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tac
Guest
Is it morally justifiable for a Catholic to teach at a protestant school? What has the Church traditionally said?
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ALLFORHIM
Guest
What is considered a protestant school. I have never heard that term used before.
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lak611
Guest
I don’t know if there are any official documents on this, but I went to a Catholic college, and one of my professors (World Civilizations and Political Science courses) was an ordained Protestant minister. The courses he taught had nothing to do with religion. He was one of my favourite professors.
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lak611
Guest
In my neighbourhood, there are Lutheran and Baptist elementary and high schools. There is also a Methodist college. One of my Catholic friends went to the Methodist college. She has a Master’s degree in chemistry.What is considered a protestant school. I have never heard that term used before.
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Corki
Guest
As long as the Catholic isn’t teaching religion or theology, I don’t see how it would be different from working for any other Protestant employer.
Many protestant schools require that all employees sign a statement of faith that might not be possible for a faithful Catholic to sign. I looked into teaching at a local Protestant college but the application had not only a statement of faith that was Sola Scriptura but also a statement that I wouldn’t drink or smoke on or off the job. I don’t smoke but…
A Lutheran school that was recruiting recently was pretty strict in hiring only practicing Christians but their Statement of Faith was worded in such a way that I didn’t see any conflict for Catholics.
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Sixtus
Guest
What is the difference to teaching with adult education where there is not option but to teach not only Protestant but largely agnostic environment.
I do not see any reason why a Catholic cannot teach religion at a Protestant school.
Our late Parish Priest [a very saintly man who lived by canon law], his housekeeper earned her living as a teacher of religion, she worked in a normal state school. She was held in very high regard by both pupils and staff alike.
She is a nun now.
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Corki
Guest
I am not exactly sure what a “normal state school” is but if it is the equivalent of a public school in the US that is a different thing althogether. Religion, in public schools (usually universities) is taught with at least a veneer of objectivity and neutrality. Religion in a Protestant school would likely include the teachings of the Reformation as a necessary good, Sola Scriptura as the only true authority etc. I don’t think a Catholic could follow that lesson plan.I do not see any reason why a Catholic cannot teach religion at a Protestant school.
Our late Parish Priest [a very saintly man who lived by canon law], his housekeeper earned her living as a teacher of religion, she worked in a normal state school. She was held in very high regard by both pupils and staff alike.
She is a nun now.
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st_ignatius110
Guest
I don’t know which public schools you are talking about but here in Texas there is no such thing as religion being discussed with at least a veneer of objectivity and neutrality. Muslims here are allowed to pray…Christians are expelled for praying during the lunch hour. Many other things happen as well.
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Sandi
Guest
Why would a Catholic even consider it? They’d probably be constrained from trying to spread their Catholocism so how could a Catholic in good concience consent to work in that kind of setting?
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Contarini
Guest
You might want to contain your speculative fervor and inquire as to what evangelical institutions actually teach. My college, for instance, requires this as its statement of faith:
The only part of this that contradicts Catholicism is the first part, and a Catholic who believed in material sufficiency could conceivably get around this by saying that the Word of God handed down in Sacred Tradition is not different in content from the Word of God that comprises Scripture. So Scripture is the only infallible Word of God, but that same Word is transmitted by other means as well.
The final clause is insufficient from a Catholic point of view, but not false. Catholicism does teach that all who believe in Christ have a certain spiritual unity.
Wheaton professor Joshua Hochschild made the argument that Wheaton’s statement of faith was compatible with Catholicism (though he failed to convince the administration and was fired anyway). However, Wheaton’s statement is more ambiguous than the one quoted above inasmuch as it says that the Bible is “of supreme and final authority” rather than using the fatal word “only.” Wheaton’s ecclesiology is more explicit, though I think you could use Vatican II to make it fit as well.
Edwin
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Contarini
Guest
Because most evangelical institutions (of higher education, that is) are explicitly ecumenical–my own institution’s president likes to talk about being “Christ-centered.” Somebody needs to stand up and make the case that Catholicism is just as Christ-centered as anything.
Given the fatal word “only,” I’m not sure how well this would work at my institution, or whether it would even be honest to attempt it. So far no one has.
Edwin
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