Catholic Social Learning ─ Educating the Faith That Does Justice

In this volume, Roger Bergman articulates his vast experience of doing and teaching to the benefit of all of us. I cannot think of a single reader, experienced or inexperienced in the area of social justice, who will not be greatly enriched by reading his reflections and following his instructions in this book.---Michael G. Lawler Professor Emeritus of Catholic Theology. Creighton University

A creative approach grounded in Western humanism and Catholic social thought, Bergman's practical engagement as an educator sheds bright light into the darker corners of the task, where shame at our inadequate response sometimes lurks. Must-reading for all seeking new insight into how higher education---especially Catholic higher education--- can help shape men and women who will seek to heal our world.---David Hollenbach, S.J. Boston College

The canon for Catholic social teaching spreads to six hundred pages, yet fewer than two pages are devoted to Catholic social learning or pedagogy. In this long-needed book, Roger Bergman begins to correct that gross imbalance. He asks: How do we educate ("lead out") the faith that does justice? How is commitment to social justice provoked and sustained over a lifetime? To address these questions, Bergman weaves what he has learned from thirty years as a faith-that-does-justice educator with the best of current scholarship and historical authorities. He reflects on personal experience; the experience of Church leaders, lay activists, and university students; and the few words the tradition itself has to say about a pedagogy for justice.

Catholic Social Learning explores the foundations of this pedagogy, demonstrates its practical applications, and illuminates why and how it is fundamental to Catholic higher education.

Roger Bergman is the founding director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at Creighton University, where he is also Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.