Heidelberg is one of the major European cities tour members will visit.
BJU offers chance to tour Europe this summer
Imagine Europe.
The Colosseum in Rome and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
DaVinci’s famous “Last Supper” and a medieval castle in Heidelberg.
The Palace of Versailles and the Louvre in Paris.
Westminster Abbey, Big Ben and the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
Imagine yourself there, being inspired and informed while sightseeing and shopping too—and receiving academic credit for all of it.
This is what’s offered on the Summer 2008 Reformation Study Tour, led by Dr. David Fisher, BJU’s provost.
The 19-day trip departs from Greenville on May 26 and will return June 13. It is an introduction to Europe—from Rome to London. “It’s largely a teaching tour with opportunity for sightseeing, shopping and hitting the major tourist attractions,” Dr. Fisher said, “but with a primary focus on things dealing with church history and the Reformation.”
Various key historical points along the way include the Vatican with an in-depth examination of the papacy and the catacombs in Rome where many of the early Christians were buried.
The tour also visits towns and places associated with the reformers themselves, such as Geneva, commonly referred to as the “town of Calvin,” Zurich, the place where Ulrich Zwingli established the Reformation in Switzerland, and Worms where Martin Luther was first called to defend his beliefs before Charles V’s Diet.
Miss Heather Davis, resident supervisor in Mary Gaston, traveled on the Reformation tour the last time it was taken.
“The trip opened up my eyes to many things that I’ve been learning about in my classes,” she said. “It’s one thing to study about things from history books and to look at pictures, but it’s a completely different thing to see the actual places where the events took place.”
Donny Jacobs, a senior nursing major who also went on the most recent tour, said, “Starting out in Rome put things in perspective for the rest of the trip.”
In Rome there are many large gothic cathedrals. Even though they are beautiful, he said, the atmosphere inside is very dark. “By the time you’re done touring all of them, it’s almost depressing.
“But then you get to the towns of the Reformers, and you can sense an immediate difference and really see the impact they had on Christianity. You really get a sense of appreciation for how Europe’s history affected Christianity as it is today.”
“Since the tour began (with Dr. Edward Panosian) in the 1960s, it’s been an exercise in refinement,” Dr. Fisher said. “Over the years the stops along the way have morphed and changed based on experiences at each—and now the package is a proven deal.”
The Reformation tour isn’t just for the history student, the history buff or the young.
“It’s a great idea for the high school or college graduate, parents of students, pastors, alumni and church friends,” Dr. Fisher said. “We take college students and we take those who are retired.”
Although this summer’s tour will be the first that Dr. Fisher has led, he’s no stranger to the study tour. When he was a senior in high school, he and his future wife, along with their mothers, went on a fine arts trip hosted by Dr. Dwight Gustafson. When he was a graduate assistant, he and his father took weekend history tours to Charleston, Williamsburg and Washington, D.C.
The cost for the Reformation tour is around $5,000.
“It’s a deal,” Dr. Fisher said.
The package includes transportation—round-trip from Greenville—and a fully air-conditioned bus as well as a few boat rides while touring in Europe and hotel accommodations for the entire 19 days. Also covered by the fee are a multilingual tour director and local guides, as well as admission charges to destinations outlined in the tour itinerary, tips for all guides, and breakfast and dinner daily.
“It’s the only time in your life you’ll be able to do something like this,” Donny said. “You never end up in a crummy hotel, you have admission covered in almost every location you visit, and the only thing you pay for is lunch. Plus, you are provided with tons of information at every place, and someone else is in charge so you don’t have to worry about anything.”
Space is limited and reservation for the trip is on a first come basis, secured with a $200 deposit.
To receive the three hours of academic credit offered for the tour, contact the Records Office.
For additional information, visit www.bju.edu/reformation or contact Dr. David Fisher.
Look for an article next issue featuring a tour hosted by Dr. Gary Reimers of the seminary faculty. The tour will follow the same route the apostle Paul followed during his missionary journeys.
