Critical Intellectual Inquiry at Catholic Colleges

There's room for controversy in this religious tradition, argues a Franciscan educator.

By Bernard Olszewski

In the May 6, 2005, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education, Nathan O. Hatch writes about his tenure at the University of Notre Dame, where he was stepping down as provost to assume the presidency of Wake Forest University. Reflecting on what Catholic higher education has to offer, he expresses his belief that “the intellectual crossroads of a Catholic university avoid two extremes: the homogeneity of religious colleges and the relativism of modern universities.”

The article rang true to me then, and its sentiments have only been reinforced lately as national and local issues have reminded me why I am grateful to be a part of the Catholic intellectual tradition, first as a professor and second as an academic administrator at a Catholic college in the Franciscan tradition. When the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops published its guidelines in 2001 for implementing the Vatican document Ex Corde Ecclesiae, some inside the Catholic academy worried about its effect on academic freedom, and many non-Catholic colleagues predicted that Rome would impose a level of homogeneity that allowed for no debate at all on crucial issues.¹ As Hatch points out, however, “Catholic universities have not given up the dream of linking intellectual and moral purpose. They provide a middle ground where vital religious tradition can engage modern thought in a climate of academic freedom.” I believe that this middle ground constitutes the unique contribution of Catholic colleges and universities to the world of intellectual pursuit.

Modern Catholic colleges and universities are engaged in an intellectual endeavor that traces its origins to ancient Christianity. In the eleventh century, the Benedictine monk Anselm attempted to prove the existence of God. It was not that he doubted the reality of his belief; rather, he wanted to demonstrate God’s existence through the rational power of the intellect. Anselm stated, “I do not seek to understand in order that I might believe, but I believe in order that I may understand.” It is precisely this intellectual mindset that allows the Catholic college or university to look critically at topics that other religious institutions approach from a narrow per­spective or, indeed, do not approach at all. We in the Catholic tradition are in no doubt about the position of the Vatican in matters of faith and morals, so we are free to examine criti­cally the implications of those beliefs and their application to contemporary life.

Messy Issues

I was reminded of this fact last summer as the debate between proponents and opponents of intelligent design raised questions about the separation of church and state in several school districts nationwide. A prominent evangelical Christian thinker argued in an interview that to accept and teach the theory of evolution in the schools—to teach that humans evolved over millennia from less sophisticated forms of life—would naturally allow for abortion and gay rights. Why? Because if human beings were not created directly and immediately by the creating God, then anyone can justify any human behavior.

To be sure, the Catholic tradition has never been accused of relativism. There are fundamental moral questions that are not open for debate. Positions on issues such as reproductive rights, extramarital sexual relations, and same-sex marriage are clearly defined in the teaching of the Catholic church; to be Catholic is fundamentally to uphold these positions. Still, even with this caveat, the Catholic intellectual tradition invites debate, discussion, and exploration regarding these matters and others, such as capital punishment, human rights, and global peace and justice.

In the classroom, opposing views can be aired, dialogue can be initiated, and discussion can be encouraged so that students can understand the church’s positions and be better prepared for a diverse world that does not hold any fixed, single position about fundamental issues of life. If the purpose of a liberal arts education in the widest sense is to create informed citizens in a global context, where personal decisions and actions can influ­ence one’s world, then our students must know the tradition of their education and must intellectually be able to explain it in rational terms.

Inside and Out

This inquiry, however, comes within the context of the classroom under the guidance of professors who have pledged to uphold the mission of the college. On a Catholic campus, what happens outside the classroom, in the public domain, is another issue completely. Catholic colleges and universities are responsible to their canonical sponsors to present themselves to the public as faithful stewards of the heritage of Catholic thought and belief. To host speakers or events that promote positions con­trary to the Catholic tradition causes confusion and perhaps even scandal. Extracurricular events do not fall under the cate­gory of academic probing or intellectual exploration but stand as a statement of sorts: they send a message that positions contrary to the Catholic tradition are as valid as any other. They are not part of the tradition of critical intellectual inquiry in Catholic education.

In listening to the interview with the evangelical educator who advocated intelligent design, I was struck by the fact that Augustine had raised the problem sixteen hundred years ago of the apparent conflict between scriptural narration of creation and the observed changing nature of the world. Augustine was well aware of the scriptural account of creation in the first two chapters of Genesis, but he also understood that the world in which he lived was not the exact same world that existed when Genesis was written. His solution was one of process. While stating that God created the world ex nihilo as recounted by the authors of Genesis, Augustine also pointed out that God did so through the creation of a world that contained seminal principles that are contained within matter and have causal power. Thus all species bear the invisible potential power to become what they are not yet. Originally, God, in a single act of complete creation, provided the germinating principle of all species.

