God, Christ, Church
Course Description
Our patron, St. Francis de Sales, taught that the first elements of a
knowledge of God are in the knowledge of self. In this course the student
will search for the roots of his personal beliefs in his own life story.
He will explore the life and teachings of St. Francis de Sales to understand
how he is a model for the Christian faith journey. The student will be
challenged to critically examine belief in God as a rational ascent to
truth. Furthermore, he will be assisted in identifying the elements of
Salesian spirituality that will enable him to “Live Jesus”
loving himself, God and others as a response to God’s gift of faith.
Course Objectives
1. Present
classic Catholic positions on the integration of Revelation and Reason.
2. Explicate
the meaning of the term God as used in Catholic Christianity
3. Critique the mental horizon bequeathed to our culture by thinkers such
as Descartes, Hume and Kant.
4.
Define Rationalism, Empiricism, German Idealism and the Enlightenment.
5.
Demonstrate the effects of these positions on our lives in general and
our relationship toward Christianity inparticular.6.
Recognize different modes of knowing and certitudes.
7.
Compare and contrast personal/impersonal knowing vis-à-vis faith.
8.
Understand through reflection and discussion the paradigm of knowledge
symbolized in Salesian spirituality and Catholicism by the heart.
9.
Facilitate students ability to articulate verbally and in writing their
understanding of Catholic teachings.
10.
Present some of the traditional arguments that support an affirmation
of God’s existence in re and not merely in the subjectivity of humans
11.
Examine and critique reasons for unbelief in several forms: existential
atheism,
reductionist psychology, relativist epistemology, egocentric tendencies
13.
Ground the act of knowing in the Reality of the Known, distinguishing
truth from
mere
opinion
12.
Present the fundamentals of Christology, especially as defined in the
Christological Councils of the Patristic Church
13.
Reflect upon the Mystery of the Incarnation in Theology and our Spirituality.
14.
Critically examine images of Jesus and their origins.
15.
Link the Incarnation of Christ with Ecclesiology.
16.
Elaborate contrasting approaches to the mystery of Good and Evil.
17.
Engage students’ questions with regard to specific issues related
to the Catholic
Church (e.g., the Galileo affair, Pope Pius XII and the Holocaust, the
present crisis regarding sexual abuse, anti-Catholicism today, etc.)
18.
Encourage recognition of difference between “real” vs. “notional”
assent to
Christian faith
19.
Offer opportunities for and explanation of types of Christian prayer.
20.
Sketch broadly the relationships of the Roman Catholic Church to the other
Christian communions.
21.
Compare/Contrast Christianity with a non-Christian religion.
22.
Explore ways in which what De Sales calls “the devout life”
influences one’s stance toward Jesus Christ, God and the Church
General Topic Outline of the Course
I.
Faith, Knowledge and Horizons
II. Approaches to the Mystery of God
III. Christology
IV. The Spiritual Combat
V. Christianity and the Church: Christ and Culture
VI. Christianity and Non-Christian Religions
VII. Quodlibetal Questions (Ongoing)
VIII. Recapturing the Wonder: Openness to Faith in Christ
I look forward to an interesting and edifying class with you, gentlemen. If you need help going over material or wish to discuss something, I am more than willing to be available to you before school, during an open period or after the day’s classes. Please do not hesitate to ask for assistance.
Mr. Kane
August 2005