Educating for Faith and Justice: Catholic Higher Education Today

by Thomas P. Rausch SJ

Overview

Catholic colleges and universities play a crucial role in handing on a rich faith tradition to young adults today. As these institutions have become more professional and pluralistic, many are asking how effective they are at carrying out the religious mission which is central to their identity:

Are Catholic colleges and universities significantly different from less expensive state institutions or from other private colleges and universities? Are they still committed to the search for truth, which is really the search for God?

Thomas Rausch, an eminent educator, is a Catholic priest long interested in Catholic theology as a work of the church, not just of the academy. He insists we must also ask of Catholic higher education today:

Does it truly form students in the faith that does justice, or does it simply speed their passage into successful corporate lifestyles? Does it help students come to a personal encounter with the divine mystery revealed in Jesus?

Keeping these questions before them, Rausch and five other contributors to this volume provide wisdom, insight, and concrete examples of how Catholic higher education can indeed foster faith that leads to a more just world.

Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, is the T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He is author of numerous books, including I Believe in God: A Reflection on the Apostles' Creed, Being Catholic in a Culture of Choice, and Towards a Truly Catholic Church (Liturgical Press).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780814657164
Publisher:	Liturgical Press
Publication date:	01/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Thomas P. Rausch, SJ, is the T. Marie Chilton Professor of Catholic Theology at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. A specialist in ecclesiology, he has published twenty books and numerous articles and has long been active in ecumenism. He co-chairs the Los Angeles Catholic/Evangelical Committee and the Theological Commission for the Archdiocese. From 2010 to 2014 he was a consultor to Jesuit Superior General Father Adolfo Nicholás for ecumenical affairs.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

1 Catholic Colleges and Universities in the United States 1

Jesuit Colleges 3

Catholic Higher Education in the United States 12

Conclusion 18

2 Theology and the University 20

The Magisterium of the Doctors 21

From Christian Wisdom to Critical Discipline 23

From Clerical to Lay Profession 27

Undergraduate Theology Today 32

Conclusion 37

3 Education for Faith and Justice 39

The Church in the Modern World 39

Pedro Arrupe 43

Proyecci?n Social 47

Conclusion 55

4 Young Adult Catholics Today 58

The Data 59

Some Initial Reflections 64

Strategies 66

Conclusion 73

5 Catholic Studies Don J. Briel 76

Catholic Studies Programs 78

The Center for Catholic Studies 86

Conclusion 90

6 A Pilgrimage to Rome David Gentry-Akin 92

Walking in the Footsteps of the Early Christians 94

Processing the Experience 99

Conclusion 101

7 Community-Based Learning Kristin E. Heyer 103

Transformative Pedagogy in Christian Ethics 104

Moving Beyond the Confines of Coursework 107

Conclusion 109

8 Praxis-Based Education Mark Ravizza, S.J. 111

Academic Reflection Rooted in Reality 113

Integrated Community Learning 116

Recollection and Pedagogical Accompaniment 118

Formation of a Christic Imagination 123

Conclusion 125

9 Immersion Trips Stephen J. Pope 127

Why Spend Money to Visit Poor People in Another Country? 130

Levels of Personal Transformation 133

Conclusion 141

10 Meeting the Living God 143

Spirituality, not Religion 144

Faith without Accountability 145

Counter Voices 148

Beyond a Culturally Determined Faith 151

Conclusion 154

Contributors 157

Index 159

Editorial Reviews

Thomas Rausch provides the reader with a thorough understanding of the history, background, and mission of Catholic higher education…. [This book] is a call to revive and renew the overall purpose and mission of Catholic higher education.
Journal of Education and Christian Belief


This book is useful not only for educators in higher education but also for pastoral ministers, especially the sections on some of the initiatives and programs such as service learning, service/border trips, and advocacy that are used in colleges and universities.
Linh Hoang, OFM, New Theology Review


This is a realistic, positive and hopeful work, well illustrated by student voices sharing their experiences and insights.
International Studies in Catholic Education


With Educating for Faith and Justice: Catholic Higher Education Today, Father Rausch has once again made an important contribution to the ongoing discussion around how to animate and sustain Catholic identity and mission in Catholic higher education today. This book is highly recommended.
Dave Gentry-Akin, Saint Mary’s College of California


Veteran professor of theology, participant in several national ecumenical conversations, and responsive to both the academic and pastoral needs of his students, Thomas Rausch brings several important issues to the fore in this book. After providing a history of the Jesuit involvement in higher education, he examines critically recent studies on how young people today relate to the Church and religion in general. While that situation is cause for real concern, Rausch includes in his book five chapters by other authors who describe effective ways to bring college-age youth to a deeper understanding and love of their faith. In the last chapter, drawing on his own wide experience and pastoral wisdom, Rausch suggests what can and should be done today to pass on the faith to the next generation. I highly recommend the book for anyone concerned about youth and the future of the Church.
Fr. James L. Heft, SM
Alton Brooks Professor of Religion
Presiden


Thomas Rausch, SJ, has done a notable service for those intensely interested in furthering the Catholic nature of higher education today. Rausch has earlier written about the difficulties of maintaining a vigorous Catholic identity in a culture of choice which prioritizes pluralism. He wrestles and imagines ways to improve Catholic identity at Catholic universities which share that culture of choice and pluralism. Helpful chapters deal with Catholic Studies programs, faith and justice insertion programs, pilgrimage retreats. This is a book not only for those interested in improving the Catholic character of Catholic Universities but also for anyone concerned about the faith future for young adult Catholics.
John A. Coleman, SJ
Associate Pastor, Saint Ignatius Church, San Francisco
Previous Charles Casassa Professor of Social Values, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

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