Educating for Faith and Justice: Catholic Higher Education Today »

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).

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.

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