{"id":4041,"date":"2012-08-12T22:58:49","date_gmt":"2012-08-12T22:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/?page_id=4041"},"modified":"2023-12-05T16:29:01","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T16:29:01","slug":"wiersma","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/faculty\/wiersma\/","title":{"rendered":"Wiersma, Hans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most Augsburg students take the “Religion, Vocation, and the Search for Meaning” course (a.k.a. RLN 100). Teaching this course is one of my favorite things to do. Why? Because Augsburg\u2019s diverse student community is\u00a0an ideal setting for comparing and contrasting beliefs about life\u2019s meaning and purpose. In RLN 100, I get to meet and learn from students representing all kinds of religious and non-religious points-of-view. I’ve found that students figure out pretty quickly that all beliefs\u00a0are not<\/em> the same. The resulting discussions help students hone and articulate what they themselves believe — leading to changed minds or deepened commitments or both.<\/p>\n

As my list of “courses taught” suggests, I have a wide range of teaching interests. My main area of expertise is in the history of Christianity. Most of my courses are focused\u00a0through the\u00a0lens of history. One of the things I’m interested in is where things are headed for Christianity. The number of U.S. citizens identifying as Christian continues\u00a0to decline<\/a>.\u00a0What are the possible explanations<\/a>\u00a0for this decline? What are the possible outcomes<\/a> of this decline? As a\u00a0former parish pastor who still goes to church, I have a stake in getting at the answers. I want to understand what is happening. Because I believe that\u00a0if you can understand where you’ve been and where you are at, religiously\/spiritually speaking, you just might have a better sense of where you might be going.<\/p>\n

Courses TAUGHT<\/h2>\n