News and events archive
On this page you can find an overview of news and events that occurred at the School of Catholic Theology in 2011 and 2012.
Annual Lecture Christianity and Society well attended
The 2012 Annual Lecture Christianity and Society held by Cardinal Godfried Danneels on February 16, was well attended by 70 guests in the audience. This year's lecture carried the title: At the crossroads of faith and culture. Challenges facing the Catholic Church today.
In his lecture, the cardinal did not raise the issue of sexual abuse in the Church, but instead talked about the spiritual crisis that the Church faces nowadays. This crisis, according to the cardinal, is caused by the ever-widening gap between the truth as expressed by the Church and Christianity, versus modern secular life and science.
Several Dutch media wrote about the Annual Lecture (all articles are in Dutch):
"Danneels pleit voor authentieke levensstijl"
Katholiek Nieuwsblad
"Periode van ballingschap heilzaam"
Nederlands Dagblad
"Positief nieuws kerk dringt niet door in de media"
Reformatorisch Dagblad
"Kerk moet weer geloofwaardig zijn"
Het Goede Leven (Friesch Dagblad)
The Annual Lecture and the responses by the co-referees:
2012 Annual Lecture Christianity and Society
by Cardinal Godfried Danneels
Response to the annual lecture
by Dr. Kees de Groot
Response to the annual lecture
by Prof.dr. Wim van de Donk:
This response will follow soon.
2012 Annual Lecture Christianity and Society
The lecture will be delivered by Cardinal Godfried Danneels, Archbishop Emeritus of Mechelen-Brussels on the topic:
At the crossroads of faith and culture –
Challenges facing the Catholic Church todayThe challenges for faith and Church in the 21st century are immense. Within the Church there are problems with regard to vocations, celibacy and the ecclesiastical office, as well as tensions between the centre and its peripheries. The most crucial confrontations, however, are situated at the crossroads of Church and modern society, faith and contemporary culture: the fading away of God and the Holy in our culture, the presence of other religions, the enculturation of Christianity in non-Western cultures, the relation between faith and reason and faith and science, and the issue of religious tolerance. Can the Gospel be rooted anew in this new soil and how can this be achieved?
Read more about the program and keynote speaker in the invitation.
When and where
- Thursday 16 February 2012 at 15:00h
- Tilburg University, Dante-building room DZ-01, Warandelaan 2 in Tilburg
Registration
If you wish to attend this (free) lecture, please register before 1 February 2012 by sending an email, stating your name, address and telephone number.
The Annual Lecture is organized by the School of Catholic Theology in close cooperation with the Master’s program Christianity and Society.
Winner WYD Madrid 2011 contest
In Madrid, Thiago was one of the lucky recipients of a little white clog that the School of Catholic Theology handed out to 500 WYD participants. Attached to the clog was a code that allowed entry into the WYD 2011 contest. Thiago was chosen as the winner through the slogan that he finished: "Inspired by WYD, my next trip will be to... Tilburg University, because my journey has only just begun". Thiago's slogan shows an interest in Tilburg University as well as a reflection on his WYD experience and the continuous journey of life.
As Thiago told us, World Youth Day proved to be an important way to learn more about society: "My experience at World Youth Day was very exciting. Having the opportunity to participate in the event made me realize the importance that youth have in world society. My journey was not a youth meeting that was meant to see the Pope, it was much more than that. It was a time to see the smiles, faces and cultures of different nations, it was a time to feel, see, hear and mainly live the gospel. I hope to see everyone around the world in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2013."
First graduate Christianity and Society
Jan Willem's Master thesis is called "Moved by God's compassion with this world: a study on the distinctive character of Christian development aid".
It discusses the manifestation of Christian identity in governmentally financed development aid. Jan Willem's research shows that there is enough room within governmentally financed development aid for Christian identity, as it is dynamic and can become visible in stakeholders identity (partnerships and personnel) and content identity (structure and culture). Moreover, the composition of the development components missionary works, (world)diaconate and development cooperation bears a strong distinctive influence on Christian identity.
Dies Natalis, 25th november, 2011 The School of Catholic Theology celebrated its fifth dies natalis. Employees and students celebrated together with all others who felt a connection with the School. Theme of this day was:
About the connection of youth with faith, religion and theology
During this inspiring day many positive perspectives came up, future roads and ways of encounter were mapped out.
- You can find the lectures of the fifth dies natalis here.

- You can find the program and information about the speakers here.

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