As part of Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United States last week, he addressed educators representing the nation’s 200 Catholic colleges and universities at the Catholic University of America. As my cohort has learned in Social Context of Education, religion, like politics, is a sensitive discussion topic in a democracy. However, like the Pope, we should engage in dialogues with our neighbors about subjects that shape us as citizens (see Jean Bethke’s Elshtain’s Democracy on Trial).
Pope Benedict XVI exhorted the crowd at Catholic University with the concept that “faith is compatible with reason.” This is a wise perspective for all institutions of Christian higher education. Teaching biblical beliefs should not water down the content and expertise of education; if integrated correctly, it should improve upon all areas of a university and the college experience as a whole.
-Teresa Bagamery Clark
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