Published on October 22, 2020 by Sean Flynt  
Trepanier Essay
A contemporary depiction of the 1856 assault on U.S. Senator Charles Sumner (Wikimedia Commons)

Samford University Political Science Department chair Lee Trepanier has published a new essay–Tolerating, Respecting, and Accepting Civility–that speaks to a nation set on edge by politics and pandemic.

In the essay, Trepanier examines the “contemporary morality of tolerance, respect, and acceptance” and finds it lacking in comparison to a practice of civility rooted in classical virtues and reinforced by Christian teachings.

“While it may be a modest, middle-age virtue,” Trepanier writes in the Oct. 21 issue of the Law and Liberty newsletter, “civility is foundational to sustain a pluralistic liberal democracy, for neither tolerance, respect, nor acceptance can make strangers political friends.” Read the full article here.

Trepanier’s expertise encompasses politics and literature, religion and politics, democracy and education, and teaching and learning in higher education. He is the editor of the Lexington Books series Politics, Literature, and Film and the academic website VoegelinView, and is the author or editor of more than 20 books. He also is a prolific author for The Imaginative Conservative and Voegelinview websites, among other publications.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.