Religion at Appalachian State

The academic study of religion at Appalachian State University started in 1962 with the appointment of Dr. O.K. Webb at the first professor of Philosophy & Religion. He initially taught in the Department of Social Sciences.

Religion, however, played a role at the school long before 1962.

In some of the earliest surviving documents of the Appalachian Training School for Teachers, the religious life of the campus receives mention.

Below, the 1906-1907 "Dew Drop" talks about the practice of Sunday gatherings for "the study of some religious subject" -- and a lively interest in world religious traditions -- as well as prayer meetings.

These notices persist in the 1910s, 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, and beyond -- and they reveal a clear Christian preference. Indeed, by the 1940s the statements opened with the phrase, "This institution feels a deep responsibility for the religious welfare of students and endeavors to maintain high ethical and Christian standards." Student life made certain to hold to that mission by including events such as Religious Emphasis Week (see picture below on the left), with its "Singspiration (below right)."

Nonetheless, an awareness of being a "state" institution also appears regularly in documents. Writing in the 1929 Rhododendron, Dessa Mae Triplett opened her piece on campus religious life:

She proceeds to describe daily chapel, the urging of students to attend Sunday School, and a variety of student religious organizations.

By 1973, after the merger of Appalachian into the UNC system, the official campus statement on religious life said:

Even with a clear statement about no religious affiliation, the power of Christianity among the students and in the community remained clear. It took until 1982 to get a non-Christian organization mentioned in the official university publications -- the Jewish Student Club!

But things had already changed with regard to religion on campus by that time. Discussion of religion and religious life took on a far broader meaning. For instance, The Appalachian ran an article on December 11, 1970 about using divinity school enrollment to avoid the draft, and in the early to mid 70s reported on events such as guest lectures about Transcendental Meditation and a Baha'i group meeting on campus.

Today, the ASLA (Appalachian Spiritual Life Association) "seeks to promote a spiritual climate in which all members of the University community - students, faculty, and staff - have the freedom and opportunity to practice their respective faiths, to worship in accordance with their individual concerns, to inquire about religious problems and interests, and to work together on common concerns." Many campus ministries fall under its umbrella. Another 29 registered student organizations classify under the heading "Religious and Spiritual" with another 25 "Multicultural & International" groups -- many of which embrace religious identities.

The establishment of the Department of Philosophy & Religion took advantage of student interest in religion -- and its relationship to other topics -- as well as made regular contributions to campus discussions about it. Here are a handful of examples: