I grew up Roman Catholic, but four years ago as I was choosing a college, I told my parents I wanted to be open to exploring other Christian denominations. Some of my formative faith experiences came from attending a Protestant family summer conference and worship events with Christian Youth Theater. My parents, ever the advocates for free-thinking, were of course supportive in my college search. While I explored some Catholic schools, Gordon stood out to me as faith clearly permeated the lives of faculty and students alike.
I am so grateful for the decision to come to Gordon; it has made me a better thinker, given me the opportunity to travel, and of course, encouraged my faith. To my great surprise being at Gordon is what solidified my love for the Catholic church! Old Testament and New Testament classes helped me see beauty in Catholic mass and prayers that I was blind to before. I gained a deeper appreciation for the Church as an active part in God’s salvation plan for humanity. And, in conversations with peers on our beliefs as Christians, I was compelled to dive deeper on topics like grace, the saints, Mother Mary, and purgatory to which before I only had surface level understanding. For me, conversations like these are part of the heart of what Gordon is because in humbly sharing our perspectives, we test and strengthen our understanding of the truth.
At Gordon, I also see evidence of persisting rifts between Protestants and Catholics. Especially during my freshman year, I found many of the questions about Catholicism were laced with skepticism. This is not hard to understand as there are still many churches which tell congregants that Catholics are pagan or that they worship Mary. This divide goes both way as there are many Catholics quick to generalize the beliefs and actions of Protestant Christians. The place where this rift remains most noticeable at Gordon is in the absence of Catholic professors.
Professors are the backbone of colleges because they are the first people students look to for guidance and those best equipped to maintain the culture of an institution for a student body in constant flux. It is therefore important that professors at an interdenominational Christian college like ours represent the variety of Christendom, especially if a certain denomination makes up a significant portion of the student body. As Christians, we have a Biblical call to work towards unity. In John 17:11, Jesus prays “Holy Father, protect me, so that they may be one, as we are one”. Similarly, in 1st Corinthians, Paul calls out the people for the divides within the church, pointedly asking “Has Christ been divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:13). The division between Catholics and Protestants is nothing short of a tragedy, and it is our duty to face the tension within the Church to work for healing. One way Gordon can continue working for unity is allowing Catholic professors to be a part of our community.
Finding the exact stance of the school on Catholic professors is difficult as it is more of a tradition stemming from disagreements over the Statement of Faith rather than a written policy expressly forbidding the hiring of Catholic professors. In 1985, Dr. Thomas Howard, professor of English at Gordon for 16 years, rocked the Christian education community by converting to Catholicism. As a prominent professor from a well-known evangelical family, the strained circumstances which lead to his resignation became a springboard for conversations about Catholics in professorial roles at predominately protestant institutions.
In a statement from the Tartan, Dr. Howard reflects “…I guess we all wish Christendom would come together again, and probably a lot of us wish Christian higher education could represent the totality of real Christian affirmation in this age of aggressive secular humanism, and we all know that evangelicals and orthodox Roman Catholics have a tremendous amount in common, when it comes to creed and morals. Nonetheless… Christendom isn’t there yet.” Since Dr. Howard, discussions about allowing Catholic professors at Gordon have continued on and off both publicly and privately.
I believe as a community, we have reached a moment in time where we have a special opportunity to work for that greater unity in the Church to which we are called. Gordon College has changed since 1985, and even since I started attending in 2022. For example, Gordon’s Catholic Student Fellowship has gone from doing the Rosary once a week together, to sharing the Rosary with other students on Spiritual Pursuit Fridays. Amongst the student body, I see a growing curiosity for engaging with prayers and writings from the Catholic church. In my Political Science Classes, we sometimes read about Catholic Social Teaching, and I hope my presence helps add color to our conversations. In the broader community, I think there is a need for the tradition and beauty which Catholicism can offer. In a recent CFI lecture, the speaker reflected on finding the practice of Lament amidst a struggle with her health. I could not help but think how the Catholic Tradition could strengthen Protestant practices which often focus on the Joy of Christ’s resurrection with the wealth of reflections on the sorrow in Christ’s passion.
Our college is not alone in this greater openness to Catholicism Multiple media source. Sources such as the Washington Post and New York Times have pointed out a sort of “religious revival” or phenomenon in the United States, with Gen Z attendance at religious services indicating greater devoutness to the Christian faith then their parents. The Catholic church in particular has seen a rising number of converts. As there is growing interest in the Catholic church, isn’t it important that Gordon invite Catholics into the Christian conversation which takes place at institutions like Gordon?
There are very serious theological differences that have kept Catholics and Protestants divided. These are important differences and should not simply be cast aside. However, in Political Science classes here at Gordon, students learn about pluralism and what it is like to live in a community with differences. I think one of the books students read for American National Politic, Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker Palmer, speaks directly to this situation we are in when it says, “We are imperfect and broken beings who inhabit an imperfect and broken world. The genius of the human heart lies in its capacity to use these tensions to generate insight, energy, and new life”.
Catholic professors would be an undeniable asset to the college. Adding Catholic professors to our already diverse faculty could only strengthen the mission of the staff to support the mission of our college to prepare students to bring Christ’s light in the world, just as in 1889 when Gordon was a missionary training school. Professors are often a student’s primary contact; their knowledge is the foundation for students to grow upon. Our professors can better foster the curiosity and open heartedness already present in students, by themselves engaging in that sharpening tension by adding Catholic faculty to their ranks.
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