University of Virginia Library

Childress Discusses Religious Studies Growth

By Patti Kyle

A few years ago, it seemed that
any college student who was "into"
religion courses was either headed
for the ministry or trying to
impress his parents with his "good,
clean ways" here at the University.
More recently though, religion
majors and non-majors are
multiplying rapidly and religion
courses are among the most sought
after in the pre-registration melee.
Why this surge of popularity in an
age when supposedly so many
young people are rejecting religion?

Popular Courses

One of the professors whose
classes are habitually overcrowded
is James F. Childress, Assistant
Professor of Religious Studies. His
popular courses dealing with
religious ethics are the topic of
many a heated debate. For
example, his Religion 16, an
introductory course, deals with
man's nature and possibilities,
posing such critical questions as
"Does organized religion hinder or
fulfill man?" Mr. Childress'
"Religion and Society" course and
graduate seminar in "Sociology and
Religion" deal with how religion is,
in fact, related to socio-political
orders.

This semester, Religion 44 seems
to be most in demand among the
students. This course, entitled
"American Religious Thought,"

deals with the relation between
ethics and politics through
contemporary interpreters. It is
concerned with an analysis of
specific problems such as civil
disobedience, conscientious
objection, and just wars and
revolutions. Mr. Childress also
offers a seminar dealing specifically
with the question of non-violence,
attempting to examine the way
various thinkers have approached
the subject and asking students to
criticize and analyze their views.

In addition to offering topics
attractive to the student, the books
covered in the course add to its
widespread appeal. M. Gandhi's
"Non-violent Resistance," H.
Marcuse's "Essay on Liberation,"
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Stride
Toward Freedom," and R. Dahl's
"After the Revolution" are a
sampling of the required reading.
And Mr. Childress himself has
written on related subjects,
including an article in the
November, 1969 issue of the
Virginia Law Weekly on civil
disobedience entitled "Guides for
Ethical Evaluation" (which, by the
way, he lectured on this past
weekend to religion majors at
UNC). He also has a book coming
out this fall, "Civil Disobedience
and Political Obligation" (Yale
University Press). Both of these
works deal with the justification of
civil disobedience — which he
interprets as public, non-violent
submissive violation of law and
protest — in light of political
obligations.

Interesting Questions

Some other interesting questions
Mr. Childress has dealt with in his
writings include moral
considerations of non-violent
resistance and medical ethics in
choosing who shall live when not all
can live. With such controversial
topics being offered in the
Department of Religious Studies,
it's not surprising to learn that the
enrollment has grown from 135
students in the fall of 1967 (the
Department's first year as part of
the University) to over 875 enrolled
in 1970.

Under the direction of David B.
Harned, Chairman of the
Department, the religious studies
program is undergoing expansion
and revision to keep up with
student interest in the field. One
interesting statistic concerning the
growth of the Department is the
fact that of the approximately 875
students enrolled in religion
courses, only 40 to 50 are actually
majors. Why are so many
non-majors finding relevance in
even the higher level courses?

Humanistic Perspective

Mr. Childress offers this
explanation: "Our courses provide
a broad humanistic perspective.
They focus on religious concerns in
relation to other aspects of life."
And, true enough, the religion and
man, religion and society, religion
and non-violence themes are the
most popular because they give
students a chance to critically
explore current questions.

Mr. Childress emphasized that
this relevance for students is
indirect though. Obviously any
course on war and revolution or
conscientious objection has an aura
of relevance about it. But, in Mr.
Childress' words, "These courses
start with, cases like civil
disobedience and press toward
theological, philosophical and
moral issues involved. They start
with theoretical questions and ask
the students to reflect. Hence,
relevance is that of critical
reflection — the hope that whatever
you decide to do, you will be
critical."