of sacredness, with which his argument remains consistent, is the most secure approach to preserving sacredness at every facet of human life.

Several students have provided positive feedback about the lecture.

“I really liked the fact that [Dr. Gushee] did not impose his views on anybody, while he made the process of understanding the topics much easier,” Mohammad Khan, FCRH ‘14, said. “I realize how history and scripture can be applied in a way I have never seen before to much of the ethical and moral dilemmas we face in society today.”

At the same time, not all students agree with Dr. Gushee’s perspectives about the value of human life.

“I thought [Dr. Gushee’s] argument that Judeo-Christian scripture provides the strongest and original foundation for the idea of human life being sacred was bold and unconventional,” Katherine Valles, FCRH ‘14, said. “While I wasn’t sold on Gushee’s view, I thought it was an extremely interesting [one] basing the value of human life on intelligence and rationality, as most modern philosophers do.”

Tognino Hall was filled almost beyond capacity, as over 200 students attended the lecture. Numerous students stayed for the Q&A session and book signing, during which discussion centered on integrating Christian-centric views on the value of human life in the presence of modern society’s views.PHOTO: name of photo in web photo folder