Religion & Theology

 Mail this article to a friend print

The Department of Religion and Theology came into being as a department in the Faculty of Arts in 2000. It continues a long and proud history of theological training at the University of the Western Cape since the inception of the Faculty of Theology in 1972.

At first, the Faculty of Theology focused only on the training of ministers in the former Dutch Reformed Mission Church. A Department of Biblical Studies (later renamed as Biblical & Religious Studies) was also formed in the Faculty of Arts in 1971 to provide training, especially for prospective teachers.

Since the late 1980's the doors of theological training were opened to students from a wide variety of denominations. In 1995 the Faculty of Religion and Theology came into being in order to integrate all the programmes in theology and religion. The formation of the Department of Religion and Theology in 2000 coincided with the following visions:

  • The restructuring of programmes in theology to equip students to fulfill positions of leadership in religious and moral communities in civil society and for a variety of ministries in the widest possible spectrum of churches;
  • The introduction of a visionary programme on the Moral and Religious Foundations of Society;
  • The introduction of first year courses in Ethics and Hermeneutics in order to contribute to the development of basic academic skills of students within a wider context;
  • An integration of the department within the Faculty of Arts to ensure the inter-disciplinary nature of the programmes offered by the department.

 

The unique context and ethos of the University of the Western Cape, with its history of struggle, its commitment to disadvantaged students and its vision as "A place of quality, a place to grow" continues to provide a challenging and intellectually stimulating environment for the study of religion and theology. The programmes offered in the Department of Religion and Theology seek to be relevant within the African and South African contexts and are offered on a thoroughly ecumenical basis. It takes place in close co-operation with the relevant interest groups in society and with similar training centres in the region.