For Augustine, this solved the dilemma of what scripture meant when it stated that God created the universe in six days. The step-by-step process described in Genesis seemed inconsis­tent with Augustine’s view of God and impossible to hold in the literal sense, because the sun was not created until the fourth day, thus making the calculation of days impossible as we understand it. Through his interpretation, Augustine proposed that God created all things simultaneously, meaning that God implanted the seminal principles of all species at once. All species did not come into existence right away but fulfilled their potentiality over time.

With such a framework, the Catholic college or university sees no conflict between scripture and science. The application to scriptural studies of critical methodology taken from other disciplines makes a discussion of evolution and other matters not only possible but indeed desirable. Such inquiry is not seen as a threat to faith but as an opportunity to expand one’s understanding in the context of that faith.

Student life is another area in which this possible conflict between the religious and the secular comes into play. A Catholic institution in western New York recently hosted a gathering of staff and students from Catholic colleges who meet each year to address the issues of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered students. A local newspaper covered the meeting and published letters to the editor stating that local bishops should have halted it because it was contrary to the principles of the Roman Catholic Church.

The institution responded that the topics of discussion at the convocation were not doctrinal in nature. Acknowledging that some at the meeting might not appreciate or agree with the official teachings of the church on sexuality, the college explained that the meeting had created a forum in which individuals could explore the practical implications of these teach­ings in their lives. In addition, it permitted a discussion of how greater awareness of the reality of life for this group of individuals might foster a dialogue leading to increased understanding, respect, and civility within the church. The same issues could easily have arisen in a classroom setting.

Engagement in meaningful dialogue has long been the hallmark of higher education. At Catholic colleges and universities, informed discourse and debate has been at the heart of the pursuit of knowledge and understanding since the Middle Ages. We have dared to pose difficult questions about the why of certain teachings as well as the what. Faith seeking understanding is by its nature dialogical, not dogmatic, even when it involves issues in the realm of dogmatic theology. Crucial to the Catholic intellectual tradition is the ability to explore modes of thought and inquiry, test the presumptions and implications of pertinent teaching, and use the power of reason granted by the Creator to best live the reality of a life of faith. These hallmarks are present on Catholic campuses to this day.

At evangelical colleges and universities, such testing may well be discouraged in deference to a more literal interpreta­tion of scriptural evidence, and passages of the Bible are often cited as proof texts to support current beliefs. Secular institutions perceive debate about matters of faith to be the province of religious colleges and universities. Catholic colleges and universities, however, by their historical legacy and philosophical approach to the educational process not only encour­age such discussions, but also actively promote them.

Like all my colleagues who teach in areas dealing with theological issues, I signed the mandatum required by Ex Corde Ecclesiae. Doing so has not affected how or what I teach. I suspect the same is true for my colleagues. But inquiries such as those I describe in this article do not occur only in classes that specifically address matters of faith or morals. Our college has six liberal learning goals that define our liberal arts core. One is to help students develop inquiry strategies in different disciplines across the curriculum; another is to prepare them for the examined life, thus promoting commitment to lifelong learning. For us, these two goals mean confronting the presumptions of societies that foster inequality, racial or gender divide, and violence. We aim to analyze the premises—philosophical, legal, moral, and religious—upon which societies are built and to seek ways in which lives of positive influence can stem from informed, rational, and log­ical opinions. We do so in classes dealing with law and justice, philosophy, English, psychology, human services, political sci­ence, sociology, and other topics—that is, the whole range of curricular offerings that constitute the educational experience.

I believe that by being rooted in our Catholic, Franciscan heritage, we are given a freedom to explore, both inside the classroom and outside of it, that helps us become global citizens in a world in which recourse to former answers to age-old questions may no longer suffice. Anchored in our tradition, we form new answers and constantly seek new ways to respond to the needs of an ever-changing world.

Note

1.  In 1990, Pope John Paul II issued an “apostolic constitution” on Catholic higher education entitled Ex Corde Ecclesiae. Designed to strengthen ties between the Vatican and Catholic institutions of high­er education, it stated that in all colleges and universities related to the Roman Catholic Church, Catholic professors of theology must obtain a “mandate,” or ecclesiastical license, from the bishop of the area where the university is located in order to teach. The requirement is meant to ensure that such professors teach “authentic Catholic doc­trine” to their students. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops published guidelines for implementing Ex Corde in 2001.
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The Rev. Bernard Olszewski, a Roman Catholic priest, is vice president for academic affairs and professor of philosophy at Hilbert College.

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