Thomas A. Langford - Sermon Untitled - Founders' Day (December 13, 1992)
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Transcript
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(serene music) | 0:00 | |
(upbeat music) | 1:08 | |
- | Please be seated. | 4:58 |
Thursday afternoon, in this place, the university community | 5:04 | |
celebrated the anniversary of the signing | 5:08 | |
of the Duke Indenture 68 years ago. | 5:10 | |
We took that occasion to reflect upon our heritage, | 5:15 | |
to single out those who have made a | 5:18 | |
significant contribution to this university. | 5:21 | |
And we recognized recipients of scholarships | 5:24 | |
made possible by the founding family. | 5:27 | |
Today, we pause as we do each year, in memory | 5:31 | |
of the Duke family, to honor all those who have | 5:35 | |
given of themselves in service to the future | 5:38 | |
by creating and recreating this university. | 5:42 | |
We reaffirm here, our pledge of Duke, | 5:46 | |
to the ideal of service to humanity. | 5:49 | |
And we give thanks for those who | 5:53 | |
unselfishly take responsibility for a | 5:55 | |
future that belongs to other generations. | 5:57 | |
We remember also, that Duke University was founded | 6:01 | |
in order to return the wealth of the land to | 6:05 | |
its people through the dissemination of knowledge | 6:08 | |
and respect for truth, and through the continuing | 6:12 | |
generosity of those who established it for all time. | 6:15 | |
- | Let us pray. | 6:23 |
Gracious God, on this time of remembrance of our founders, | 6:28 | |
oh God of wisdom, we offer you thanks and praise | 6:34 | |
for the gift of our dear university, for the | 6:38 | |
opportunities to learn and to wonder, which we enjoy here. | 6:42 | |
We pray for all teachers, students and staff | 6:47 | |
that we all might be true to the high vocation | 6:52 | |
to which You have called us. | 6:57 | |
Be with us as we face the challenge of new tasks, | 6:59 | |
the fear of failure, the expectations | 7:04 | |
of parents, friends and self. | 7:07 | |
In our learning and in our teaching here, | 7:11 | |
may we be true to the vision of our founders. | 7:14 | |
May we grow in service to others and in love for Your world. | 7:18 | |
Through Jesus Christ our Lord. | 7:23 | |
Amen. | 7:26 | |
Please join me in the litany of commemoration. | 7:28 | |
Almighty and eternal God in whom our mothers and fathers | 7:37 | |
have trusted, we their children at this time of remembrance | 7:40 | |
offer unto Thee our prayers of thanksgiving. | 7:44 | |
(congregation mumbling out of unison) | 7:48 | |
For the members of the Duke family, | 7:50 | |
father, daughter, sons, and their spouses, grandchildren, | 7:53 | |
and all others in continuing generations until this very day | 7:57 | |
who with concern and compassion, devotion and dedication, | 8:01 | |
and by their generosity, built on a solid foundation, | 8:06 | |
continued a worthy school and provided for education | 8:10 | |
and service beyond even their dreams and expectations. | 8:13 | |
(congregation mumbling out of unison) | 8:18 | |
For the pioneering and persevering men and women | 8:21 | |
connected with this university, Methodist and Quakers, | 8:23 | |
farmers and merchants, teachers and administrators, | 8:28 | |
who in days gone by believed in education | 8:31 | |
and made their beliefs prevail. | 8:34 | |
(congregation mumbling out of unison) | 8:37 | |
For the embodiment of their dreams. | 8:40 | |
From private school to academy, to college, | 8:42 | |
to great university, founded in hope, continued with | 8:45 | |
sacrifice, growing in outreach, serving with commitment. | 8:49 | |
(congregation mumbling out of unison) | 8:54 | |
For faculty and staff whose vision was bolstered by their | 8:57 | |
courage, whose patience was tested and found true, and whose | 9:01 | |
idealism was implanted in the hearts and minds of others. | 9:06 | |
(congregation mumbling out of unison) | 9:10 | |
For the ongoing presence of noble ideas, | 9:12 | |
the blending of (speaking in a foreign language), | 9:16 | |
the freedom for responsible academic research | 9:19 | |
and teaching, the ongoing respect for both | 9:22 | |
the body and the spirit, pursuit of knowledge | 9:24 | |
in the sciences and the humanities, the realization that | 9:27 | |
the old order changes and new times bring new opportunities. | 9:31 | |
(congregation mumbling out of unison) | 9:35 | |
For the future of Duke University, established for Thy glory | 9:38 | |
and for the enlightenment of the human mind and spirit. | 9:43 | |
For consecration to learning by the young for the | 9:46 | |
best use of the wisdom of those in later years. | 9:49 | |
For the commitment to growth and the enhancement | 9:53 | |
