Religion in the Church-Related College

Abstract

lege has religion as its central concern. In large measure its crucial distinctiveness and perhaps even its very raison d'etre lies in how effectively it makes religion an integral part of the total college program. I would suggest that the carrying out of that program involves careful consideration of the following three areas: (1) the teaching of religion as a subject of study; (2) the total religious activities and environment of the college; and (3) extension services in religion to the churches and communities of its area. 1. The Teaching of Religion. One of the most notable and, to my mind, hopeful trends in higher education in the last few years has been the increase in the attention given to religion by non-church-related institutions of higher learning. Not only are now about two per cent of the Ph.D.'s being awarded coming out in the field of religion,' but increasingly the state-supported schools are introducing courses in religion. Various means are used, of course, such as the establishment of separate schools of religion within the university, the employment of teachers of religion in the departments of philosophy or languages, and the accreditation of courses offered by denominational foundations at the edge of the campus. The church-related colleges have long and rightfully claimed their unique freedom of opportunity and even obligation to be that of the teaching of religion. Perhaps they may still lay claim to the freedom to teach it more appreciatively and centrally and hence perhaps more effectively than the non-churchrelated school, but they may well look to their laurels in doing so. Always it has behooved the church college to put religion on a par academically with literature, science, sociology, or any other subject. But what has too often been at least the popular impression? That courses in religion constituted the characterbuilding area of the curriculum taught by a very personable clergyman whose chief asset to the college lay in religious public relations and whose academic effectiveness was secretly questioned by faculty colleagues and students alike. Or, if that be a travesty on the real situation, that the teacher of religion was so busy administratively operating the chapel and the extra-curricular religious activities of the campus and engaged in personal counseling with students as well as responding to outside demands necessitated by his hybrid professor-preacher status that he simply could not do an adequate classroom job. In view of these factors in the situation and others, it is quite understandable that even state universities which offer courses in Bible and related