Traditionally, the religions of the world have offered people such frameworks, to which they can relate their everyday activities. For many people religion continues to perform this function. Religious Studies is the academic discipline which studies the religions of the world as facts of human history and culture, while Theology studies the origins, the history, and the present significance of one religion, namely, Christianity. Theology Theology has been taught at the University of Otago for over fifty years. For many years the subject was taken primarily by students studying for the Presbyterian ministry or the Catholic priesthood.
Students studying for Christian ministry still form a part of the theological programme.
Papers in Theology will be of particular interest to students completing degrees in subjects such as History , Philosophy , Political Studies , Classical Studies , Education , Psychology , Anthropology , and Art History . These students have their own postgraduate student group, which meets regularly for seminars and social events. Students can also study the biblical languages, namely classical Hebrew and New Testament Greek, to an advanced level. Church History is concerned with the growth and development of the Church from the first century to modern times. It includes the study of major Christian controversies and their effect on the Christian and world communities.