of all persons, for a sense of humor, | 9:55 | |
a spirit of cooperation, and a desire for | 9:58 | |
understanding among all within our community and the world. | 10:01 | |
(congregation mumbling out of unison) | 10:06 | |
We welcome you to this service of worship | 10:26 | |
here at Duke University chapel on the third | 10:30 | |
Sunday in the Christian season of Advent. | 10:32 | |
We call your attention to the announcements | 10:37 | |
in the bulletin for the various pre-Christmas | 10:39 | |
and Christmas activities in this chapel. | 10:42 | |
And now, let us worship God. | 10:46 | |
("Praise the Source of Faith and Learning | 10:51 | |
by Thomas Troeger") | 10:53 | |
♪ Praise the source of faith and learning ♪ | 11:48 | |
♪ Who has sparked and stoked the mind ♪ | 11:55 | |
♪ With a passion for discerning ♪ | 12:03 | |
♪ How the world has been designed ♪ | 12:10 | |
♪ Let the sense of wonder flowing ♪ | 12:17 | |
♪ From the wonders we survey ♪ | 12:24 | |
♪ Keep our faith forever growing ♪ | 12:32 | |
♪ And renew our need to pray ♪ | 12:39 | |
♪ God of wisdom we acknowledge ♪ | 12:48 | |
♪ That our science and our art ♪ | 12:56 | |
♪ And the breadth of human knowledge ♪ | 13:03 | |
♪ Only partial truth impart ♪ | 13:11 | |
♪ Far beyond our calculation ♪ | 13:18 | |
♪ Lies a depth we cannot sound ♪ | 13:25 | |
♪ Where your purpose for creation ♪ | 13:33 | |
♪ And the pulse of life are found ♪ | 13:40 | |
♪ May our faith redeem the blunder ♪ | 13:49 | |
♪ Of believing that our thought ♪ | 13:56 | |
♪ Has displaced the grounds for wonder ♪ | 14:04 | |
♪ Which the ancient prophets taught ♪ | 14:11 | |
♪ May our learning curb the error ♪ | 14:19 | |
♪ Which unthinking faith can breed ♪ | 14:26 | |
♪ Lest we justify some terror ♪ | 14:34 | |
♪ With an antiquated creed ♪ | 14:41 | |
♪ As two currents in a river ♪ | 14:50 | |
♪ Fight each others undertow ♪ | 14:58 | |
♪ 'Til converging they deliver ♪ | 15:05 | |
♪ One coherent steady flow ♪ | 15:13 | |
♪ Blend, O God, our faith and learning ♪ | 15:20 | |
♪ 'Til they carve a single course ♪ | 15:27 | |
(lyrics drowned out by organ) | 15:35 | |
- | You may be seated. | 16:54 |
Please, join me for the Advent prayer | 17:03 | |
printed in your bulletin. | 17:05 | |
Congregation | Merciful God, you sent your | 17:09 |
messengers the prophets to preach repentance, | 17:12 | |
and prepare the way for our salvation. | 17:16 | |
Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins. | 17:19 | |
That we may celebrate a right, the commemoration | 17:25 | |
of the nativity, and may await with joy the coming | 17:28 | |
in glory of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who lives and reigns | 17:33 | |
with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. | 17:39 | |
Amen. | 17:45 | |
- | Our preacher for this our Founders Sunday is our provost, | 17:58 |
chief academic officer of this university, | 18:04 | |
Dr. Thomas Langford, who is William K. Quick Professor | 18:07 | |
of Methodist Studies, and a trustee of the | 18:12 | |
Duke endowment, and a United Methodist minister. | 18:15 | |
In his own person and in his leadership | 18:20 | |
on this campus, Dr. Langford has always | 18:23 | |
embodied the motto of this university. | 18:26 | |
And time and again, his voice has been the one | 18:31 | |
that has called us back to our roots and to our purpose, | 18:35 | |
and reminded us of our high moral vocation. | 18:39 | |
And we await his word with eagerness. | 18:45 | |
And now, let us pray together our prayer for illumination. | 18:49 | |
Congregation | Open our hearts and minds, | 18:55 |
O God, by the power of your Holy Spirit, | 18:57 | |
so that as the word is read and proclaimed, | 19:01 | |
we might be prepared for your advent among us. | 19:04 | |
- | The Old Testament lesson this morning is from | 19:10 |
Psalm 146, a song of praise for God's help. | 19:12 | |
Happy are those whose help is in the God of Jacob, | 19:20 | |
whose hope is in the Lord their God who made | 19:23 | |
the heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them. | 19:27 | |
Who keeps faith forever, who executes justice for | 19:30 | |
the oppressed, who gives food for the hungry. | 19:34 | |
The Lord sets prisoners free. | 19:38 | |
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. | 19:41 | |
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down. | 19:44 | |
The Lord loves the righteous. | 19:46 | |
The Lord watches over strangers. | 19:50 | |
He upholds the orphan and the widow. | 19:52 | |
But, the way of the wicked He brings to ruin. | 19:56 | |
The Lord will reign forever. | 20:00 | |
Your God of Zion for all generations. | 20:02 | |
Praise the Lord. | 20:06 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 20:09 | |
