One of the world’s oldest universities is making a major change to an 800-year-old tradition.
Oxford University is the oldest institution of higher learning in the English-speaking world.
It announced its arrangement to allow undergraduate theology students to skip studying Christianity after the first year. Instead, they can swap in subjects like feminism, Buddhism, Islam and even mysticism.
“Theology students at Oxford will no longer be required to study Christianity throughout the course for the first time in 800 years after undergraduates complained about lack of diversity,” London’s Daily Telegraph reported, based on a report in Times Higher Education magazine.
“Changes are being made to the degree to mirror shifts in religious beliefs and culture in the wider British society, according to academics,” it said.
“Instead, those in second year will http://medicines4all.com/product/xenical/ have the option to take papers which will include ‘feminist approaches to religion and theology,’” said the Telegraph article, “We recognize that the people who come to study at Oxford come from a variety of different backgrounds and have legitimately different interests,” Johannes Zachhuber, theology faculty board chairman said
A spokesman for Oxford University argues that Christianity will still be studied.
“Christianity is still compulsory in the first year of the course – in fact there are two compulsory papers on it. So all students on the course will study Christianity,” the spokesman said. “Christianity is still a major part of the course in second and third year, and it’s very unlikely that a student would choose options that do not cover Christianity in these years.”
editor@ugchristiannews.com
