Given all the other news right now not many people have been following the story this week that Goshen College, a small historically Mennonite college decided to ban the playing of the US national anthem because it was “too violent”.
The story was covered by the AP on Tuesday. The leaders of the move to ban the playing of the anthem explained their reasoning and described how they garnered over 1,500 signatures in an essay posted on Ekklesia.
But late yesterday came this news:
“In a Facebook message posted Wednesday afternoon, Indiana’s Goshen College distanced itself from rumors that it had “banned” the playing of “The Star Spangled Banner” at sports games because the lyrics were “violent.”
“Goshen College HAS NOT ‘banned’ the National Anthem. The Board HAS asked President James E. Brenneman to find an alternative to playing the Star-Spangled Banner that fits with sports tradition,” the message clarified.
Additionally, the school denied that violence was the reasoning for their decision. Instead, it stated the board found the music to be “too divisive” and said that it compromised the college’s vision.”
From here.
What do you think? Right decision? Right to back away? It’s an interesting line of thought for Episcopalians, being as we come from a tradition where the mother province is an active participant in the government.