The role of Christian intellectuals and the presence of faith in the public sphere, discussion at the University of Navarra

Does it make sense to talk about Christian intellectuals in the current context, or is it more appropriate to talk about Christian intellectuals? What role does faith play in university life? Should Christianity be clothed in secular language, or can it be presented directly, without complexes? These were some of the questions debated during the workshop " Christian Intellectuals or Christian Intellectuals? ", organized by the Master's Degree in Christianity and Contemporary Culture at the School of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Navarra. The event was attended by nearly 60 people in person and 398 people online.

The workshop It arose on the occasion of the publication of the book Ubi Sunt? Christian Intellectuals , edited by Ricardo Calleja , professor at IESE and the Master's Degree in Christianity and Contemporary Culture. During the presentation of the meeting , and as a first note, Mariano Crespo , Full Professor of Philosophy and director academic of the Master's Degree , has defended the primacy of Christian identity over intellectual function: "Faith is not exclusively about the intellect, but about the whole person," he stated. He also recalled that this discussion is not new, although it remains pertinent. Under this premise, the first roundtable of the workshop . Moderated by María José Atienza, director of the magazine Omnes , it has featured contributions from the professors of the Master's Degree Ricardo Calleja , professor of ethics at IESE; Pablo Pérez, Full Professor of Contemporary History; and Juan Luis Lorda , professor of Dogmatic Theology.

In his speech, Ricardo Calleja stressed the need for Christianity not to renounce presenting itself in its original identity and advocated avoiding ultra-processed versions. In this sense, as he recalled, "Christianity contributed something that is still scandalous and new today, even for believers: it all began with a man who said that we should love our enemies, therefore, Christian novelty remains relevant and necessary, especially today, when instances of common reason and places of meeting “They are so damaged.”

For his part, Pablo Pérez , who encouraged people not to use Catholicism as an adjective, "because it's a noun," listed a series of attitudes that identify the Christian intellectual, such as "openness to mystery, the search for understanding of the world, or a perspective that goes beyond pragmatism," among others. He also pointed out that "the danger we Christians face lies not so much in the pressure exerted by the power of those opposed to Christianity, but in lukewarmness, in the way we live our convictions and apply them to our thinking."

During his exhibition Juan Luis Lorda has argued that universal values such as freedom and the rule of law are built on Christian assumptions and that keeping this humanist heritage alive is one of the functions of the Christian intellectual: "To do so, we must know it, think about it, frequent it, expose it and offer it to our contemporaries, combating error and established lies in a friendly manner."

_{Image of the presentation of the meeting , before starting the first roundtable From left to right: Mariano Crespo, Pablo Perez, Maria Jose Atienza, Juan Luis Lorda, and Ricardo Calleja.}

The workshop has had a second roundtable , moderated by Santiago Fernández-Gubieda , director Executive of the Center for University Government and Reputation of the University of Navarra. Manuel Oriol spoke, publisher of Editions meeting and professor of Philosophy from CEU San Pablo University; Pilar Zambrano , Professor of Law; and José María Torralba , Full Professor of Philosophy and Deputy Director of the Master's Degree in Christianity and Contemporary Culture.

In Oriol 's opinion, "Christianity is not a culture; however, although it cannot be identified as such, it inevitably tends to become one, since culture is a dimension of the Christian experience." In this sense, as he explained, meeting "It is a publishing house Religious because everything, in some way, is religious; in everything we human beings do, we have a longing that is ultimately religious, as an opening, not as a response." He also championed an open Christian identity, one that doesn't deny that anyone can be interested in it: "Our vocation is to be recognized as Christians, but with interest for everyone," he noted.

For her part, Pilar Zambrano has raised the need to reflect on how future professionals who participate in the sector are being trained in universities. Public discourse "Why are there no Christian voices on social media, on television sets, or in the realm of public discourse? Does it have something to do with what we've done, or perhaps with what we've failed to do?" he asked. In response to these questions, he encouraged reflection on what could be done in academia and emphasized the importance of university professors considering the extent to which "what I study, write, and teach contributes to transmitting or strengthening a conception of the person in the image of Christ."

Finally, José María Torralba took the floor and began his intervention by pointing out that the discussion about "Christian intellectuals or Christian intellectuals" is, in his opinion, a "nominalist question", emphasizing that the use of one expression or another "depends on the context and the person" and stressing that "the substance of this topic does not reside in the label , but in the deeper meaning." He has also maintained that "Christianity must be something explicit in the teaching and in the research of an institution that defines itself as Christian, because the opposite would not be natural, it would be false." To defend it, he has provided three arguments: there is never neutrality in Education ; every university creates a community, and this is nourished by shared values that must be kept alive; and the richness of the Christian intellectual tradition continues to add value to public opinion." Before concluding, he stressed that "one of the tasks of universities is to contribute to the training of people who continue this long trail of Christian thought.”

The recording of the workshop this available in this link .