86 LIVING WORLD RELIGIONS Living World Religions prepares to move traditional travel experience online. Dr. Monte Cox, dean of the college of Bible and ministry, taught the Living World Religions class since 1998. One of the main attractions of this class was the end of semester trip to experience other religions in the real world. The class traditionally went to Dallas in the fall or Chicago in the spring to meet people from different walks of life, even experiencing the worship services of other religions. Due to COVID-19 guidelines, these plans were forced to change. Still, Cox wanted to expose his students to different religions, from a safe distance. Senior Sally Roach took the class in fall 2019, before the pandemic instituted travel restrictions and the students visited Dallas, TX. Roach said she loved how many people from different races and religions they met on the trip. She said befriending them and experiencing their hospitality was amazing. “It was really awesome because I actually got to experience those different religions in their setting,” Roach said. “We felt so welcomed and loved by them.” Cox wanted to bring some of the same friends into his class this year, but knew he was restricted with travel complications. Instead of getting to meet in person, his students met them over Zoom in the safety of their classroom. Although students did not get to experience the uniqueness of the trip, they were able to virtually connect with many of the same people, and even some extra faces, like Cox’s friends from Israel he knew from Harding University in Greece. “I can’t imagine doing a responsible job of introducing people to the major world religions and never introducing them to an adherent of one of those religions face to face,” Cox said. Senior Matt Hipshire took Living World Religions in fall 2020 and said the Zoom meetings with those of other religions were very interesting. “I’ve definitely gained a new perspective from seeing from the inside looking out,” Hipshire said. “I think it’s important to establish a relationship [with people of other religions] so you can find some common ground and learn who they are and what their everyday life looks like, and then you can start a conversation about Jesus if they’re open to that conversation.” story by Darcy Sanford Speaking of religion... Monte Cox, dean of Bible and ministry, addresses his Living World Religions class. Students were spread out in compliance with COVID-19 guidelines. | photo by Stanley Morales Zooming World Religions
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc5NA==