Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

‘Faith without ideology is dead’: what are the implications for Religious Education in Catholic schools and colleges of taking this assertion seriously? An essay for teachers of the subject to consider

2021; Routledge; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/19422539.2021.1949145

1942-2547

Michael Kirwan, Sean Whittle,

Religion and Society Interactions

The article seeks to explore a number of ‘double binds' in the theory and practice of Catholic religious education. There is a disparity between the goal of education, as a universal practice of human development, and faith formation, which is more correctly understood as an intentional, ‘elitist' formation of a minority elite. How to make sense of this ‘asymmetry'? With the help of two Jesuit theologians, Karl Rahner and Juan Luis Segundo, the asymmetry can be appreciated, not as a dilemma to be resolved, but as an anthropological constant. Rahner writes of ‘anonymous Christianity', Segundo gives a distinctive account of ‘faith and ideologies’ in need of each other. Taken together, these two theologians help us to re-calibrate our understanding of what Catholic educators are seeking to achieve.