Track Leaders

Amy E. Black, Chair

Amy E. Black is associate professor of Politics & International Relations at Wheaton College (Illinois). Prior to joining the Wheaton faculty in 2001, she taught at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A graduate of Claremont McKenna College, Dr. Black earned her Ph.D. in Political Science at M.I.T. A specialist in American Government, her current areas of research include religion and politics, mass media, and Congress. Dr. Black served as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow, working in the office of Rep. Melissa A. Hart (PA-04). Her books include Beyond Left and Right: Helping Christians Make Sense of American Politics (Baker Books, 2008), From Inspiration to Legislation: How an Idea Becomes a Law (Prentice Hall, 2007), and Of Little Faith: The Politics of George W. Bush’s Faith Based Initiatives (Georgetown, 2004). She and her husband, Dan Treier, live in Wheaton with their daughter, Anna.

Kurt Paulsen, Point

Kurt Paulsen is an Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His teaching and research interests are land use and environmental planning, land use change, and local government finance. Prior to teaching at Wisconsin, he taught at Temple University. Prof. Paulsen earned Masters degrees in Agricultural/Applied Economics and Policy/Public Administration at the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Policy Development at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He and his wife Evelyn have three children, Anna (6), Stephen (4), and Lydia (1) and live in Middleton, Wisconsin.

Program Summary

Governments and public policies have substantial impact in ordering human relationships and promoting human flourishing. Christians therefore seek to engage the public square and bring a measure of God’s justice and kingdom to bear on collective decision-making. However, we often face resistance from a public square suspicious of religious entanglement or establishment. Conversely, fellow believers might be suspicious of the possible temptations or corruptions involved in meaningful engagement with a pluralistic public square. Because Jesus is Lord over all creation (Col. 1:16) and because all authority on earth has been given to him (Matt. 28:18), Christians are concerned with governance and the public square.

From the earliest days of colonial settlement, religion and faith have always played a strong role in American public life and politics. This relationship has always been subject to ambiguities, conflicts, and tensions. These tensions continue today — although perhaps in new ways.

Yet, how Christians are to engage the public square generally — and specific forms of governance or policies — often provoke strong debate and disagreement within the Church. Given the polarization of political discourse in America, Christians may tend to avoid honest, loving, and humble mutual conversations on controversial topics. Therefore, the purpose of this track is to provide a safe space for Christian academics and professionals from all backgrounds to engage these questions in open, respectful conversation with one another. We seek to deepen the conversation beyond divisions within our society (Left-Right, Black-White, secular-religious, North-South, etc.) in a meaningful way, while providing resources for Christian scholars and practitioners to continue developing their answers to these questions.