False Models of Power: Recapturing a Habit of Mind and Self-governance

The models we have for a proper Christian use of power are often wholly absent or too simple to serve in a complex democratic republic like our own. Worse still, many models of imperial brutality, barbarism, and tyranny adorn the hearts and minds of especially young men today, thanks to the almighty meme. Come discuss with Dr. Mehan the connections between our images of strong and Christian manliness and the counterimages on offer today. And consider the possibility that policy options will be opened or foreclosed depending on just what images we choose to adopt.

Dr. Matthew Mehan is the Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Government for the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C., location on Capitol Hill. He has been teaching and designing humanities curricula for twenty-five years. Dr. Mehan graduated valedictorian from the University of Dallas, and he received from his alma mater a B.A. in Politics, an M.A. in English, and an honors Ph.D. in Literature on the education of leading citizens. For over a decade, he has also taught for the College’s Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program for undergraduates.

Dr. Mehan has consulted for national leaders and heads of state. He has written for various outlets both scholarly and popular, including Moreana and The Wall Street Journal. He is also the author of The Handsome Little Cygnet as well as Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals, an illustrated, best-selling book of poems that one critic called ‘a new classic’ in children’s literature. He is on the board of advisors for Hillsdale’s K-12. His lovely wife and their passel of children live in Virginia.