BIFL Deemed one of Nation's Best

by Matthew Goering

For a college that prides itself on character and integrity, Bethel has something to be very proud of.

The Templeton Guide, a guidebook published nationally in the interest of college programs who "offer meaningful opportunities for college students to learn about, reflect upon and practice the virtues of personal and civic responsibility", placed Bethel's Basic Issues of Faith and Life (BIFL) class among 405 of the top character building college programs in the nation.

It was a welcomed honor at Bethel, where the development of character and responsibility is considered as vital to a good education as strong academic performance.

"Character development is a lifelong process, and we believe that colleges and universities like Bethel have a very important and unique role to play in that process," said Academic Dean John Sheriff, "Being included in the Templeton Guide affirms that what we are doing at Bethel is extremely important to an individual's educational process."

BIFL, now in its fifth year at Bethel, is considered one of the pinnacles of a Bethel education, and is required of all graduating students, a fact that often has a lot of student's squeezing it in their senior year.

"Yea, I guess I'm going to have to take it here sometime soon," said Jason Fox, senior from Clay Center, who will be returning next year to finish up his English degree at Bethel, "but it will be worth it, I'm sure. I've heard its a tough class, but I've heard that its worth it too. It has a lot of religion from what I understand, and boy, do I love religion."

The aim of the class is to help students integrate basic issues of faith with fundamental questions of values and to then reflect how these relate to their own lives. This semester's class is focusing on the Book of Genesis and Miroslav' Volf's Exclusion and Embrace, a response to the ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia.

"We have been talking about exclusion and embrace, focusing on times in our lives when we have felt either left out or included," said Duane Friesen, director of the course and professor of this semester's class. "For most situations, forgiveness is the only way to resolve the anger that can lead to violence."

In at least in one student's eyes the course and its topics are living up to its high billing. When asked about BIFL and its now solidified reputation as a character builder, Robin Linscheid, a senior from Fresno, Calif., presently enrolled in the class, shared her views.

"Yes, it's a challenging course, and I think well worth it. It really forces you to step back and look at your beliefs. I think the oral exam plays a big part in that because you have to come in ready to discuss and defend your views. The Exclusion and Embrace component of the course has been really interesting that way. We've been talking a lot about embracing and forgiveness, and its really challenging to think about how you actually put it into practice. For example, our judicial system today is geared toward judgement and punishment, toward the offender and not the victim. Those that are the most hurt are left out of the loop. That's just one example, though. Mostly it has come to light how hard embrace is to put into practice. Its a lot easier to apply in a personal realm than in a public one."

Linscheid also pointed out the diversity of students in the class as a strong point in the course, something that comes with it being a required class for graduation.

"We have a lot of different people in the course. A lot of people coming from different backgrounds and different disciplines, which keeps the discussions interesting," said Linscheid.

For more information on the Templeton Guide and its inclusion of Bethel and BIFL, go to the John Templeton Foundation website: www.collegeandcharacter.com