Why have a Center for the Study of Religious Freedom at Virginia Wesleyan, a small Methodist liberal arts college? The answer is simple.
Liberal Arts Education
We live in a complex and rapidly changing world. Religious and cultural pluralism are prominent features of our social landscape. If we are to be engaged and productive citizens, we must learn to appreciate the diverse perspectives from which the world is viewed. A liberal arts education helps prepare students to do this.
At Virginia Wesleyan, the Center plays an important role in this educational mission. The Center offers interdisciplinary courses that explore the legal, social and religious underpinnings of religious freedom as a basic human right. It sponsors interfaith forums that provide opportunities for face-to-face dialogue with people from traditions other than our own. The knowledge and patterns of inquiry acquired in these activities become permanent resources, available throughout our lives as we encounter new situations.
United Methodist Heritage
Religious freedom requires a healthy respect for religious diversity, and this has always been part of the Methodist tradition. The United Methodist Church’s social principles condemn all forms of religious intolerance. The Church has adopted strong statements supporting religious liberty and church-state separation. These principles support the Church’s long history of ecumenical and interfaith involvement. Internally, the Church holds a wide range of theological views together under a single denominational umbrella. This diversity reflects the early Methodist emphasis on personal religious experience and the belief that salvation was available to all. Historically, it might be said that an impulse toward religious freedom is built into Methodism’s theological foundations.
These traditions are echoed in the college’s mission statement: “In accord with our United Methodist heritage, Virginia Wesleyan College aspires to be a supportive community that is committed to social responsibility, ethical conduct, higher learning, and religious freedom.” They also fully support the Center’s mission.