Department History
Ours
was among the first religion
departments in the United States to
move from a specific focus on
Christian biblical studies to the
comparative study of religion. This
development occurred in 1926-27 when
we began offering courses in world
religions. In subsequent years
faculty in the department taught
courses on Buddhism, comparative
religious ethics, and related
subjects.
For
your interest: here are some key
dates in the development of the
Religion Department:
1894:
First regular courses on
"Biblical Literature,"
taught initially by faculty borrowed
from Garrett Biblical Institute
(before this time, the only religion
course was a required one on
"Evidences of
Christianity")
1903:
First faculty appointment in religion
specifically for the College of
Liberal Arts
1926:
With the addition of courses in world
religion and comparative religion,
program title changed to
"Biblical Literature and History
of Religion" (shortened the
following year to "History and
Literature of Religions")
1962-77:
The Department expanded. At the
beginning of this period there was
only one full-time faculty member,
but by the end of it, there were
seven (two each in Buddhism,
Christianity, and Judaism, plus one
in Ancient Near Eastern religion)
1991:
Simplification of name to
"Department of Religion"
Patriarchs
and Prophets
These
individuals shaped the Department of
Religion in its early years:
- Milton
Spenser Terry. Faculty
member at Garrett, who taught
courses for Northwestern on
"Biblical
Literature" beginning
1894. Among his publications
were Biblical Apocalyptics (1898), Rambles in the Old
World (a travel guide,
1894), The Sibylline
Oracles (a translation,
1899, reprinted 1973), and
work on the ordination of
women.
- Charles
S. Braden. Ph.D. in
practical theology,
University of Chicago,
Methodist missionary in Latin
America for ten years, and
taught at Northwestern
1926-54. Brought courses on
comparative religion to the
curriculum and in 1927-28
established the first course
on Buddhism. Among his
extensive publications were Modern
Tendencies in World Religions (1933); Procession of the
Gods (coauthored, 1936); Man's
Quest for Salvation: An
Historical and Comparative
Study of the Idea of
Salvation in the World's
Great Living Religions (1941); These Also
Believe: A Study of Modern
American Cults and Minority
Religious Movements (1949); The Scriptures of
Mankind (1952); War,
Communism, and World
Religions (1953); and Jesus
Compared: A Study of Jesus
and Other Great Founders of
Religions (1957).
- Edmund
Perry. Appointed 1954 and
until 1962 the only full-time
faculty member in Religion.
Chaired the department during
its crucial years of
expansion, in which positions
were added in several
religious traditions, held by
faculty with diverse
backgrounds and affiliations.
His books include Confessing
the Gospel Mark Preached (1957), The Gospel in
Dispute: The Relation of
Christian Faith to Other
Missionary Religions (1958), and A World
Theology: The Central
Spiritual Reality of
Humankind (coauthored,
1991). He had a long-standing
interest in
Christian-Buddhist dialogue.
Named emeritus in 1992, Dr.
Perry died in 1998.
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