A Return to Theology
Lauren F. Winner
April 1, 2001
Thomas Jefferson's headstone commemorates three things. Not his presidency, nor his beloved mansion Monticello, nor even his great library, which the red-haired Virginian sold to the government to get the Library of Congress started. Rather, the headstone, which he designed, remembers him as the "Author of the Declaration of American Independence[,] of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom & Father of the University of Virginia."
Convincing the Virginia legislature to pass the religious freedom statute, on which the Bill of Rights' establishment clause was modeled, was the idee fixe that dominated Jefferson's mind during the earliest years of the new republic. Jefferson's determination to build a wall between church and state was reflected in the very architecture of the university—which, by the way, was the first public college in Virginia. (William and Mary had been founded over a century earlier, but it would not be absorbed into the public education system until decades after UVA's founding.) Though a room for worship was set aside in the Rotunda—the domed building that dominates the north end of what Charlottesvillians call "the Lawn"— there was no chapel. The gothic University Chapel, a favorite for weddings and a highlight of the UVA campus tour, was not built until 1889.
So it is a touch ironic that the University of Virginia now boasts one of the most creative, rich, and, above all, theological departments of religion in the country.
The religion department is housed in Cocke Hall, down in the basement. Is it the "best" religion department in the country? Well, that's debatable. Best, of course, depends on what you want to study, where you want to live, and whether you can stomach the suffocating Laura Ashley-ness ...
Like the preview? To read this complete article
and 20,359 more in the archive—JOIN NOW!
Easily find high-quality, well-researched materials that provide a Christian perspective on topics ranging from headlines to history.
Start using this invaluable tool TODAY for preparing your Bible studies, presentations, class lectures, sermons, meetings, and more.
|
It's easy and quick to join:
Brought to You by Christianity Today Int'l |  |
|
| 
Find similar articles
E-mail this page
