From the Heart of the American Church, David J. O'Brien
Marsden, George M.
should separate Catholic and more traditional Protestant scholars. Yet Catholic schools seem reluctant to use the word "Christian." As one Notre Dame undergraduate explained to me, "Christian" is...
...As one Notre Dame undergraduate explained to me, "Christian" is seen as a Protestant adjective...
...In any case, some positive new steps must be taken to counter the paralyzing negative reactions to Catholic distinctiveness that haunt so many intellectuals in the American Catholic community...
...Faith-related scholarship" may be the best...
...Given that choice, most Catholic academics know where they stand...
...The result is that, after a generation of attention at schools that otherwise are flourishing academically, little headway has been made on the project of relating faith to contemporary learning...
...So it is "Catholic" scholarship or nothing...
...Although it is a bit vague, it has the advantage of recognizing that Catholic colleges and universities are diverse places...
...If "Christian" elicits too many negative images as well—as it probably does, especially when non-Christians are to be full partners in an institution—another term might be found...
...At the same time they should differ from the standardized American "diversity" in that they should encourage not only Catholics, but scholars of other faiths, to relate their faith to their learning...
Vol. 121 • November 1994 • No. 20