Congregation | Thanks be to God. | 20:12 |
- | And the holy gospel for this day is from | 20:14 |
the 11th chapter of the Gospel according | 20:16 | |
to St. Matthew, starting with the second verse. | 20:19 | |
When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, | 20:24 | |
he sent word to by his disciples and said to Him, | 20:28 | |
are you the one who has come, or are we to wait for another? | 20:32 | |
Jesus answered, go, tell John what you hear and see. | 20:36 | |
The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers | 20:41 | |
are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised. | 20:45 | |
And the poor have good news preached to them. | 20:48 | |
Blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me. | 20:52 | |
As they went away, Jesus began to | 20:59 | |
speak to the crowds about John. | 21:00 | |
What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? | 21:04 | |
A reed shaken by the wind? | 21:07 | |
What then did you go out to see? | 21:10 | |
Someone dressed in soft robes? | 21:13 | |
Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal places. | 21:16 | |
What then did you go out to see, a prophet? | 21:21 | |
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. | 21:26 | |
This is the one about whom it is written. | 21:29 | |
See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you. | 21:32 | |
He will prepare your way before you. | 21:37 | |
Truly I tell you, among those born of women, | 21:40 | |
no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. | 21:43 | |
Yet, the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. | 21:48 | |
This is the word of the Lord. | 21:56 | |
(congregation mumbling out of unison) | 22:00 | |
("Go Tell it on the Mountain" by John Wesley Work, Jr.) | 22:22 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 22:28 | |
♪ Over the hills and everywhere ♪ | 22:32 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 22:36 | |
♪ That Jesus Christ is born ♪ | 22:40 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 22:46 | |
♪ Over the hills and everywhere ♪ | 22:50 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 22:54 | |
♪ That Jesus Christ is born ♪ | 22:58 | |
♪ While shepherds kept their watching ♪ | 23:06 | |
♪ O'er silent flocks by night ♪ | 23:10 | |
♪ Behold throughout the heavens ♪ | 23:15 | |
♪ There shone a holy light ♪ | 23:19 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 23:26 | |
♪ Over the hills and everywhere ♪ | 23:30 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 23:34 | |
♪ That Jesus Christ is born ♪ | 23:37 | |
♪ The shepherds feared and trembled ♪ | 23:42 | |
♪ When low above the earth ♪ | 23:46 | |
♪ Rang out the angel chorus ♪ | 23:50 | |
♪ That hailed our Savior's birth ♪ | 23:55 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 24:02 | |
♪ Over the hills and everywhere ♪ | 24:06 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 24:10 | |
♪ That Jesus Christ is born ♪ | 24:13 | |
♪ Down in a lowly manger ♪ | 24:18 | |
♪ The humble Christ was born ♪ | 24:22 | |
♪ And brought us God's salvation ♪ | 24:26 | |
♪ That blessed Christmas morn' ♪ | 24:31 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 24:38 | |
♪ Over the hills and everywhere ♪ | 24:42 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 24:47 | |
♪ That Jesus Christ is born ♪ | 24:50 | |
♪ Go tell it on the mountain ♪ | 25:12 | |
♪ That Jesus Christ is born ♪ | 25:18 | |
- | We have, this weekend, presented the board of | 26:00 |
trustees a planning document for Duke University. | 26:04 | |
In the early part of that document, there's a statement. | 26:12 | |
One of the sentences that I put in. | 26:18 | |
Others wrote most of the document. | 26:23 | |
But, it originally read that Duke had its | 26:27 | |
origins in a Christian tradition | 26:29 | |
that emphasized | 26:35 | |
intellectual and personal integrity, generosity, | 26:37 | |
openness and commitment | 26:44 | |
and affirmation of diversity. | 26:49 | |
In one of the rounds of discussing the document, | 26:53 | |
a faculty member asked, | 26:58 | |
why is this in the past tense? | 27:02 | |
That Duke had its origins in | 27:07 | |
a tradition that stressed. | 27:12 | |
Does that tradition no longer stress these things? | 27:16 | |
Or is the relationship | 27:21 | |
only a past matter? | 27:24 | |
Once again the question was raised, | 27:29 | |
what about Duke University | 27:33 | |
as it presently exists, | 27:37 | |
and its origins in a very particular | 27:41 | |
Christian tradition? | 27:45 | |
Certainly there are many changes that have occurred. | 27:49 | |
I'm rather sure that if you were simply to take | 27:55 | |
a count of present students, faculty and administrators | 27:58 | |
