Gragg, Choraleers weave history and music at Garnet & Gold Forum
On a cool, clear fall evening last Friday, author, professor, and broadcast journalist Rod Gragg presented in Memorial Hall, helping celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary during Erskine College’s fifth annual Garnet & Gold Forum. Joining him were the Erskine Choraleers, Fleetones, and Chamber Singers.
For the first half of the event—a banquet at Erskine’s Bowie Arts Center—Dean of Erskine Theological Seminary, Dr. Seth Nelson, led the capacity gathering in a prayer of blessing before dinner. Following a specially prepared menu featuring signature dishes from the colonial era, diners were treated to a stirring reading of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Paul Revere’s Ride” by Dr. Mark Ross, the John R. de Witt Chair of Theology and Associate Dean for Erskine Columbia.
Erskine freshman Anna Arrington skillfully modeled a colonial-era dress she sewed herself as she described the era’s fashion and the practicalities of the style worn in the late 1700s.
Guests were then invited upstairs to visit Erskine’s History and Heritage Gallery. Archives and Museum Consultant Alan Pitts guided visitors on an illustrated journey from the beginning of the Reformation, through the legacy of the Erskine brothers, and on to local Revolutionary-era events such as the Treaty of DeWitt’s Corner. The gallery is an exciting and informative display that will continue to develop, eventually encompassing eight bays on the second floor of the Bowie Arts Center.
At Memorial, Gragg read passages of history that underscored the integral role of Christian values in the nation’s founding. Prominent among them was the role of the Black Robe Regiment, a name given to the colonial pastors who helped inspire American revolutionaries into righteous fury by framing their fight in a biblical context as both necessary and just. They also contributed directly to the fight for freedom themselves.
To powerfully illustrate his point, Gragg quoted 29-year-old Virginia pastor John Peter Muhlenburg, who addressed his congregation for the last time before departing to fight in the Revolution in 1776. As he spoke, Muhlenberg wore, fittingly, his black clergyman’s robe and quoted Ecclesiastes 3:3: “To everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” Muhlenberg continued, “There is a time for all things, including a time to fight.”
He urged others to join him as he prepared to depart to fight for the colonies in the Revolution. As he stepped away from the pulpit, he dropped the robe, revealing the full uniform of a Virginia infantry officer beneath.
Gragg’s readings were interwoven with a medley of songs by the trio of Erskine singing ensembles, including an especially powerful rendering of “America the Beautiful.” Dr. Keith Timms, associate professor of music and director of choral activities at Erskine, expertly led the Erskine singing groups. Erskine President Dr. Steven Adamson opened both the banquet and the evening program, emphasizing the vital role of Christianity in our nation’s founding and its future.
Ross closed the evening with a brief benediction before the audience adjourned into the October evening, encouraged by the forum’s words and songs.
The Garnet & Gold Forum, hosted by Erskine College, is an annual event exploring Christian thinking in a secular society. This year’s Garnet & Gold sponsors included: Robert F. Ingram & Family, the Charter Institute at Erskine, and Sonrise Farm & Garden. Click here for information on next year’s Garnet & Gold Forum at Sea!
