According to Hugh of St. Victor, the purpose of education is to be drawn to contemplation of God by seeking Wisdom – Christ in all things. The goal of education, then, is not merely the acquisition of knowledge, but rather about being drawn into the life of God. Education, for Hugh, is one of the ways that God heals, restores, and elevates the fallen soul.

We at Christ and University agree with Hugh that education is ultimately theological, or, following St. Justin Popovich, education is theanthropic – “Christ is the ideal Man Whom human education seeks as its goal, purpose, and its ideal.” The arts and sciences should not function as modes of knowledge contrary to faith. Mathematics, natural philosophy, rhetoric, etc. all serve the theological endeavor of knowing God as the source of all things. So not only can we pursue the mystery of God directly (in the discipline of Theology itself), but we can also come to know God through our study of all things. This theanthropic education pursues God and all things in relation to God such that all knowledge, from any discipline or field, may lead to contemplation of God.

And that is why we’ve created this blog. It is meant to be a place for reflecting theologically on the nature of education and teaching. Sometimes we will talk about teaching (or practicing) Theology, but most times we will talk about teaching theologically: how to do we teach a variety of subjects with an eye toward understanding them in relation to God? How can we study biology, or law, or engineering, or English, or fashion merchandising in a humble way such that our study contributes to God’s work of grace in our souls and the souls of our students? In short, this blog exists to explore the conviction that education is a theological and spiritual endeavor that heals the soul even as it shapes the mind.