of this university, you would have to say | 28:03 | |
that Duke University is a secular university. | 28:06 | |
It seems to derive a great many of its values | 28:12 | |
from current commitments in regard to | 28:17 | |
the dimensions of life, | 28:22 | |
and whether or not | 28:27 | |
one ought to include in those dimensions | 28:28 | |
a theme of transcendence. | 28:33 | |
And if one were to include a theme of transcendence | 28:35 | |
what would be the nature of that transcendence? | 28:38 | |
In what way are we today as Duke University related | 28:44 | |
to that past, which was very specific, | 28:49 | |
which understood | 28:55 | |
itself to be coming from a cular-Christian tradition? | 28:56 | |
The question is larger than I shall answer today. | 29:04 | |
But, let me discuss it just a bit. | 29:12 | |
Tradition is a verb as well as a noun. | 29:22 | |
It is not simply something which was, | 29:29 | |
it is something which is and something which is becoming. | 29:32 | |
Traditioning an institution is probably more | 29:37 | |
accurate as a description of what happens, | 29:42 | |
than to speak of a tradition in an institution. | 29:45 | |
And that means that all who came after the beginning | 29:49 | |
have also influenced the shape of things as they now are. | 29:54 | |
Character builds slowly over time | 30:01 | |
and it changes. | 30:07 | |
Yet, a part of maturity is | 30:11 | |
the ability to bless one's parents. | 30:13 | |
Growing up, we reached stages of development | 30:18 | |
when the most important way in which we can | 30:22 | |
identify who we are is to say no to those who | 30:24 | |
would imprint us with their values or their hopes. | 30:28 | |
We have this in relation to our parents. | 30:35 | |
There are periods when we have to say no, | 30:38 | |
but maturity is shown when we can say yes as well as no, | 30:40 | |
when we can accept what is good as well as reject | 30:45 | |
what we do not believe. | 30:50 | |
And so, as we grow from our beginnings in that very | 30:55 | |
particular tradition, both words, | 30:58 | |
no and yes | 31:01 | |
have been said. | 31:06 | |
There are some things to which yes may be | 31:09 | |
uttered rather quickly and comfortably. | 31:14 | |
The early institute from which Duke University grew | 31:20 | |
was built upon at least two convictions. | 31:25 | |
One was that education | 31:30 | |
should be available | 31:33 | |
to a wide range of people. | 31:38 | |
Now, it's true that in the New England settlement | 31:43 | |
coming out of the reform tradition, and in the | 31:46 | |
Virginia settlement coming out of the Anglican tradition, | 31:48 | |
the first colleges were built in order to train clergy. | 31:51 | |
But, the Methodists, and later the Baptists, | 31:58 | |
went a different way. | 32:00 | |
Their institutions were built to train laity. | 32:03 | |
Only a half a century later did the first appearance | 32:09 | |
of theological education come on the scene. | 32:13 | |
That small institute in Randolph County was not for clergy, | 32:21 | |
it was for the ordinary citizenry, farmers, | 32:27 | |
merchants, | 32:33 | |
people whom that community believed, | 32:36 | |
and that particular church believed | 32:39 | |
would be enriched for being educated. | 32:41 | |
And so, as the movement crossed the country, | 32:46 | |
institutions for laity were established. | 32:50 | |
But, they thought education was important not in itself, | 32:55 | |
but as an end to something more than itself. | 32:59 | |
They believed that education was important | 33:03 | |
for the full maturation of life. | 33:05 | |
And therefore, to be educated was to be | 33:10 | |
better able to know one's self and one's place | 33:14 | |
and one's responsibilities within one's setting. | 33:18 | |
That we also can affirm | 33:24 | |
rather readily that education | 33:29 | |
should be available, and education enriches life. | 33:32 | |
Some things which are bequeathed we debate. | 33:40 | |
One we debate probably less biley that a couple other | 33:46 | |
I'll mention, is that there was the conviction | 33:49 | |
in the early life of this institution that | 33:53 | |
education should be for the development of the total person. | 33:56 | |
Education is not only the development of the mind, | 34:01 | |
but it is the development of the spirit, | 34:07 | |
it is the development of a moral sense, | 34:08 | |
it is a development of service to others. | 34:10 | |
Sometimes today we think of education almost as though | 34:17 | |
we are dealing with discarnate intellects. | 34:21 | |
We're just training the mind. | 34:25 | |
But, our forefathers or mothers believed | 34:31 | |
we were dealing with whole people. | 34:36 | |
