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American Citizenship and its decline
April 25 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Free
Join us for this 8 week study, Mondays@7pm starting April 25th
For most of American history, the people, understood as citizens, have ruled through elected representatives under the terms of the Constitution. Today, the constitutional rule of citizens is threatened by a new form of government, unaccountable to the people, in which power is held by a ruling class that seeks to transform our society. This course, based on Victor Davis Hanson’s book The Dying Citizen, examines the origins and history of citizenship in the West and the grave challenges to American citizenship today.
Faithfully,
Diannah Dolby
503.881.6147 | todifor@wvi.com
If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people; 14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:13-14
To add to your calender please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
To join the weekly session
Diannah Dolby is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
https://zoom.us/j/91090999946?pwd=ajN5YkU5TG5pWWlONmNsTVJRZlE0Zz09
Meeting ID: 910 9099 9946
Passcode: 8Su4ra
Schedule
Week 1 – Apr 25, 2022 07:00 PM – Introduction
Free government allows human beings to flourish by providing citizens with authority and responsibility to pursue the common good. This practice of citizenship is under attack today by a form of bureaucratic government in which experts dictate rules concerning every area of life.
Week 2 – May 2, 2022 07:00 PM – The History of Citizenship in the West
Citizenship emerged more than 2,500 years ago in the ancient Greek city-state. Government by the consent of a free citizenry is rare in human history and on the decline today throughout the constitutional republics of the West.
Week 3 – May 9, 2022 07:00 PM – The Disappearing Middle Class
A large and self-sufficient middle class is essential to citizenship, as it prevents an unstable, binary society of rich and poor. The once thriving American middle class is now vanishing due to high debts, low wages, and government policies that trap citizens in a prolonged adolescence.
Week 4 – May 16, 2022 07:00 PM – Illegal Immigration and the Loss of National Sovereignty
America’s founding principle of equality created an opportunity for people from all over the world—regardless of race or birth—to immigrate to the United States and become full citizens. This led to a system of immigration that proceeded according to established laws and required a willingness and ability to assimilate into American society. These criteria have been abandoned in favor of a system of widespread illegal immigration that erodes the rights of citizens.
Week 5 – May 23, 2022 07:00 PM – The Rise of Tribal Politics
Tribal politics is one of the most ancient and dangerous challenges to citizenship. The recent rise of identity politics in America breaks the bonds of common citizenship and divides Americans on the basis of superficial characteristics like race, gender, and sexual orientation.
Week 6 – May 30, 2022 07:00 PM – The Unelected and Unaccountable Deep State
The growth of an administrative deep state in America places massive government power outside the control of American citizens. These unaccountable agencies determine the rules that govern society, execute those rules, and settle disputes, and they wield these combined powers to undermine the constitutional operations of American government.
Week 7 – Jun 6, 2022 07:00 PM – The Erosion of the Constitution
A common challenge to citizenship is the view that human nature changes and that fundamental laws need to be altered in favor of a modern understanding of progress and science. Today, the ruling class seeks to consolidate power and advance its progressive ends by making structural changes to the Constitution or circumventing it entirely.
Week 8 – Jun 13, 2022 07:00 PM – The Global Elite and the Great Reset
There is a growing movement to surrender American sovereignty to international bodies. This effort—championed by a global elite—excludes the participation of the American people and threatens our national security.