CHRIS SEGAL
Perspectives Editor
University classes often answer questions, not cause them. But after junior Rozelle Polido finished the Pepperdine-required Religion 101 and 102 this summer, she was left uncertain of the faith with which she grew up.
“When people ask me where I am in my faith today, I tell them I’m spiritual but since 101 and 102 made me challenge my faith, I’m kinda lost,” said Polido, who took both courses over the summer. “I don’t really know why I believe what I believe.”
Professors approach Religion 101 and 102 as academic classes in which students analyze the historical, archaeological and literary context surrounding the Bible. Part of Pepperdine’s Religion Divisions mission is to lead students to a deeper understanding of religion. Some students have benefited from a deeper understanding, and their faith has been strengthened — others say they are still waiting for someone to help put their faith back together.
“In my view, the purpose of these courses is to introduce students to the Bible from an academic perspective,” said religion professor Dr. Timothy Willis in an e-mail. “This means that many of the assumptions about the nature of the biblical text are not automatically assumed in the classroom. One of the purposes of academia is to re-evaluate assumptions. One fundamental goal is for students to recognize and understand the origins of their assumptions in whether they are based on universals, or on conditions found within our society.”
These courses require students to deconstruct their beliefs and then try to help them understand their beliefs.
Religion 101 and 102 are required courses, as not everyone at Pepperdine is Christian, and not all Christians are members of the Church of Christ. Students read the Bible with an academic eye to give them a deeper understanding of their religion and give context.
Although students such as Polido are struggling with their beliefs, other students say they have developed a deeper understanding of Christianity and, in turn, a stronger faith.
“I think it’s half and half,” Polido said. “A lot of students are better than ever in their faith and then there are other students like me that are like OK, I’m really confused right now. I don’t think it’s anything the teacher does.”
Religion 101, the history and religion of Israel, is a general education course that studies the Old Testament in its larger Near-Eastern context with an emphasis on history, theology and the different literary genres. Religion 101 also serves as the prerequisite for Religion 102, the history and religion of early Christianity.
In 102, students study the New Testament in its larger Jewish and Greco-Roman context, with an emphasis in history, theology and the different literary genres.
Professors teach students different ways to read the Bible and provide a larger context of Israel and early Christianity. There is a distinction between Bible classes taught in a church, which reaffirm what to believe, and religion classes at Pepperdine, which try to give reasons behind Christian beliefs.
The introductory religion classes do not require students to have faith because it’s just like studying any text. It did help to have a background in this area, said senior religion major Robert Jacobo.
Many students at Pepperdine have never read the Bible in any form other than in a devotional way, and they have not looked at the context in which the material comes from, according to Associate Dean of Seaver Rick Marrs.
“If you look at the Bible like a car … you don’t know how it works. The way a car works doesn’t really matter until the car breaks down,” Marrs said. “The danger is if you are not careful, you open the hood of the car but you don’t put it back together for students.”
In the Sunday-school version of faith, there are no complications. That kind of faith works well when everything is going well. The classroom should be a place to engage these things before tragedy strikes, Marrs said.
Even though some students say they are still struggling with their faith, the religion division has received positive feedback on the classes.
“As chairman of the Religion Division, I read every teacher-course evaluation form for every religion course every semester, and I assure you that the feedback is overwhelmingly positive,” said Dr. Randall Chesnutt in an e-mail.
“There are occasional complaints, of course, as there are in all classes, but I would question the premise that there is strong student dissatisfaction. Most students, especially Christian students, appreciate the opportunity to examine the Bible in a context of both faith and academic rigor. The only complaint that I hear with any regularity is that the courses are difficult, and my response is, ‘Good.’”
“Israel” means to wrestle with. If a person simply has the faith of their parents they will fail, said adjunct religion professor Robert Cargill who teaches both of the courses, and unless people wrestles with their own faith they will not develop their own mature faith.
“When someone sits there and points out parts of the Bible that contradict itself, if your faith isn’t strong, it can test it,” sophomore Summer Harris said. “It can make you believe something that evidence can show that is not logically accurate.”
Marrs said that he uses the philosophy that one shouldn’t take something from someone if one doesn’t have anything better to put in its place.
“I wouldn’t blame my professor for my challenge with my faith. They know the academic stuff and they still had really strong faith,” Polido said. “I don’t think they should change how academic it is, but toward the end they should wrap it up and give a better send off into our world of faith.”
11-03-2005