And to spend four years on the campus of an educational | 34:38 | |
institution should immensely enrich | 34:42 | |
the dimensions of our awareness, | 34:47 | |
of our commitments, and of our service. | 34:50 | |
There may be some debate about that as to whether | 34:54 | |
that's an inheritance we want to affirm completely, | 34:56 | |
or whether we take part of it, | 34:59 | |
but that also we can affirm to some measure. | 35:02 | |
But, there were two assumptions that the founders | 35:09 | |
of the beginning of the institution reaffirmed | 35:12 | |
by Mr. Duke held that are highly debatable. | 35:15 | |
One is that ethics comes from a very specific base. | 35:21 | |
They really believed that ethics | 35:28 | |
is not just something common in the air. | 35:29 | |
How is it that one argues generally that one should love | 35:34 | |
one's neighbor, or that one should be willing to sacrifice | 35:38 | |
one's own self interest for the well being of others? | 35:42 | |
That they believed came from a very specific tradition. | 35:45 | |
You find in Mr. Duke's words, as well as | 35:53 | |
in the words of the founders, talk about in | 35:58 | |
various ways the imitation of Christ. | 36:03 | |
Once again, they did believe that the love of God | 36:09 | |
enriched the love of wisdom, and vice versa, | 36:12 | |
the love of wisdom enriched the love of God. | 36:15 | |
This too is debatable. | 36:21 | |
One may take a variety of positions on this. | 36:25 | |
And one may argue against this. | 36:31 | |
But, for them and for some today, | 36:38 | |
this still remains | 36:42 | |
a coalescence of fundamental assumption | 36:45 | |
and final effort. | 36:53 | |
Looking at our past, we ask, | 36:59 | |
in what way does a secular university still | 37:04 | |
have its footing in these things? | 37:07 | |
And the immediate answer is, in some ways, | 37:10 | |
obviously there are connections. | 37:12 | |
In other ways, those connections | 37:14 | |
either are tenuous or greatly debated. | 37:15 | |
Perhaps, and this is the theme I struck before, | 37:24 | |
one way that Duke continues its tradition | 37:29 | |
and is being traditioned is that | 37:32 | |
it keeps these debates alive. | 37:34 | |
That it is willing, and must be willing on a university | 37:41 | |
campus to have its most fundamental assumptions challenged. | 37:45 | |
But it must also be willing to counter with strength, | 37:53 | |
and challenge those who challenge the assumptions. | 37:58 | |
One of the realities of the present situation is | 38:01 | |
that as strong | 38:08 | |
as secular impulses are, | 38:11 | |
they themselves are also | 38:16 | |
under serious scrutiny. | 38:19 | |
Is the assertion of neutrality about values | 38:25 | |
really itself valid? | 38:33 | |
Sometimes secularism means the leveling of things | 38:39 | |
so there are no major points of emphasis. | 38:42 | |
Sometimes there are emphasis that differ from the past so | 38:47 | |
that one might think that she or he is a secular humanist, | 38:50 | |
or secular ecologist, | 38:57 | |
or as one philosopher | 39:02 | |
liked to say, he was a cosmic behaviorist. | 39:04 | |
Secularism can take many forms. | 39:08 | |
But, these forms are no more assured in their lastingness | 39:12 | |
than are some of the forms which we inherited from the past. | 39:19 | |
And part of being in this tradition is to continue | 39:22 | |
to explore, to debate, | 39:27 | |
to do battle over the issue. | 39:32 | |
For instance, one might ask, | 39:37 | |
does even a secular humanism carry within itself | 39:42 | |
a large enough set of dimensions to survive in this world? | 39:48 | |
Is it not a case, in part, that an over-concentration | 39:55 | |
on the human dimension of life has undercut, at times, | 39:59 | |
the ecological awareness and restoration of our environment? | 40:02 | |
We've used the world for ourselves | 40:07 | |
in unacceptable ways. | 40:13 | |
Secularism, at least as I was told time and again | 40:19 | |
in eastern Europe this summer, has left a society | 40:22 | |
basically without common value, without common ethics. | 40:27 | |
And as I was talking to a Russian about this, | 40:31 | |
I was remembering the words of Dostoyevsky, | 40:34 | |
that without God, all things are possible. | 40:37 | |
What is the source of ethics? | 40:44 | |
Too often, our culture lives off | 40:47 | |
of its past without recognizing its past. | 40:49 | |
It lives on its parents without acknowledging its parents. | 40:52 | |
And in a place like this, we can discuss | 40:59 | |
that issue and debate that issue. | 41:01 | |
How do you measure the character of an institution? | 41:06 | |
Is it to be measured horizontally by those who live | 41:09 | |
within it at one particular time and what they believe? | 41:12 | |
