Home > Academics > Majors > Religion

Majors
Faculty
Successful Careers
Internships
Courses
Sample Schedule
Research Opportunities
Facilities
Organizations
Study Abroad

Religion

Have you ever wanted to do serious study of the Bible or to compare different religious perspectives? Or have you thought about going into ministry or university or college teaching? You might want to study religion at Central College. Central also offers a pre-ministry program and an emphasis in Christian ministries. Graduates have gone on to become pastors, missionaries or teachers, but also into such fields as law enforcement and political consulting.

Faculty

• Terence Kleven, associate professor of religion, klevent@central.edu
  
• Thomas Kopecek, professor of religion, kopecekt@central.edu
  
• David Timmer, professor of religion, timmerd@central.edu
• Elena Vishnevskaya, assistant professor of religion, vishnevskayae@central.edu

Successful Careers

• Spencer Aalsburg, graduate, Mid-America Reformed Seminary, Dyer, Ind., minister at United Reformed Church Fellowship (URC), Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Joe Eason, doctoral candidate, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, N.J.
• Crystal Schrader, graduate student, Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Barat Smith, youth director, First United Methodist Church, Newton, Iowa
• Sarah Vander Linden, graduate student in Christian Education, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.
• Sarah Van Zetten, graduate, Western Theological Seminary, Holland, Mich.
• Timothy TenClay, pastor, Dunningville Reformed Church, Allegan, Mich.
• Tom Parmenter, therapist, Liberty Resources, Syracuse, N.Y.
• Edwin Collado, youth pastor, Central Presbyterian Church, Miami, Fla.
  

Internships
Looking for experience? An internship might be the answer. When it comes to future employment or entrance into graduate school, students with internship experience have a proven track record in a professional environment. In today's competitive job market, proven experience is a priceless commodity. Past internships include:

• Sherami Hinders ’04, Third Reformed Church, Pella
• Abbie Hinz ’04, St. James’s Episcopal Church, Oskaloosa, Iowa
• Melanie Schutte ’04, Calvary Christian Reformed Church, Pella
• Sarah Van Zetten '04, Second Reformed Church, Pella

Learn more about internships at Central.

Courses
The religion department offers courses in biblical studies, the history of Christian thought, world religions (e.g. Judaism, Islam, and South and East Asian religions), and ethics and theology, as well as applied courses.

Biblical studies:

• Old Testament history and religion
• New Testament and early Christianity
• The prophets
• The writings
• The Gospels and Jesus

History of Christian thought:

• The Christian heritage
• American religious thought
• The reformation
• Medieval christendom
• The early church
• Christian spirituality

World religions:

• Asian religions
• The Jewish experience
• Islam

Ethics and theology:

• Christian ethics
• Christianity and culture
• Modern Christian thought
• World Christianity

Christian ministry emphasis:

• Pre-ministerial seminar
• Christian Worship
• Doctrines and ministry

In addition, department faculty teach related courses in history (Mideastern civilization, biblical archaeology) and language (Hebrew, Greek).

Get more details from the course catalog! (Note: this is a PDF file)

Sample Schedule
Central’s religion major offers a very flexible schedule to students. There are no required religion courses with prerequisites, and therefore no typical sequence of courses. The department recommends that at least two “readings” courses at the 300-level be taken during the junior and senior years, and that independent study be taken during the senior year.

Facilities
Central College is one of the most beautiful college campuses you'll find. A perfect mix of old and new, our buildings reflect our history and our future. Central's distinctive library is spacious and a popular haven with more then 230,000 volumes, computer stations, a multimedia collection and an extensive online computerized catalog.

Organizations
No matter what your interests are, Central has a group or organization that you'll want to join. Religion majors might be interest in Central's:

• Fellowship of Christian Athletes
• Habitat for Humanity
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

College Sanctioned:

• Campus ministries
• Bread for the World
• Catholic campus ministries
• Chapel board
• Central Concerns

Departmental Web site
Central’s philosophy and religion department maintains its own Web site with even more information about majoring in religion.

Study Abroad
Students are encouraged to study abroad with one of Central’s eight international programs to enhance their development as global citizens, or with Central’s Chicago program and the Washington, D.C., program. Learn more about about Central’s study abroad programs.

Back to TOP