"Deo Et Doctrinae: An address delivered at Samford University on December 19, 1966, for a convocation celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the founding of the school."

DEO ET DOCTRINAE William E. Hull (An address delivered at Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, on December 19, 1966, for a convocation celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the founding of the school.) The seal of Samford University is inscribed with the motto, Deo et Doctrinae, suggesting the twin commitments of the institution to God and to the quest for truth. It is important to remember that the word doctrina, which today connotes a prescribed body of ecclesiastical dogma, originally referred to the entire teaching and learning process by which knowledge is achieved. Our Latin motto does not enjoin the defense of any particular set of sacred traditions; rather, it bids us serve God by sponsoring instruction in whatever insights nourish the life of the mind. This clarification sharpens our perception of the terrible tension concealed within what appears to be only a pious phrase. Many partisans from the religious or academic communities would embrace only one side of the slogan and thereby split it asunder. More than a few churchmen are convinced that a man cannot be "for God" (Deo) and (et) , at the same time, be "for knowledge" (Doctrinae). Conversely, numerous schoolmen are certain that religion is either irrelevant or detrimental to the educational process. ’ It is now an open question whether both Deus and Doctrina can any longer coexist within the closed circle of the Samford seal. Or, to shift our focus from motto to picture, it is fair from certain that the lamp of learning can continue to rest secuidy on the open Bible. The profound alienation between religion and education that has opened a chasm separating Deus and Doctrina is a development of surpassing significance