Daily Theology
Education
A Christian Case for a Third Party
Two weeks: the remaining until the population of the United States will vote for one man (this time around, at least) to hold the most powerful political office in the world. As is usual every four years, we–the faithful public–get to choose between two imperfect candidates as representatives of the two most powerful and longstanding … Continue reading
Theological Education or Evangelization?
“What is the role of faith in the classroom?” In light of the upcoming Synod, we may even ask: “can the classroom be a place for evangelization? The previous posts in Theological Shark Week III all shed light on different aspects of this important question. For those of us teaching core (required) theology classes in … Continue reading
Faith!? You Can’t Teach Faith!
Coming from a Thomistically inspired perspective, as is my wont, faith is not something that can be taught. Rather, faith is a gift from God, one of the many ways in which God communicates God’s very self to us. The grace of faith builds from our natural ability to know reality by enabling us to … Continue reading
Thoughts from the Science Classroom: Faith!? What faith?!
Where is faith in the science classroom? Where is faith in the physics courses, studying the latest developments from the Large Hadron Collider; the astrophysics graduate classrooms, perusing the search for life on other planets via the Kepler Space Telescope; the chemistry undergraduate lab, investigating the strands of amino acids and proteins that comprise the very … Continue reading
The Vocation of Faith Educators: Remembering to Be ‘Stewards of the Mysteries of God’
The first time I attempted to teach the Trinity to a classroom full of 9th grade girls, I was completely overwhelmed preparing the lesson. I spent a lot of time grappling for language that would help them understand this central Christian mystery. And I vividly remember the students’ confused stares as they dutifully listened and … Continue reading
Is there Faith in the Classroom?
Was George Michael right? Do you “gotta have faith”? Last week I started my second year of teaching Catholic theology at Boston College. I have the same core course as last year (“Exploring Catholicism”), but the shift from 8am to 2pm has led my class roster to double in size. I’ve made some minor changes … Continue reading
Theological Shark Week III: “What is the role of faith in the classroom?”
As a new school year begins, many of us here on the blog have been reflecting on the place that faith has in the classroom for both teachers and students of theology. The six contributors this week have both students and teachers in classrooms ranging from high school and college to parish and seminary. There … Continue reading
Pope Benedict and The Social Formation of Young People
Today (January 1st), the Catholic Church celebrates the World Day of Peace. For 45 years, popes have commemorated this occasion by issuing annual statements on relevant topics. While not the same weight as a social encyclical, these statements are an under-appreciated part of the Catholic social tradition and they signal important issues that need to … Continue reading
Theology at the Service of the Economy
The theologian must serve the economy. This is perhaps a controversial statement, but I assert that it is true. Too often a mutual suspicion or antipathy between moralists and businessmen, theologians and economists, clouds the fact that they share much in common. There is a recognition of limits, common striving for … Continue reading
Thoughts on the University and the Value of Education: A (Belated) Response to Fr. Himes
Last week in the Education Life section of the New York Times, Laura Pappano wrote on the continuing growth of the master’s degree. According to her interviewees, the former “consolation prize for failing to finish a Ph.D.” has in fact become the new entry-level degree for many jobs in the US. As a result, much … Continue reading
