Welcome to the 2021 Culture & Crisis: Reconciling Constitutionalism & Federalism in a Time of Crisis Conference. Make sure you register to attend this exciting conference.
Conference Schedule at a Glance
IMPORTANT DATES
A Call for Conference Papers
Times of great crisis—man-made and natural—often lead to a flexing of governmental powers in the hopes of maintaining order and peace. In turn, state governments quarrel with the federal government as each domain stakes its claim and localities strain under decrees from both. Other crises are caused when people within institutions of government themselves are guilty of injustice against the people. The year 2020 has brought a tragic and powerful confluence of both of these as the COVID-19 pandemic was followed closely by questions of racism. Riots in America, and indeed the rest of the world, marked an outcry for justice. In all of this, we are faced with a question of how a Biblical perspective would deal with these entangling problems. We seek the flourishing of civil society where our citizens can live in peace and harmony, regardless of race or gender, and where the various spheres of government and society operate in mutual accountability and respect to one another. Our country, our communities, and our national ethos needs a restoration. We therefore offer a call for papers to begin a dialogue to that end. Sponsored by the Helms School of Government and The Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy, this conference seeks to engender discussions on the proper roles of the federal government, state government, localities churches, communities and individual citizens in order to confront times such as these. We will reflect upon what we have learned in the past year and offer solutions for the future. We know that the Word does not return void and we welcome contributions of students and scholars alike in discussing these great and pressing issues from a Biblical perspective. Panels will be hosted (and Papers will be presented) on the following topics and we welcome Abstracts (which will become Papers) for each category:
STATE & COMMUNITY RESILIENCY
- Local & State Resiliency
- Federalism in a Time of Crisis
- Community & Grassroots Action
- Constitutionalism in the Modern Age
CULTURAL FLOURISHING
- The Church & Race
- Criminal Justice Reform and Best Practices
- The Culture Wars
- Life, Family, Immigration
For more information about The Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy, be sure to peruse Issue I: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/jspp/
Below are the panel topics [reprinted] with additional suggestions of how these topics could manifest themselves in written works. Please note that the suggestions for topics are not meant to be exhaustive:
STATE & COMMUNITY RESILIENCY-
Local & State Resiliency:
Economic, environmental or health policy; grassroots/localized solutions for state and local issues.:
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Federalism in a Time of Crisis:
COVID-19 response, city protests, executive branch legitimate powers in a state of emergency, with discussion on mask mandates, "social distancing", declaring "essential" vs. "non-essential" entities, etc.
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Community & Grassroots Action:
Civil disobedience in form of protest, school choice and economic empowerment issues such as opportunity zones, vouchers, charter schools, privacy and overall accountability in online virtual education.
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Constitutionalism in the Modern Age:
Religious liberty in the workplace and schools, protection of religious liberty, taxation, increase of governmental transparency, Constitutional responses to crisis.
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The Church & Race:
Historical background, the church’s role in racial issues, paths forward for future reconciliation.
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Criminal Justice Reform and Best Practices:
Poverty reduction programs, de-escalation, restorative justice, the First Step Act freeing prisoners, rehabilitation programs, faith-based mental health and drug policy initiatives.
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The Culture Wars:
Educational freedom, cancel culture; Critical Race Theory, Biblical perspectives on justice, Marxism, the history and future of the Religious Right.
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Life, Family, Immigration:
Euthanasia, abortion, women’s health, sexual behavior as a protected class, marriage, justice and compassion and the law related to immigration.
To submit an abstract of a Paper which will be presented as a Paper at the Conference in March 2021, please submit an abstract of the Paper via the Scholars Crossing portal between December 2, 2020 and January 15 at submission link
The Abstract Submission Closes January 15, 2021. Accepted papers are due by February 15.
IMPORTANT DATES