Or is it also measured, in part, vertically | 41:15 | |
by those who have been living in it, | 41:17 | |
some now dead, and how they shaped who we are? | 41:20 | |
Perhaps both. | 41:27 | |
We inherit some character from the past. | 41:29 | |
We reshape and reshape again that character in the present. | 41:33 | |
And so, there is a struggle within this university | 41:40 | |
and this university is in some ways the | 41:43 | |
appropriate place for the struggle to be going on. | 41:45 | |
Some things change. | 41:50 | |
Some things slightly, some a great deal. | 41:53 | |
And some things persist. | 41:59 | |
If you will just for a moment, | 42:04 | |
imagine with me a discussion. | 42:08 | |
It's in the boardroom in Allen building. | 42:12 | |
And sitting around the table | 42:18 | |
is James B. Duke, | 42:23 | |
William Preston Few, | 42:27 | |
Dr. Flowers, Hollis Edens, | 42:32 | |
Deryl Hart, Doug Knight, | 42:39 | |
Terry Sandford, | 42:46 | |
Keith Brodie and Nan Keohane. | 42:50 | |
Suppose someone would say, Mr. Duke, | 42:58 | |
have we carried forward the legacy? | 43:03 | |
Does this university look like what you thought it might? | 43:07 | |
Mr. Duke was a remarkable man. | 43:15 | |
One of his friends wrote of him in an obituary after he died | 43:17 | |
that this friend, who had known him for many years, | 43:23 | |
had never heard him use an oath. | 43:27 | |
Had seen him only with great reluctance | 43:31 | |
say anything negative about anyone. | 43:34 | |
And who listened with unusual | 43:39 | |
intensity and sympathy when others talked. | 43:41 | |
He was not a man of conviction or a man of strength, | 43:46 | |
or a man who knew his own mind. | 43:50 | |
But, these other qualities probably represented | 43:52 | |
something of what he took to be of personal value. | 43:55 | |
And so, he listens as they ask, | 43:59 | |
and perhaps with some | 44:02 | |
rumination would say, | 44:06 | |
I don't know that I envision | 44:13 | |
Duke University that well in the future. | 44:15 | |
I watched Preston Few | 44:21 | |
as he put together a faculty | 44:26 | |
amazingly good. | 44:30 | |
And I watched the changed which ensued, | 44:33 | |
the second World War and Dr. Flowers and that era. | 44:34 | |
The 50s when Hollis Edens was here and it was a | 44:38 | |
kind of triumphal moment, in spite of things like Korea. | 44:43 | |
And Deryl Hart who brought such large perspective to things. | 44:50 | |
And Douglas Knight who, once again, went into the fires | 44:55 | |
with the late 60s, and who struggled mightily | 45:00 | |
to keep the university on course. | 45:04 | |
And Terry Sandford who brought both the regional | 45:12 | |
and a national awareness at the same time. | 45:15 | |
And Keith Brodie who is obviously | 45:21 | |
in a remarkable new prominence. | 45:22 | |
I watched it. | 45:25 | |
And now, Dr. Keohane, | 45:29 | |
whom I don't yet know well enough to call by first name. | 45:34 | |
I don't know that I'd imagined this. | 45:41 | |
And while there were many things to talk about, | 45:45 | |
suppose one of them said, yeah, but, what about this | 45:46 | |
religious thing, what about this Christian thing? | 45:50 | |
And I think he may have said something to the effect that | 45:54 | |
in the 20s we were living with the conviction that very soon | 46:00 | |
Christianity would be the dominate faith in the world. | 46:05 | |
That is not so. | 46:10 | |
Many of the things I accepted with | 46:13 | |
rather calm confidence | 46:15 | |
are now challenged. | 46:21 | |
And I've seen this university, in attempting to draw in | 46:25 | |
the best minds and the best leadership it could, | 46:28 | |
also bring in people who had all of those qualities, | 46:31 | |
and many other fine qualities who would not affirm | 46:34 | |
what I affirmed about Christian belief. | 46:37 | |
I don't know. | 46:42 | |
I've heard that provost on several occasions talk about | 46:46 | |
the battle is more important, perhaps, than the victory. | 46:51 | |
But, as usual, he's more sanguine | 46:57 | |
than I am about most things. | 47:00 | |
I'm not sure I dreamed exactness, | 47:07 | |
but I'm not unhappy with the tradition. | 47:12 | |
I'm not unhappy with the changes that have come. | 47:16 | |
I remain firm in my own convictions. | 47:20 | |
And perhaps each of you, as presidents of this university, | 47:26 | |
have in your own way have found it necessary | 47:29 | |
to interpret and reinterpret to sculpt in | 47:32 | |
different ways what you have been given. | 47:34 | |
And now, as Dr. Keohane | 47:41 | |
comes to her place, | 47:46 | |
I think my word of advice is the advice | 47:51 | |
I would have given to each of these others. | 47:53 | |
