The vocation to the Theologian to reflect, to study, to teach, and to write is placed within the mission of the Church, as one of service to it. Examining the British context for theological work, the document discusses Government policy in higher education in relation to the often vulnerable and difficult entrustment of the theologian to truth.
The vocation of the theologian is brought more sharply into focus through a reflection on the situation of the universities in England and Wales. Catholic involvement in Higher Education institutions and Universities is discussed in the context of their participation in the secular system. Both as institutions and individual theologians, we must engage with whatever understanding of education underlies Government policy; and in our own context the proliferation of university places, the diversity of the types of courses and institutions associated with university work, and the tendency to emphasise the role of universities in terms of building economic strength, are forces with which we have to reckon. The paper addresses philosophical and theological concerns about the role and purpose of the university in human social life. Central to this is the question of what truth has become in a postmodern context, and what the Church’s response can unfold.
We consider the Catholic theological voice as it emerges in our context. In particular, the place of the lay theologian, and to the most commonly ecumenical, ‘lay’, or secular contexts in which Catholic theologians of all states of life are working. The setting of the secular university is challenging and rigorous, often isolating when Christian theologians seek to respond as part of the Church’s missio ad Gentes. Spiritual formation, and the fostering of communion is imperative, in cooperation with the Church’s pastors and those called to form and teach the people of God. We therefore discuss the character of pedagogy and its disciplines in relation to secular and Christian practice.
Summary of Proposals
1. The calling of a colloquium to debate the discussion proposed in this document, under the direction of the Committee for Theology of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
2. As part of this colloquium, the setting out of specific proposals to strengthen the collaboration between the Bishops and theologians at national and local level. These should concentrate, not on activism – the setting up of committees and so forth – but on the means by which loving and fruitful bonds, rooted in the life of the Church and its prayer, should be founded and nurtured between those called to teach and study and those whose task it is to ensure the proper education and formation of the People of God.
3. A discussion of the means by which lay theologians in particular may be formed, and nourished in their formation.
4. That there be initiated a continuing dialogue between the Bishops, the Catholic Theological Association of Great Britain and other interested groups around the issues of the Church’s missio ad gentes as it takes place in the universities and other institutes of higher education.
5. The bonds between those who teach theology in our seminaries and Catholic theologians who teach in universities should be strengthened.
6. A discussion of the concrete means by which the Church may contribute to the discussion of the meaning of education in national life, through publications, and contributions to national forums.
The Vocation and Formation of Theologians and the Teaching Office of the Bishop in the British Context – A Discussion Sponsored by the Society of St. Catherine of Siena (large PDF)
