Rev. Dr. James Ellis III, University Chaplain and Director of Student Ministries, along with Dr. Leanne Smythe, Political Studies Instructor, provided their perspectives on the protests that happened on January 6, 2021, in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
They spoke to the Langley Advance Times on Wednesday, on the afternoon of the events.
The following is exerpted from the Langley Advance Times:
For the Rev. Dr. James Ellis III, Chaplain and Director of Student Ministries at Langley-based Trinity Western University, who used to live in the U.S. capitol near the government buildings where the rioting took place, the scenes he was seeing were “unfathomable” and his feelings were mixed.
On the one hand, he was glad he isn’t living there anymore, but on the other hand, he said as an African-American, it is part of a larger struggle that he would “love” to be back there to fight.
“As the saying goes, absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Dr. Ellis told the Langley Advance Times.
“President Trump has pushed the limits and we’re seeing the result. It’s one thing to have differences, it’s another thing to be doing what president Trump is doing.”
“It’s kind of weird” to be witnessing violence in such familiar places, Dr. Ellis commented.
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Dr. Leanne Smythe, Political Studies Instructor at Langley’s Trinity Western University, was cautiously optimistic, but warned it will take “hard work” for the U.S. to overcome its divisions.
Trump won power by speaking for people who have “real fear” about their prospects and felt they weren’t being heard, and Canadians can’t assume a similar kind of disruption can’t happen here, she warned.
“Democracy is fragile and we have taken it so for granted,” Smythe cautioned.
“Our democracy (Canada’s) is fragile too.”
Asked if the Washington events mean the U.S. is so divided as to be ungovernable, as some commentators have suggested, Smythe remarked “that is the fear, and hopefully not the reality.”
Read the full article in Langley Advance Times:
TWU in Langley Advance Times
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has five campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, Ottawa, and Bellingham, WA. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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