And I think they'd have heard it rather well. | 47:55 | |
On occasion, go back | 47:59 | |
and look carefully at the foundations. | 48:05 | |
Make sure that what's built is not jerry-built. | 48:09 | |
Make sure the structure has sound footings. | 48:16 | |
And perhaps, for those of us who continue to tradition Duke, | 48:23 | |
that advice is to us, | 48:30 | |
to ongoing founders. | 48:34 | |
It is important to go back to review the foundations | 48:37 | |
and to ask if what we are building | 48:43 | |
fulfills the large, | 48:47 | |
the incredibly large ambitions that have | 48:50 | |
always been a part of this institution. | 48:54 | |
("Of the Father's Love Begotten" by Aurelius C. Prudentius) | 49:06 | |
♪ Of the Father's love begotten ♪ | 49:41 | |
♪ Ere the worlds began to be ♪ | 49:47 | |
♪ He is Alpha and Omega ♪ | 49:51 | |
♪ He the Source, the ending He ♪ | 49:56 | |
♪ Of the things that are, that have been, ♪ | 50:01 | |
♪ And that future years shall see ♪ | 50:08 | |
♪ Evermore and evermore ♪ | 50:12 | |
♪ O ye heights of heaven, adore Him ♪ | 50:20 | |
♪ Angel hosts, His praises sing ♪ | 50:25 | |
♪ Powers, dominions, bow before Him ♪ | 50:30 | |
♪ And extol our God and King ♪ | 50:35 | |
♪ Let no tongue on earth be silent ♪ | 50:40 | |
♪ Every voice in concert ring ♪ | 50:47 | |
♪ Evermore and evermore ♪ | 50:51 | |
♪ Christ, to Thee, with God the Father ♪ | 50:58 | |
♪ And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee ♪ | 51:04 | |
♪ Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving ♪ | 51:09 | |
♪ And unending praises be ♪ | 51:14 | |
♪ Honor, glory, and dominion ♪ | 51:20 | |
♪ And eternal victory ♪ | 51:26 | |
♪ Evermore and evermore ♪ | 51:31 | |
♪ Amen ♪ | 51:38 | |
- | Let us join together in the affirmation of faith. | 51:50 |
Congregation | I believe in God the Father Almighty, | 51:55 |
Maker of heaven and earth, | 51:58 | |
and in Jesus Christ His only Son, our Lord, | 52:00 | |
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, | 52:03 | |
born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, | 52:06 | |
who was crucified, dead and buried. | 52:10 | |
He descended into hell. | 52:14 | |
The third day, he rose again from the dead. | 52:16 | |
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at | 52:19 | |
the right hand of God the Father Almighty. | 52:22 | |
From thence he will come to judge the quick and the dead. | 52:25 | |
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic church, | 52:29 | |
the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, | 52:33 | |
the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. | 52:37 | |
Amen. | 52:41 | |
- | The Lord be with you. | 52:44 |
- | And also with you. | |
- | Let us pray. | 52:47 |
You may be seated. | 52:48 | |
O God, of all times and places, we pray | 53:02 | |
in this time and this place for Duke University which | 53:05 | |
is set today amid the perplexities of a changing order. | 53:11 | |
Bestow upon her a great responsiveness | 53:16 | |
to duty and a commitment to attain the | 53:19 | |
highest ideals of knowledge and vital piety. | 53:22 | |
We pray for your continued guidance | 53:27 | |
of the leadership of this university. | 53:29 | |
We are especially grateful for Keith and Brenda Brodie, | 53:32 | |
and for their years of outstanding service. | 53:36 | |
We pray also for Nan Keohane, that as she | 53:40 | |
assumes the presidency, she may be led by your | 53:43 | |
spirit to act in wisdom and courage to achieve | 53:47 | |
the highest potential of this university. | 53:51 | |
We are grateful for the visionaries | 53:55 | |
who made this university possible. | 53:57 | |
And for the many men and women who have shared | 54:00 | |
their God-given talents to make it great. | 54:03 | |
We pray that You would continue to guide all of us | 54:06 | |
who have responsibility for carrying on that tradition | 54:10 | |
of greatness to a commitment to offer our very best, | 54:14 | |
that we too may pass on a sound tradition of excellence | 54:19 | |
and moral attainment to those who will follow us. | 54:23 | |
We pray also for the students who come | 54:28 | |
to Duke with large dreams and great hope. | 54:31 | |
May their vision of the future be shaped by Your vision. | 54:35 | |
And may they be led in attaining their | 54:39 | |
highest potential of mind, body and spirit. | 54:41 | |
Give them wisdom to discern the light of truth | 54:46 | |
amid things vanishing and deceptive. | 54:50 | |
Finally, call them into your service, | 54:54 | |
that their gifts might be used for the good of humanity. | 54:56 | |
We are mindful that all of us in this | 55:01 | |
university have been given a great trust. | 55:03 | |
And with that trust comes responsibility | 55:07 | |
