Hillsdale College Hosts Talk on St. Patrick and Statesmanship
Steele Brand of Cairn University spoke on “The Statesman as Slave: How St. Patrick Redefined Leadership.”
HILLSDALE, Mich. — Hillsdale College hosted Steele Brand of Cairn University on Feb. 12 for a lecture titled “The Statesman as Slave: How St. Patrick Redefined Leadership.” Brand discussed St. Patrick’s role in transforming servitude into a model of statesmanship.
“In all of the cultural legends surrounding St. Patrick’s Day, it is easy to miss the true story.”
“In all of the cultural legends surrounding St. Patrick’s Day, it is easy to miss the true story,” said Professor of History Wilfred McClay. “By looking at Patrick’s own writings, Dr. Brand showed us a man who founded a civilization and redefined how it should be led.”
Brand argued that Patrick, who was first taken to Ireland as a slave, transformed servitude into a model of statesmanship based in Christian faith, determining to achieve liberty even for the people who enslaved him.
Brand is professor of history and director of the Politics, Philosophy, & History Program at Cairn University. He received his Ph.D. from Baylor University and his M.A.Th. from Southwestern Seminary. A former U.S. Army tactical intelligence officer, Brand writes primarily on republicanism, citizen armies, and statesmanship. His first book is “Killing for the Republic: Citizen-Soldiers and the Roman Way of War.”
For photos from the lecture, click here. For photos of Hillsdale College, click here. For a high-resolution copy of the Hillsdale College clocktower logo, click here.