Theology

What it’s about:

Theology it the academic study of the beliefs and practices of a particular religion or religious community. You gain an understanding of its faith and practices by studying its history, literature, ethics, doctrines, and present-day situation. This major may also include a comparative study of world religions and practical courses in counselling, homiletics (preaching), and worship services.

What the study of this major is like:

Theological studies can be a rich and diverse major. It may be found in departments of theology, religion philosophy and religion, of Bible studies. In most colleges, theology is taught not just as the beliefs of a particular religious community, but in a more all-encompassing spirit-that is, you learn about the theologies of your community, other communities and the broader non-Christian world.

As a major, you explore the issues of justice, mercy, and the power attributed to God, and meditate on the problem of evil, suffering, and death in a world ruled by God. In Christian theology, you read the Bible, if possible in the original languages. By studying various religions, you learn how their followers perceive the moral life, and you evaluate the effect of faith on practical matters of worship and ethics.

Other Bible-oriented courses may examine the books of the Bible came to be considered by Jews and Christian as sacred. Taking note of parables and metaphors in secular, or nonreligious, literature highlights the similarities and differences between the Bible and other literary works.

In church history courses, topics include the development of spirituality and worship; the relationship between religious institutions and civil governments and secular society; the impact of believers on culture and politics; and the way social and political environments affect the church. In ethics, you study the personal and social teachings of the living faith, including the challenges of medical and economic technology, and consider the ways in which believers can participate in social action and political life.

Your college experience will include a lot of reading and reflection, intense and wide-ranging conversations with other students, and exploratory visits to worshiping communities from other traditions. You typically learn through a combination of reading, lecture, discussion, and, sometimes, formal debate. Fieldwork, internships, and practicums are regular features of theological studies programs, and service learning is becoming increasingly popular.

Between your third and fourth years, you are likely to do an internship. Practical/ministerial studies also include clinical experience and frank self-reflection. The biggest challenge you may face is to take an objective look at beliefs and ideas you may have accepted unquestioningly; students are often afraid of asking hard-driving questions about their faith.

Some colleges encourage this no-holds-barred inquiry into the faith, on the basic that critical questioning (when supported by a community of believing scholars) can deepen and strengthen your faith by helping you become mature and reflective. Other colleges focus on instilling faith and strengthening your conviction, contending that careful teaching of the faith can make you a mature believer, without causing you stress by questioning your basic convictions.

Career options and trends:

Priest a minister; teacher; youth minister; director of religious education; journalist; social worker; parish administrator; vocational counsellor.

Like other liberal art majors, technology prepares you for a variety of careers in education, business, government, public affairs, and social work. A theology degree is excellent preparation for graduate study in divinity, which enables you to work in pastoral positions. Most mainline Christian church bodies are suffering from severe shortages in pastoral and other ministry positions.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors