In 1974, President Richard M. Nixon made a campaign swing through Michigan’s thumb in support of James Sparling, the Republican candidate running in a special election against Democrat Jim Traxler. My grandmother took several of her grandchildren out of school so that we could see the President of the United States of America. As we rode in grandmother’s car, we periodically chanted “We’re off to see the President, the President. We’re off to see the President.”

My grandmother hated Richard M. Nixon and would not have walked across the street to meet him. But we were not venturing out to see Richard M. Nixon. We were off to see the President. Grandma neither voted for Nixon nor planned to support his candidate in the special election. But he was her President and her grandchildren’s President. Grandmother’s sentiment was similar to the one expressed by John Wayne when John F. Kennedy defeated Nixon in 1960. Wayne commented, “I didn’t vote for him, but he’s my President, and I hope he does a good job.”

Another thing that my grandmother understood was that our neighbors–who had not elected a Democrat to congress since 1932–were not evil, vile people. Like her, they voted their conscience. Like her, they loved their country and voted for canidates whom they thought were best suited to serve.

Last week, my high school friend, Bob Czuprynski posted on Facebook that our classmate Bruce Majeske was going to be in town for the weekend and how happy he was to be able to see his friend of 50 years. After their visit, Bruce posted a photograph taken of Bob and himself and explained that he had known Bob longer than he had known his youngest brother. Later Bob posted a note that he and his wife were enjoying the homemade apple pie, made by Bruce’s wife, that Bruce had delivered to them.

During the election campaign, Bruce strongly advocated that Romney needed to become the 45^th president and Bob was equally adamant that Obama deserved reelection. Except for the fact that both desire what is best for the country, there is little commonality between Bob and Bruce’s politics. My grandmother would not be surprised to learn of their friendship.

As academics, we can create situations in our classroom that help students learn that two people with diametrically opposite views can both desire what is best for the country; that people who disagree with our position are not necessarily evil, misinformed, or operating in bad faith. For example, shortly after Congressman Paul Ryan released his budget, I found myself arguing how the Ryan budget was consistent with certain positive American values. They might not be the values that I want to dominate. None-the-less I could state his position well.

Another example of being able to show that people can disagree without being disagreeable came about when I taught Dr. Glenn S. Sunshine’s Why You Think the Way You Do. Sunshine describes himself as “dedicated to living out the Lordship of Christ in every area of my life and equipping others to do the same.” He is also politically conservative and, like Bruce Majeske, expressed concern for Obama’s policies.

When I taught Why You Think the Way You Do, I spoke highly of Sunshine’s scholarship and integrity. I was not hesitant to explain to students why many of his concerns about losing a sense of history are my concerns. I also pointed out places where we interpret historical issues differently as well as one place where I found his analysis to be incorrect. At the end of one semester, a student told me that he was surprised that I would teach a book like Sunshine because he had been told that in college he should expect to be taught by liberal professors who distained anything to do with Christianity. This student had enjoyed his early modern world history class and developed a solid working relationship with his liberal professor because his liberal professor showed respect for his conservative Christian worldview.

More importantly than demonstrating that we can argue various points of view or respectfully teaching scholars whose ideological worldviews are different from our own, what is most important is for professors to create a classroom environment in which students can feel supported while expressing their own views.

Several years ago, a colleague visited my class and witnessed a student giving a presentation during which he argued that homosexuality was sinful. Later in the day, my colleague commented that initially she was surprised that the student would make the case against homosexuality with me sitting in the room. Then, she thought, “How cool is that!”

As long as his research was solid, the student had no fear about adopting a thesis that essentially argued that his professor was doomed to spend eternity in Hell. My grandmother would have been pleased that her professor grandson had learned an important lesson when she took him to see the President of the United States; a lesson he can carry into his classroom.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD

Photo Caption: Richard Nixon (left) campaigning with James Sparling (right) on the day my grandmother took us to see the President. (top) Bob Czyprynski (l) and Bruce Majeske (right) the weekend before the 2012 election. (middle). Dr. Glenn S. Sunshine. (bottom)