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Juniors and seniors are eligible to compete for the Samuel Robinson Award, which is worth up to $1,000.
There are only two requirements: a) to recite the answers to the Westminster Shorter Catechism to Gary Miller, college chaplain, and b) to write a 2,000-word essay on an assigned topic. The application deadline is April 1.
The catechism consists of 107 questions. Essays are graded and the awards range from $700 to $1,000 depending on the grades.
The essay topic: On Aug. 22, 2003, Roy S. Moore, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama, was suspended by the Judiciary Court of Alabama after he disobeyed a federal court’s order to remove the Ten Commandments Monument installed in the Alabama Judicial Building Rotunda. The Court’s ruling against Chief Justice Moore’s placement of the granite structure stated that the monument violated the U.S. Constitution’s principle of “Separation of Religion and Government.” Chief Justice Moore stated, “It is a sad day in our country when the moral foundation of our law and the acknowledgement of God has to be hidden from public view to appease a federal judge.”
The essay will state the student’s opinion on the Judiciary Court’s decision to penalize Chief Justice Moore for disobeying federal court orders violating the “Separation of Religion and Government” and whether he was morally justified in ignoring the court’s order. Scripture and the answers to the Westminster Shorter Catechism should be quoted to validate the student’s perspective. Essays must be typed and double-spaced. Name should appear on each page at the top right-hand corner and each page should be numbered.
This award was established by Samuel Robinson, a believer in the value of memorization of catechisms. Entrants do not have to be a member of the Presbyterian Church.
For more information and a copy of the catechism, contact the chaplain’s office, ext. 5320.