Department of Religious Studies

Faculty:

Dr. Fred Grissom, Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,  University, Professor of Religious Studies.

Adjunct Faculty:

Stephen Benko, M.A., Syracuse University, Instructor of Philosophy.

Dr. Robert L. Carter, Ph.D., University of North Carolina--Chapel Hill, Instructor of Religious Studies (Raleigh/RTP). 

John Check, D. Min., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Instructor of Religious Studies. 

Barry Drum, M.Div., Duke University, Instructor of Philosophy and Religious Studies (Raleigh/RTP).

Debra Murphy, Ph.D., Drew University, Instructor of Religious Studies (Raleigh/RTP).

Dr. William T. Pyle, Ph.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Virginia Union University, Instructor of Religious Studies.

Marilyn Richardson, M.A., Virginia Union University, Instructor of Religious Studies.

Reginald Whitaker, M.Div., Virginia Union University, Instructor of Religious Studies (Goldsboro). 

Curriculum:

Courses

Requirements for the Religious Studies Major

Requirements for the Religious Studies Minor

Links

Why Study Religion?

Staley Lecture

"True religion is sense and taste for the infinite." --Schleiermacher

WHAT IS "RELIGIOUS STUDIES"?

Religious Studies is a Liberal Arts discipline that begins with the idea that "religions" have some characteristics in common. We study religions from an academic point of view. Our goal is to learn about, and make sense of, religious lives and religious institutions.

Many students, especially at a church-related college like North Carolina Wesleyan, come to the study of religion through an interest in their own religious tradition. They feel a need to learn more about its history, its texts, its origins, and its relations with the culture around it. Starting from these questions, we can look at general theories of what it means to be religious. We may also study religion comparatively, interacting with other faiths and religious viewpoints.

The academic study of religion generally includes these three types of study-historical, theoretical, and comparative. Religious ways of knowing are also compared and contrasted with scientific or secular views of the world.

This brief description suggests a way of working. First, there is a need to study and interact with our own Scriptures, history and moral understanding. Second, there must be a willingness to look with empathy at traditions far removed from our own beliefs. Third, there can develop a critical and sympathetic dialogue between our own tradition and others, and between religious and non-religious outlooks. Finally, our understanding of religion should be connected with other aspects of our life and learning, and brought to bear on various timely issues. These connections can be the start of various careers.

At North Carolina Wesleyan, Religious Studies is a discipline within the Humanities Division. Our faculty offer a variety of courses each semester. We offer a major concentration, leading to the degree Bachelor of Arts, and also a minor concentration. Each year, we sponsor a lecture series on campus--the Staley Lecture.