Newbold College, a Seventh-day Adventist school in Berkshire, England, has developed a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Islamic Studies--a program that is unique among Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities worldwide.
Newbold College, a Seventh-day Adventist school in Berkshire, England, has developed a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Islamic Studies—a program that is unique among Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities worldwide.
“Currently it is the only accredited degree and certificate program in the Adventist educational system that provides students with the opportunity to study Islam in depth from an Adventist perspective,” says Velda Cox, director of Islamic Studies. “This course is particularly relevant at this time given the current tensions between the Muslims and the Western world.”
The bachelor’s degree is awarded by Andrews University, Michigan, United States, while the certificate is awarded by the College of Arts and Sciences at the same university.
The aim of the course is to train students to communicate with and minister among Muslim people. The subjects are taught in a way that encourages students to relate sympathetically, from a biblical perspective, to the beliefs, practices, and reality of the Islamic world. Study of cultural value systems and world views, cross-cultural communication and models of contextualization are core to the program. Through both theoretical and practical components, students also learn the latest practices in outreach and ministry methods.
Pastor Peter Roennfeldt, Global Mission coordinator for the Adventist Church in the Trans-European region, says the course “is vital to the commitment of the [Adventist Church’s] Trans-European Division and the world church. I believe this course will prove to be very significant to those wishing to relate and minister more effectively among Muslims.”
Teachers for the course will include several experts in Islam from a wide variety of backgrounds. These include: Dr. Jerald Whitehouse, director for the Adventist Church’s Center for Adventist Muslim Relations; Dr. Ganoune Diop, professor of biblical languages, exegesis and theology at Southern Adventist University, Tennessee, United States; and Dr. Bill Musk, internationally known author of books such as “Touching the Soul of Islam” and the “Unseen Face of Islam.”
Newbold College administrators say they have been able to establish the program because of significant donations from an individual who has spent many years working as a doctor among Muslim people.
