The theological disposition of lay Catholic headteachers

Abstract

The differing theological perspectives evident in the literature on Catholic schools and education suggest those who appoint headteachers in Catholic schools may need to know more about candidates than that they are practising Catholics. This paper summarises a doctoral research project aimed at identifying the dominant theological motifs that underpin how lay Catholic headteachers understand their faith. These dominant motifs are defined in terms of theological disposition.

Keywords:

• theological disposition
• Catholic headteachers
• Catholic education
• empirical theology

Notes on contributor

Dr Christopher Richardson is a visiting lecturer on the MA in Catholic School Leadership at St Mary's University College, London. He prevously spent 12 years as headteacher of a Catholic comprehensive school and 4 as a diocesan schools commissioner.

Notes

1. See Schools Standards and Framework Act 1998 Section 60(5) and Education and Inspection Act 2006 Section 37. The Employment and Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulation 2003 Sections 2 and 3 are also helpful in this regard.

2. Dulles (2000, 124–126) illustrates this with reference to the philosophical theology of Aquinas, the transcendental Thomism of Rahner or Lonergan, the patristic Platonism and mediaeval Augustinianism of Von Balthasar or Ratzinger, and the paradigmatic theology of Kűng.

3. Since Vatican II, this distinction has been commonly used by theologians. It has its origin in early Christian disputes concerning the nature of Christ with some emphasising his divinity and some his humanity. McBrien (1994, 493–517), drawing on a lecture given by Rahner in 1971 (Rahner, K. 1995. Two basic types of Christology. Theological Investigations, vol. 13, New York, Seabury Press, 213–223) makes use of the distinction between Christology from above and below.

4. Cf. Anselm, St. (1997 edition) Proslogion, transl. M.J. Charlesworth. London: Notre Dame Press.

5. ‘A real, living faith exists always in some cognitive, reflective state. Which is to say that we are not even conscious of our faith except theologically. We cannot express it, in words or in action, independently of theology’ (McBrien 1994, 40).

6. See subject index p. 376.

7. In the UK, Leslie Francis and William Kay have been instrumental in developing and using this approach but much of the theoretical perspective and terminology, as Francis himself admits, has been developed by Johannes Van der Ven in the Netherlands. See Francis (2004), Kay (2003) and Van der Ven (2004) as examples.

8. This argument is developed in Van der Ven (2004). Drawing on Popper's conclusion that social conditioning influences knowledge of whatever kind and Weber's contention that no research is value-free, Van der Ven argues that ‘all research takes place within a normative tradition’. The ‘pure’ and ‘abstract’ rationality, which liberal scholars regard as the currency of scientific research, is illusionary. Pure and abstract rationality is itself considered desirable and this is a judgement of its value. Even the pursuit of ‘objective facts’ arises from a value judgement that acquiring these is worthwhile, that it has some value. This is at variance with Dean's assumption that ‘Continental dualists’ still accept a fact-value distinction (Dean 1990, 97).

9. Extended extracts from semi-structured interviews in the original thesis offered the reader an opportunity to assess the veracity of the conclusions that were drawn.

10. The gender, phase and age profile of participants was as follows: female primary 10, male primary 2; female secondary 3, male secondary 7; over 50 years old 13, under 50 years old 9.

11. This involves reading and re-reading in conjunction with the recordings in a process aimed at developing some degree of empathy with the speaker. Despite noting shortcomings due to inter-subjectivity, Grace (1978) argued that it does provide an opportunity to ‘enter into the social world of another’ (113). This allows a clearer picture to emerge of the dominant themes and general approach of each interview.

12. Christian Tradition that acknowledges the inadequacy of human understanding and language for such an exercise. St Augustine of Hippo warned that ‘if you understand God, it is not God that you understand’. The CCC uses this quotation from St Augustine to illustrate its assertion that ‘even when he reveals himself, God remains a mystery beyond our minds’ (CCC 1994, n. 214). McBrien (1994) offers an elaboration on what is meant by mystery, namely: ‘something which clearly transcends the capacity of our ordinary rational and conceptual powers and exceeds, beyond all human imagination, the range and resources of our everyday knowledge’ (316).

13. Catholic sacramental consciousness or imagination is an awareness of God's presence in creation, which is a key characteristic of Catholicism according to Groome (1996) and Greeley (2001).

14. There is a strong echo of God's Covenant with the House of Israel (Jeremiah 31:31–34), where God assures His people of his relationship with them.