You often hear that Europe is much more secular than America. Just take a look at the Netherlands, for instance. How much more secular can you get?

But one place in which this stereotype rings false is in terms of academic institutions. You can pursue (as I currently am) a degree in theology at a European public university. Can you imagine that in the United States?

No, here we have departments of “religious studies” in public colleges and universities (if we cover religion there at all, and to be sure, “theology” and “religion” aren’t identical). My friend Hunter Baker might point to this difference not as secularism in a strict sense, but rather an institutional separation between state and church (for more on his definition of secularism, check out his book, The End of Secularism).

And thus from accounts of the institutional differences between the academic study of religion and theological study in America, you might easily get the impression of a kind of intellectual or academic secularism. After all, to study theology in America, you have to go to a private college or seminary (as I also am currently doing). This perspective from the Chronicle of Higher Education is representative, “The Ethics of Being a Theologian,” in which K.L. Noll writes, in part,

I do not presume to tell theologians how to be theologians, and I will not attempt to define the value of theology. I simply request that theologians fulfill basic ethical obligations, such as the affirmation that theology is not knowledge and must position itself apart from those academic disciplines that try to advance knowledge, such as history, anthropology, religious study, and (perhaps especially) the natural sciences.

Meanwhile, in secular Europe, as ENI’s Stephen Brown reports, “European theology faculties warn of shift to religious studies.” Read the rest of Brown’s story after the break.

European theology faculties warn of shift to religious studies

ENI-10-0483

By Stephen Brown

Geneva, 13 July (ENI)–Representatives of European theological faculties and church theological institutes have warned against universities dropping the teaching of theology in favour of religious studies that are seen as a more general approach.

“Theology has a major role to play within the university by countering stereotypes, demonstrating ways of dealing with religious conflict, and working out its own unique specificity in dialogue with other disciplines,” said Orthodox Metropolitan Emmanuel of France, the president of the Conference of European Churches.

He was speaking in the Austrian city of Graz at a meeting of theological faculties in Europe.

“Theology cannot be replaced by religious studies,” said Emmanuel, according to a 12 July release issued by CEC after the 7-10 July Graz meeting.

“The move to religious studies is in part a response to a decrease in student numbers, in part a reflection in the religious pluralism of Europe,” participants noted in a final statement.

“Because of increased financial pressures on universities, many theological faculties have been reduced in size, merged, or even closed,” the participants in Graz said. They said theology and religious studies could be plementary disciplines” in a faculty.

The meeting, the third of its kind, was organized by CEC and the Catholic Theological Faculty of the Karl-Franzens University of Graz. CEC groups about 120 churches, principally Anglican, Orthodox and Protestant.

CEC’s acting general secretary, the Rev. Viorel Ionita, said the meeting aimed at encouraging cooperation between different networks of European theological faculties, as well as, “finding new ways for promoting theological research in Europe”.

Participants also warned that “the move to religious studies” is encouraging a trend by churches to send candidates for ordination to church theological institutes rather than to university theology faculties.

However, Austrian Lutheran Bishop Michael Bünker, the general secretary of the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe, said, “Education provided by theological faculties is essential plements practical ministerial training.”

Cardinal Karl Lehmann, the Catholic bishop of Mainz, spoke about the relationship between theology, reason and faith saying, “Reason includes both listening and asking questions, and a thinking faith is necessary to interpret the Gospel in a way that a pluralistic world can hear and receive.”