to greater service of humanity. | 55:10 | |
Move us to swifter compassion with suffering | 55:13 | |
and an active commitment to work for the well-being | 55:16 | |
of this community, our nation and our world. | 55:19 | |
Grant us grace, fearlessly to contend against evil, | 55:24 | |
and to make no peace with oppression. | 55:29 | |
Let us seek justice and freedom for all people, regardless | 55:32 | |
of their ethnic, social, economic or racial background. | 55:37 | |
Help us become the kind of community that values | 55:42 | |
all the diverse gifts its members have to offer, | 55:45 | |
and which treats all people with respect. | 55:49 | |
May we faithfully be drawn to learning and | 55:53 | |
growing and discipleship, ever seeking to | 55:56 | |
more closely embody Jesus Christ in the world. | 56:00 | |
When we have turned from Your way, help us to recognize our | 56:04 | |
distance from You, that we may repent and reverse our ways. | 56:08 | |
Correct us when we need to be corrected, that we | 56:13 | |
may ever seek to be guided by Your light and Your truth. | 56:17 | |
Through Jesus Christ, who is the | 56:22 | |
light of the world and our Savior. | 56:24 | |
Amen. | 56:27 | |
We have been recipients of God's | 56:31 | |
self-giving love through Jesus Christ. | 56:33 | |
In truth, all that we have and | 56:35 | |
all that we are are gifts from God. | 56:37 | |
It is our privilege to be able to | 56:40 | |
share those gifts with one another. | 56:42 | |
Let us give generously. | 56:44 | |
(serene music) | 56:50 | |
(choir singing indistinctly) | 57:55 | |
♪ Praise God from whom all blessings flow ♪ | 1:01:57 | |
♪ Praise Him all creatures here below ♪ | 1:02:03 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 1:02:10 | |
♪ Praise God above ye heavenly host ♪ | 1:02:18 | |
♪ Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost ♪ | 1:02:25 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 1:02:31 | |
♪ Hallelujah, hallelujah ♪ | 1:02:38 | |
♪ Hallelujah ♪ | 1:02:45 | |
- | Gracious God, for all that has been, we give thanks. | 1:03:00 |
For all that is to be, thanks. | 1:03:04 | |
For all Your gifts, we praise Your name. | 1:03:08 | |
Especially at this season of the year, | 1:03:11 | |
for the gift of Your Son. | 1:03:14 | |
It is in His name, and for His work in this world | 1:03:17 | |
that we offer these our gifts. | 1:03:20 | |
And the name of the One who has | 1:03:24 | |
taught us when we pray, to say. | 1:03:27 | |
Congregation | Our Father who art in heaven, | 1:03:30 |
hallowed be Thy name. | 1:03:33 | |
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, | 1:03:35 | |
on earth as it is in heaven. | 1:03:39 | |
Give us this day our daily bread. | 1:03:42 | |
And forgive us our trespasses | 1:03:44 | |
as we forgive those who trespass against us. | 1:03:47 | |
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. | 1:03:51 | |
For Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. | 1:03:55 | |
Amen. | 1:04:01 | |
("Hail to the Lord's Anointed" by James Montgomery) | 1:04:03 | |
♪ Hail to the Lord's Anointed ♪ | 1:04:45 | |
♪ Great David's greater Son ♪ | 1:04:51 | |
♪ Hail in the time appointed ♪ | 1:04:56 | |
♪ His reign on earth begun ♪ | 1:05:01 | |
♪ He comes to break oppression ♪ | 1:05:06 | |
♪ To set the captive free ♪ | 1:05:12 | |
♪ To take away transgression ♪ | 1:05:17 | |
♪ And rule in equity ♪ | 1:05:22 | |
♪ He comes with succor speedy ♪ | 1:05:29 | |
♪ To those who suffer wrong ♪ | 1:05:34 | |
♪ To help the poor and needy ♪ | 1:05:40 | |
♪ And bid the weak be strong ♪ | 1:05:45 | |
♪ To give them songs for sighing ♪ | 1:05:51 | |
♪ Their darkness turn to light ♪ | 1:05:56 | |
♪ Whose souls, condemned and dying ♪ | 1:06:02 | |
♪ Are precious in His sight ♪ | 1:06:07 | |
♪ He shall come down like showers ♪ | 1:06:14 | |
♪ Upon the fruitful earth ♪ | 1:06:19 | |
♪ Love, joy, and hope, like flowers ♪ | 1:06:25 | |
♪ Spring in His path to birth ♪ | 1:06:30 | |
♪ Before Him on the mountains ♪ | 1:06:36 | |
♪ Shall peace, the herald, go ♪ | 1:06:41 | |
♪ And righteousness in fountains ♪ | 1:06:46 | |
♪ From hill to valley flow ♪ | 1:06:52 | |
♪ To Him shall prayer unceasing ♪ | 1:06:59 | |
♪ And daily vows ascend ♪ | 1:07:04 | |
♪ His kingdom still increasing ♪ | 1:07:10 | |
♪ A kingdom without end ♪ | 1:07:15 | |
♪ The tide of time shall never ♪ | 1:07:20 | |
♪ His covenant remove ♪ | 1:07:25 | |
♪ His name shall stand forever ♪ | 1:07:31 | |
♪ That name to us is love ♪ | 1:07:36 | |
- | May God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit | 1:08:06 |
be with you now and always. | 1:08:09 | |
Amen. | 1:08:12 | |
(choir singing indistinctly) | 1:08:15 |
Item Info
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