Lectures
The Colorado Springs Colony: General William Jackson Palmer’s Christian Civic Vision
Synopsis
The early 20th century British essayist Hilaire Belloc observed that, “The pioneers who gradually extended the influences of the eastern seaboard to the interior, and so built up what was to become the United States, were of every kind and origin…but the door through which all had to pass, the political society which determined the western movement, was…that of the broad, wise, and just William Penn: the Quaker who founded Pennsylvania, and bequeathed his spirit to his followers.” Is it accidental, then, that the founder of Colorado Springs, General William Jackson Palmer, was raised in Penn’s Philadelphia and reared in his Quakerism. Could the fighting Quaker, Civil War general, railroad developer, philanthropist, and Colorado colonist have been inspired by Christian faith? What motivated Palmer to envision a town whose goodness and beauty still attract 21st century settlers and which was judged The Best Big City in America last year by Money Magazine? How did the General understand and pursue the cultural mandate that God gave humanity (cf. Genesis 1:28)—a task which includes shaping nature into culture, transforming space into place, and civilizing the wilderness? Indeed, what makes a good city? In this lecture Mr. McGilchrist will reflect on the origins of Colorado Springs as the expression of a humane and Christian civic vision. Which aspects of the city’s early years offer lessons for the vastly more complex conditions of today? How should Christians seek to contribute to the common well-being of their city?
