Faith and reason in themselves are not opposed because they both have God as their origin. Such is the Christian perspective. From there, the relationship between faith and culture and the role of multidisciplinarity in the Education of faith can be outlined.

By faith we do not mean a mere intellectual theory or a mere set of beliefs, rites and moral rules, but above all a life that, in Christianity, proceeds from meeting and the relationship with Christ.

By reason we understand, as common language does, the human School of discourse, proper to intelligence. It should be noted that human reason, in order to be considered as such, must be open to all the reality that constitutes and surrounds us, and be capable of evaluating it in relation to the totality of the person: not only his intelligence, but also his affections, his social dimension and his openness to transcendence.

Consequently, for an adequate relationship between faith and reason, a "lived faith" is required. A "fideistic" faith (incapable of arguing with reason) would not be useful, nor would a faith of subject be rationalistic, nor voluntaristic, nor purely sentimental or totally dependent on others, since faith enlightens the intelligence while strengthening the will and integrating feelings and relationships between persons.

For its part, human reason - as Joseph Ratzinger has pointed out - needs to be broadened today because of the reductive tendency to remain in its empirical dimension, that is, in relation to what is seen, measured and weighed: material reality, which does not exhaust the reality of man and the cosmos. This empirical dimension of reason constitutes the core of the scientific method and of its important achievements, but it is incapable of responding to the profound questions that human beings ask themselves about their origin and dignity, and about the meaning of history, specifically of their life and destiny. A purely empirical or instrumental reason is therefore of no use in dialogue with faith.

Nor, as Pieper observes, would a reason that is not realistic but close to idealism be useful; nor a reason that is narrowly rationalistic (closed in on itself with respect to the human heart, to relationships with others and with transcendence); nor a reason of subject enlightened (closed particularly to any spiritual horizon and incapable of recognizing, for example, the roots of evil in the world); nor, finally, a reason of subject spiritualist (that rejects the value of the subject, of the human body or of the realities that we call temporal: the work, the family, the technological development , ordinary life, etc.). It must be a human reason in the broadest and plenary session of the Executive Council sense of the expression. Human reason in itself has the capacity to reach the truth, although it needs financial aid to do so. Reason can help faith to explain itself, and can warn when the believer is not coherent, in his intelligence or in his life, with his faith.

For its part, faith can help reason to expand in a threefold direction: in the direction of wisdom, in the direction of ethics and in the direction of faith itself, without dispensing with the metaphysical and moral contents of the world's religions. For example, a certain knowledge of the Christian is important in order to understand literature and art. This requires attention to contemporary theological developments, although it does not necessarily require a sophisticated or scholarly theology; for even a non-believer or an uncultivated believer can benefit from the main "reasons" of faith.

A good reading in this context is that of Newman, for whom theology contributes to give a unitary meaning to knowledge, while at the same time providing answers to the "ultimate questions" that the sciences cannot resolve. Theology is also capable of enriching scientific narratives so that they do not degenerate into technocracies, that is, into the unstoppable power of technology that overwhelms human freedom and renders man incapable of defending his being and his meaning. At the same time, theology reminds everyone that the real in its fullest sense is ungraspable by man. None of this presupposes a negative vision of knowledge or an intrusion into the identity and method of the human sciences; rather, it opens them to a relationship with a broader realm of being, a relationship that can drive research from within the sciences.  

2. The relationship between faith and reason translates into a dialogue between faith and science and, more broadly, between faith and culture. In a university or in a school of Christian inspiration, a good Religion department (such as the one promoted by project DIR: "department interdisciplinary Religion") tries to illuminate the educational task that is carried out in complementarity with the other sciences, of which the various subjects are concerned: it can help them to discover the roots, often Christian, that sustain them, the way to really serve man without dehumanizing him, as well as the meaning of life and the values that underlie the various approaches.

In turn, ethics and the human sciences can help Religion in its task of promote the true good of persons, which is situated in connection with truth, love and authentic beauty. It is not a matter, therefore, of hiding the errors, infidelities and bad actions of Christians, but of recognizing them, while situating them in their social and historical contexts.

In this way the Education that is taught can aspire with greater coherence to the intellectual and human maturity of the students. All this is done respecting the autonomy, identity and method of the different subjects of study, be they Sciences, Humanities, etc. Religion offers to the other subjects its own perspective, which is that of Christian humanism. The dialogue between the subjects, which Religion tries to encourage and illuminate, can be translated into themes or concrete interdisciplinary projects, as a means to elaborate the synthesis between faith and culture, which helps the students and can also benefit their families in different ways.

3. In this way, an interdisciplinary work of subject is carried out, both in justice to reality, as well as in research and also in the dynamics of the educational task itself. In this way, an integral Education open to transcendence is sought.

However, this does not mean that the identity and method of the Education of faith make teaching of Religion properly an "interdisciplinary science". The interdisciplinary, by its nature, is what results from the dialogue between subjects, and specifically between teachers, who are encouraged to deepen their own interests and improve their professional qualifications and their training staff . And from there, to improve programming and didactic resources, the use of technologies, etc. This interdisciplinary task is good for all subjects of study, which can be encouraged, from within, to broaden their horizons in their service to people.

For its part, the subject of Religion is enriched with this interdisciplinary view and relies on it to try to explain, in the light of reason and also in the light of Revelation, the revealed truths and the relationship of man with God. And that is theology. The teaching of Religion is a properly theological task. Its purpose is the reflective information and the advertisement of the Christian faith, good news ("Gospel") for all. It is distinguished from catechesis, another modality of Education of the faith, which has as its purpose the maturing of the Christian life, and which does not belong to the academic curriculum, although it can be present in a complementary way, for those who wish it, in the institutions of Catholic inspiration.

Within the contents of the Christian faith and tradition, classroom Religion teaches not only the doctrinal aspects and those related to liturgical worship, but also other core values of Christianity such as charity -the center of Christian life- and mercy, which is the main manifestation of the spirit of the Beatitudes, a spirit that implies the search for peace and justice for all.

At final, the school Religion teaching provides a service to students and their families in the context of the cultural and interdisciplinary training that is received concretely in educational institutions of Christian inspiration. The foundation of all this, as we have said, is an understanding of the relationship between faith and reason, and between faith and culture, based on a Christian vision of man; that is, on Christian humanism or Christian anthropology.

In these institutions, it is important to keep in mind that the first "place" for dialogue between faith and the multidisciplinarity of knowledge should be in the minds and lives of the teachers. This is also the best way to achieve what students and families are looking for: an integral Education in the Christian perspective of faith (there are no "neutral" perspectives) and its relationship with culture.