Christianity and Education

In the middle ages monasteries were the center of learning. They studied the bible but also secular topics. Over time education has been largely secularized. This has lead to a rise of two separate institutions for education: the secular university and the Christian seminary. Theology has remained as a possible field of study in some universities but with the rise of multi-culturalism this field has been replaced in many universities (including the university of waterloo) by 'religious studies'. Religious studies looks at a variety of religions giving one a good base knowledge to understand how religion affects the world around them (such as how it affects society and how it affects international relations) but one must ask: 'if one is studying every religion can they adequately fully understand any specific one?' ... this may explain the popularity of Christian seminaries as an alternative to the university. At a Christian seminary one can study Christianity in depth as their education is focused on the understanding of this one religion. I believe that there are many positive aspects of both of these methods of education. Those, like myself, who are persuing an education in Christianity can benefit from the approaches held by both places of education. I believe that it important for clergy and those in ministry to understand the values and beliefs held by other religious traditions so that we can communicate and be respectful of each others' beliefs and practices. It is for this reason that I am studying at a university rather than a Bible college. Also I believe that by looking at the texts of other religions we can better understand some aspects of christianity. For example in Christianity we will say God is omnipresent, this term is very exact and correct but can difficult to fully comprehend. On the other hand Hindus when speaking of the Brahman being in all creation describe it as salt dissolved in water. Even though the Brahman doesn't fit into Christianity the descriptions used to describe some of its aspects can help us better understand the Judeo-Christian God. The downside to taking religious studies is that one is not as free to delve into the study of the one religion they are focusing on. The generality of religious studies has led me to start considering transferring to a Christian seminary in the later years of my study. By studying religious studies at a secular institution first and Biblical studies at a Christian seminary later I believe I would be able to gain both an adequate knowledge of Christianity but also have some knowledge about other religions that would allow for better inter-faith relations than if I studied solely in a Christian seminary. In the end I don't believe that neither the secular university or the seminary is superior. Both have specific strengths and weaknesses and serve to give different sets of knowledge in terms of religion. Where one chooses to study may best be decided based on what they plan to do after their education and what knowledge set would be most beneficial to what they plan to do.