God's enduring love is the answer to today's problems, Ewert tells fall convocation audience
Behaving as Christians, bringing people of different views together and demonstrating how to live is the agenda for the academic year.
Students, faculty and staff took part in the annual fall convocation Wednesday, August 26, in the Special Events Center.
The theme for 2009-2010 is "God's love endures," from Psalm 100:5: "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Today is a time of challenge, with an economic recession, continuing war and failures by those who should show the way, said President D. Merrill Ewert.
But the answer to these problems is not "blamestorming:" finding a problem, blaming someone else for it and demonizing that person.
"We have turned people into enemies. Before that they were just our neighbors with a different point of view," he said.
Ewert pointed to the book "Going to Extremes," which describes a study where people were placed in discussion groups only with others who shared their beliefs.
After only a 15-minute conversation, and no matter what their politics, people who talked only to those who agreed with them became more dogmatic and less likely to listen to different ideas. "They talked themselves into a lather," Ewert said.
The solution is to remember that good things are also happening--at FPU, that includes a standing ovation for the Community Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall; national success in tennis, swimming, baseball, men's basketball and men's cross county; and all the achievements, from publishing books to saving young people, of faculty and alumni.
They know what it means that, "God's love endures." "These are words of thanksgiving, words of praise, words of hope," Ewert said.
The convocation also included a welcome from Provost Herma Williams, prayers from Robert Leitgeb, president of Staff Caucus and University Pastor Angulus Wilson, Scripture from Ben Weemes, president of the Associated Student Body and music from music faculty Deborah Sauer-Ferrand and Walter Saul.
The theme for 2009-2010 is "God's love endures," from Psalm 100:5: "For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations."
Today is a time of challenge, with an economic recession, continuing war and failures by those who should show the way, said President D. Merrill Ewert.
But the answer to these problems is not "blamestorming:" finding a problem, blaming someone else for it and demonizing that person.
"We have turned people into enemies. Before that they were just our neighbors with a different point of view," he said.
Ewert pointed to the book "Going to Extremes," which describes a study where people were placed in discussion groups only with others who shared their beliefs.
After only a 15-minute conversation, and no matter what their politics, people who talked only to those who agreed with them became more dogmatic and less likely to listen to different ideas. "They talked themselves into a lather," Ewert said.
The solution is to remember that good things are also happening--at FPU, that includes a standing ovation for the Community Wind Ensemble at Carnegie Hall; national success in tennis, swimming, baseball, men's basketball and men's cross county; and all the achievements, from publishing books to saving young people, of faculty and alumni.
They know what it means that, "God's love endures." "These are words of thanksgiving, words of praise, words of hope," Ewert said.
The convocation also included a welcome from Provost Herma Williams, prayers from Robert Leitgeb, president of Staff Caucus and University Pastor Angulus Wilson, Scripture from Ben Weemes, president of the Associated Student Body and music from music faculty Deborah Sauer-Ferrand and Walter Saul.
