By Anna Lloyd ('26)
This week, sixteen small groups across campus met for the first time, utilizing a six-week curriculum called “The After Party” to help navigate discussions regarding Christian engagement in politics.
These groups are jointly sponsored by the Office of Spiritual Life and the Kingdom Initiative, with the goal of drawing students, faculty, staff and community members into conversation with one another. The groups will wrap up in the first week of November, just in time for the election, and culminate in the Kindschi Symposium on Faith and Justice on the topic of civility. For students, it is also an opportunity to earn Around-the-Table credits toward their fall chapel attendance.
Bethany Tubman (‘25), leading one of the small groups, said, “The After Party is a unique opportunity to engage in meaningful and intentional conversation about how Christians should navigate the American political climate. I’m so thankful that Houghton is partnering with the After Party.”
Given the topic these groups are centered on, worrying about the content and atmosphere surrounding these conversations is to be expected. However, that fear is partly what these groups are designed to address.
“[Students] need opportunities to reflect on the meaning of Christian citizenship without getting caught up in the media hype, overhead polemics, and online frenzy,” Dr. Meilaender, Dean of Religion, Humanities and Global Studies and the Kingdom Initiative Director, shared. “This fall’s After Party groups should provide the chance to do that, getting together with a few brothers and sisters in Christ – faculty, students, and staff – to talk with each other about how we engage in public life, live out the faith, and respect our fellow citizens, even when we disagree sharply.”
The curriculum acknowledges the deeply polarizing atmosphere that many people are familiar with when it comes to discussions around politics, and instead seeks to re-orient participants in these conversations toward living out identity in Christ through the way that they engage with others.
“As Christians,” Interim Dean of Spiritual Life and Chair of Religion, J.L. Miller said, “we must find ways to subvert the current cultural draw towards polarization…to help one another have caring and charitable conversations with people from all walks of life.”
As participants engage in their small groups, they will be asked to consider questions such as “Who has disappeared from your life because of politics?” in order to shift discussions from being primarily about party, policy and ideology, to being centered on relational practices, relationships and spiritual values. The curriculum stresses that this doesn’t suggest that Christians should not take part in political discussions or actions. Rather, “The After Party” takes this approach because, at this time, the political arena is dominated by a way of relating to one another that ultimately attempts to deny the worthiness and value of those whom you may disagree with. The hope is that as individuals refocus on relating to one another in a way that affirms their being created in the image of God. In this way, we will be able to move forward into conversations that do involve party, policy and ideology in ways that are helpful and beneficial.
Miller shared that it is his “sincere hope that our campus’ participation in the After Party will help all participants grow in their ability to demonstrate Christ’s love during a contentious time in the public sphere.
A group participant, Mary Blake (‘26) said of her experience in an After Party group: “I’m excited to have the opportunity to be in an After party group with other people who are looking to honor God and prioritize loving their neighbor in the election season. I hope that these discussions inspire us to be more active in building relationships with people who may see things differently than us and less passive in having difficult conversations.” ★