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Sloan Coffin speaks in ‘America’ series
By RON LIGHT
When the College of Liberal Arts
continues its Lectures in the Huma
nities scries next week, Mercer
will be getting its first visit from
Rev. William Sloan Coffin. With
the theme of the series being “How
I see America," the college could
not have picked a more controver
sial view than that espoused by the
former chaplain of Yale
University.
Sloan Coffin's background more
than qualifies him to deliver this
lecture because he has truly seen
America. Coffin ha* seen America
at .war and America at peace. He
has seen and been a part of some
of the major transformations of the
United States, and he indeed has
helped to spur some of those
transformations along.
Bom in New York in 1924, Cof
fin. the second of three children,
was bom into a family with some
theological connections—his uncle,
Henry Slane Coffin, was president
of Union Theological Seminary.
Coffin’s father died when he was
nine and the family moved to
Carmel, Calif., where he attended
public school and developed in
terests in music and athletics.
Later, he 'would attend the
prestigious Phillips Academy in
Andover. Mass., and then Yale
Music School i/ntd his studies were
interrupted. The interuption was
World War 11 and Coffin was sent
to Europe where, because of his
language skills, he was named a
liason officer to the French Army.
At the end of the war. Coffin was
given an intensive language course,
and stationed with an American
unit in Planting to assist in the forc
ed repatriation of Soviet soldier
“traitors.’’
Upon his return to Yale in 1947.
Coffin changed his major from
music to government and com
pleted his B.A. in 1949.
After graduation, he accepted an
appointment with the C.I.A..
which he later quit after deciding
to attend seminary. Coffin
graduated from Yale Divinity
School, and was ordained a
minister of the Presbyterian Church
upon receipt of his B.D. in 1956.
After two other appointments,
including one at his former pre,j
school. Coffin was appointed
chaplain to Yale University and
pastor of the church of Chnst, the
Yak chapel. Fred C. Shapiro railed
in his iVfH York rimes Magazine
article on Coffin that he “literally
roared onto the New Haven cam
pus, startling some of the more
conservative members of the
theological faculty by making his
first pastoral rounds on a motorcy
cle."
Coffin believe^! that church
leaders should not only be se
questered in their congregations,
but should also take an active stand
on social and political issues. In ac
cordance with this philosophy he
became active in the Civil Rights
movement
philosophy and theology behind his
stance on these issues: "Every
minister is given two roles, the
the prophetic... The
Rev. William Sloan
eleven Freedom Riders arrested in
Montgomery. Ala., for Challenging
local bus and restaurant segregation
laws.
In 1961 Coffin explained the
prophetic role is the role of the
disturber of the peace, to bring the
minister himself, the congregation,
the entire Christian church, the en
tire social order unto some type of
judgement... If one plays a pro-
hpctic role, it’s going to mitigate
against his priestly role. There arc
* going to be those who will hate
him... I think the church in our
country has been remiss in its
political role, arxfft was 1 precisely
when the voice of the church was
silent and withdrawn that Jim
Crowism established itself in this
country... *Nbr can we forget that
it was this prophetic role of Jesus
Christ that ended his priestly role
at the age of thirty-three.’
Coffin continued to live his
philosophy during the era. becom
ing active in the anti-war move
ment. He argued that United Slates
intervention in Southeast Asia was
unwaranted. that the United States
was intervening in another coun
try's civil war. To fight Com
munism. Coffin argued, funds
should be used to fight poverty at
home and abroad not to wage war
in a manner of unbelievable crulty
Not all members of the pastoral
community agreed.
"He's quite a liberal,'' said Carl
Mclntire. prcsidcnt'of the Interna
tional Council of Christian Chur
ches ami longtime Coffin opponent.
1 ‘he gives great comfort to the com
munists and socialists, to our
enemies; during the Vietnam years,
he contributed to the spirit of sur
render that finally grippe<Kj>uf'
^country."
Sec Sloan, page 3
Lanier looks into leadership program
By WENDY LEDBETTER
SUIT Writer
The Liberal Arts faculty, as announced in
Monday’s SGA meeting, is splil on wheiher
to discuss changing lo s semester system. A
vote, taken of the Liberal Arts faculty at their
last meeting, shows thal 47 of those-voting
do not wish lo discuss ihe semester system.
42 want it to be talked over, while four said
they did not care.
The results of a student survey, conducted
by SGA, asking whether or not students
wanted to go to a semester system were not
quite as close. The students voted 168-26 in
•favor of staying with the current quarter
system.
As far as the SGAfeting itself went.
President Shawn Lanier spoke about his
desire for a winter conference to be held at
Mercer for all SGA's in the stale. Since
Monday's meeting, however, it has been
realized by Lamer that such an undertaking
may be too much and that they will plan to
work slower and try lo have a winter con
ference for all SGA presidents and vice
v presidents. The two-day event would tike
\place in late February or early March, ac
cording to Lanier, and would include a series
of workshops, particularly a leadership
workshop.
Lanier also spoke of a Leadership
Development program for Mercer which will
target’ sophomores and will feature a
semester's equivalent of 12-14 workshops
and seminars on leadership skills. Lamer said
(hat he was in contact with several schools
that offer this type program, and has faith
in a program starting here.
“I don't know if this will happen whik I'm
in office, but I want to get the ball rolling. "
Lamer said after the meeting. “The first
thing we have to do is sec if *he faculty, ad
ministration and students are interested. The
faculty and administration arc important
because they will be the ones running the
workshops and everything. I think there will
be interest."
Also Monday night. President Lamer an-
See SGA, page 3