The Religious Studies degree is an interdisciplinary program that examines the religious experiences of global human cultures past and present. It develops skills of theological reflection, historical research, analysis, and communication that enable students to engage the world in which they serve in a thoughtful, positive, and creative manner. Students will strengthen their own Christian perspective and define their own beliefs more clearly by exploring the beliefs and practices of numerous other religious traditions.
Every undergraduate student pursuing a four-year degree at Johnson earns a double major – a major in Bible and Theology and a major of their choice, like Religious Studies. Click here to learn more about the Bible and Theology major.
This course is an introduction to the social science known as cultural anthropology. Readings, films, websites, lectures, reports, and an exam provide a survey of vocabulary, concepts, and illustrations related to this branch of anthropology. Class lectures, outside reading, and films provide more in-depth case studies on the Near East Bedouin, Western Apache, and Old Order Amish, among others.
This is a survey of the history of Christianity from its Jewish and Greco-Roman contexts in the first century to its global present, examining the development of the church’s theology, organization, spirituality, and social impact. The modern era emphasizes Stone-Campbell Movement origins and identity.
Survey of World Religions
This course provides an introduction to the world’s major living religions through the study of primary and secondary sources. Students learn about the history and practices of these religious traditions through a variety of media. Each religion is allowed to speak for itself, but the course employs a comparative approach. Key aspects of Christian faith and practice are examined during the entire process.
Students consider a variety of moral dilemmas that prevail in societies and organizations. They gain a deep understanding of the complexity of such moral dilemmas by establishing and applying ethical principles derived from philosophical and theological perspectives on how humans can and should interact ethically and morally.
This course critically examines and reflects on beliefs, assumptions, and arguments central to the human religious experience. Topics include the relation between theology and philosophy, the nature of religion, the existence of God, the relation between God and the world, the problem of evil, and the nature of religious language and experience. Students engage in critical dialogue about religion in order to develop personal commitment and intellectual honesty in a religiously pluralistic world.
Christian apologetics is the study of how believers present a rational defense for the Christian faith. As such, the course considers various objections to belief and examines the historic responses to such doubt. The course considers the long-term and lively interaction between theology and philosophy, logic, history, religious pluralism, and science.
Biblical Interpretation Across Cultures
Different cultures read the biblical text with different eyes. They notice what other cultures do not, and they apply the text differently based on their own cultural location. This course enables students to recognize their own cultural lenses and learn to read through the lenses of others in order to come closer to an intercultural “crowdsourced” reading.
Religious Studies Electives: Choose 5
Choose five of the following courses:
People & Cultures of Modern Middle East
19th Century Russian Writers
20th Century British Writers: The Inklings
Islam: History, Beliefs, and Practices
Animism
Cults, Sects, and New Religions
History & Theology of Judaism
History of the Bible: Text, Canon, & Versions
C.S. Lewis: Life and Nonfiction Apologetics
Religious Studies Internship
Topics in Theology
Christian Thought and Film
History of Christian Worship
Dr. Gerald Mattingly
Program Director
Arts and Sciences
Programs
