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Dozens of cars scavenged the congested main parking lot Thursday night as students, faculty, administrators and campus visitors from various Southern California locations sought a seat in Smothers Theatre.
There would be no action-packed performance with flashing lights, choreographed dance or any other element of a typical Smothers attraction.
Instead, the crowd flocked to the theatre, filling over 350 seats, to listen to a frail, elderly professor of sociology from the University of California, Berkeley, who headlined the night’s academic lecture.
Dr. Robert N. Bellah’s “Can We Be Citizens of a World Empire?” served as the fourth installment of this semester’s Dean’s Lecture Series, classified by Seaver Dean Dr. David Baird as one of the “more moving academic lecture series of Southern California.”
“I think Bellah’s lecture fit well with the purposes of the Dean’s Lecture, to present notable scholars and citizens addressing relevant topics in a way that will provoke discussion,” he said.
Bellah’s speech also served as the keynote lecture for the Religion and Public Virtue conference, sponsored by Dr. Richard Hughes and the Center for Faith and Learning.
Hughes said it was a wonderful start to “a conference of world class scholars,” which continued Friday with lectures from Dr. Michael McConnell, a University of Utah law professor; Dr. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary; and Dr. James Hunter, a University of Virginia professor.
Although the conference was widely advertised throughout Southern California, Hughes said he was disappointed as the conference attendance declined steadily following the strong turnout for Bellah’s speech.
“I don’t know why this happened,” he said. “There were even more students than faculty … I’m puzzled.”
Regardless of this disappointment, Hughes was very positive about the keynote speech. He introduced Bellah, a 2000 National Humanities Award winner, calling him one of the “most influential public individuals and scholars of American studies.”
Bellah hobbled to the podium in a dark suit, clenching the podium with both hands while delivering a riveting 45-minute commentary on modern American imperialism.
He related the principles of America’s philosophical past, including the sermons of John Winthrop of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and the essays of Alexis de Tocqueville with the nation’s present international dilemmas, including the President George W. Bush-led attack against “evildoers” and the internal ideological struggles among members of dissenting Protestantism.
Bellah reached the conclusion that America may be in deep denial of the existence of its own empire, and more importantly, its consequences.
He cited numerous similarities between American international relations and the historical Roman and British empires, and specifically “The National Security Strategy of the United States of America,” released by the U.S. government in September 2002 as examples of American imperialism.
He compared and contrasted the liberal and conservative views regarding the country’s imminent actions.
“Our greatest need is moderation, moderation, moderation,” he concluded, quoting one of Winthrop’s sermons.
Following closely with Baird’s vision for the lecture series, Bellah faced an excess of questions and comments following his speech.
Several audience members were declined the time to comment, as Baird insisted on concluding the event promptly at 8:30 p.m.
Dr. Dan Caldwell, professor of political science, said he was confused as to why the controversial U.S. security strategy was not more widely publicized.
“I don’t really have an answer,” Bellah said. “We don’t have a serious intellectual questioning of our actions … and that is a tragedy.”
Several members of the audience, including junior Nevada Tuggle, were skeptical of the views Bellah voiced.
Tuggle, a political science major, asked him about his radical change in views since a 1992 speech he gave justifying the Persian Gulf War.
While Bellah cited an abundance of evidence for just war at that time, and a lack of evidence in present time, Tuggle was not satisfied.
“(The speech) was very interesting,” he said. “But he didn’t have a lot of resolutions for some people’s complaints.”
Baird saw the lecture in a much more positive light.
“As a historian of America, I thought Bellah’s recitation of the facts regarding America’s long-time discomfort with a geographic and political empire beyond its contiguous borders was comprehensive and compelling,” he said. “Americans have never been quite able to understand why communities beyond our borders do not want to be like us. It is true even within our own borders, especially when you think of Native Americans.”
Hughes said he enjoyed the way Bellah captivated the diverse crowd, regardless of its prior knowledge of his subject matter.
“The thing about Bellah is the way he communicates,” he said. “He seems to (communicate) well with everyone … it was spectacular.”
Summing up his desire for the implications of his complex message, Bellah focused on a more simple principle.
“I hope we can all spend a little more time reading the New Testament,” he said, before he charismatically abandoned the podium.
Submitted March 13, 2003
MALIBU, CA
