To celebrate Constitution Day on Sept. 17, Calvin students who gathered on the day before were invited to ask a provocative question: should Americans celebrate the Declaration of Independence?

This question headlined a lecture by Dr. Vincent Phillip Muñoz, the Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and Concurrent Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame. Muñoz visited Calvin on Sept. 16. The event was organized by the Henry Institute and the Pre-Law Program. 

The lecture explored tensions between political and religious authority during the American founding, raising questions about whether the Declaration’s legacy is one Americans should celebrate. Muñoz discussed the implications of the Declaration and how Calvin students should choose to honor it, or not.

Critics on both the progressive left and post-liberal right often find fault with the Declaration. The left for its hypocrisies, and the right for its liberal individualism.

In response, Muñoz proposed an alternative to these critiques: that the American founding was not hostile to religious truths, but created a space for them to flourish.

He framed the Declaration as beginning three revolutions, beginning with the principle of equality as the basis for our political authority, brought about by the language of the common good and third, perhaps most controversially, limiting the role of the state out of a recognition for the existence of religious authority. 

Nearly 40 students and faculty members attended the lecture, filling the Meeter Center.

Senior Lathan VanderLeest was one student in attendance, commenting that he “appreciated his insights and academic perspective,” continuing on to say that it is good to look back on the history of the founding fathers and the ideals they claimed to strive for, where “the application of the ideals is more important, and it’s up to us, now, that they are fulfilled.” 

The event was co-sponsored by the Henry Institute, which exists to promote “serious reflection on the interplay between Christianity and public life,” according to their website. Talks like these are both good educational tools and important conversation starters for students and faculty to discuss new ideas in dialogue with others who may have differing opinions.

Across the nation, Constitution Day celebrations serve as an important space for reflecting on foundational American ideas and ideals, sparking productive political dialogue here at Calvin.