By Lily Nussbaum | Staff Writer
The Baylor Conversation Series made its return with its first panel of the semester Tuesday, discussing civil discourse and its role at Baylor and beyond.
Participants and panelists convened via Zoom and included three Baylor faculty members: Dr. Ronald Angelo Johnson, Dr. Rebecca Flavin and Dr. Luke Winslow. Lori Fogleman, assistant vice president of media and public relations, served as the moderator, asking questions while incorporating those asked by students and other faculty as well.
“This topic is vitally important for higher education — and especially at Baylor — as we strive to be a marketplace of ideas and extend the love of Christ toward others,” President Linda Livingstone said in a press release.
According to the Conversation Series website, Livingstone created these events in the fall of 2017 to bring together both Baylor faculty and experts from other universities for the purpose of examining pertinent topics. Past conversations have included topics such as Christian leadership in crisis and racial healing and justice.
With tensions running high because of the upcoming election, the panel focused on discourse and how to approach difficult conversations from opposing sides.
“While we may not agree, civil discourse requires mutual respect and objectivity without hostility while demonstrating an appreciation for the experiences of others,” Livingstone said.
An important part of productive discourse is bringing your own ideas and beliefs to the table. Johnson said while some think it’s polarizing to come into a conversation on one side, it is natural and vital.
“As citizens, choosing a side is an important part of a democracy, and it is also a part of the political and social DNA of the United States,” Johnson said. “Disagreements expressed through civil discourse can point out flaws in our own arguments, and they can also result in a better result for every party involved.”
An important part of respectfully disagreeing is learning to lose your ego. Winslow said oftentimes, an education builds this ego, and while it’s great to know things, it can be unproductive.
“We have too many people that think they know everything and are unwilling to concede that they don’t,” Winslow said. “Know as much as possible, for sure, but balance that, as we’ve been discussing, with a degree of grace, a degree of humility.”
Furthermore, Flavin said humility can be achieved by entering a conversation with good motives and believing the same of a counterpart. If both enter with good motives, she said, they create a space for productive conversation in addition to a place where mistakes can be made.
“We need to have these tough conversations proactively, not just reactively,” Flavin said. “But we can’t do that unless we are willing to be wrong.”
When it comes to difficult issues such as race, gender and class inequality, Johnson said people often wait for tragedy to discuss them; however, the reality is that they affect everyday life. By utilizing civil discourse, people can approach conversations and not feel awkward doing so.
“Whatever the list is, we should be talking about them because they are part of our lives,” Johnson said. “They touch our community.”
