Bethel Antiracism and Reconciliation
B.A. in Reconciliation Studies
Dr. Curtiss DeYoung, noted authority on racism and the church.
Bethel University offers a unique reconciliation studies program—one of the only biblically-based baccalaureate programs on reconciliation in the world. The program has been developed and is led by pre-eminent Christian reconciliation leader Curtiss DeYoung, special assistant to the Bethel University president. DeYoung is author and co-author of United by Faith: The Multiracial Congregation as an Answer to the Problem of Race (co-written with Michael Emerson, George Yancey, and Karen Chai Kim); Beyond Rhetoric: Reconciliation as a Way of Life (co-written with the late Samuel G. Hines); Reconciliation: Our Greatest Challenge, Our Only Hope; and Coming Together: The Bible’s Message in an Age of Diversity. [Order from Bethel Campus Store]
Housed in the Department of Anthropology and Sociology, a reconciliation studies minor was launched in 2003 and attracted 40 students. A full major was introduced in the fall of 2005. While many schools in the United States promote individual classes or programs related to conflict resolution or peace and justice issues, Bethel has a unique position of leadership with a full degree in reconciliation studies informed by faith perspectives. “Jesus and the early church had strategies to address reconciliation,” says DeYoung, who used those strategies to develop a curriculum addressing class consciousness, sexism, racism, and religious differences.
“The development of a reconciliation studies major at Bethel University comes directly out of our institutional values,” says Debra Harless, dean of academic programs. “We are committed to preparing students who are reconcilers and world changers locally and globally.”
Students who major in reconciliation studies will be required to experience South Africa Term, a semester at Cornerstone Christian College in Cape Town, South Africa. See the College of Arts & Sciences catalog listing for the major and the Department of Anthropology and Sociology for more information.