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Martin Luther and John Henry Newman: Balancing Heart and Mind in Higher Education
Abstract
Martin Luther and John Henry Newman sought to re-envision university education at unique times in history. While Newman set out to architect a truly Catholic University that co-opted facets of the Protestant ethic without falling into the "heresies" of Lutheranism, Luther and his circle of gifted academics sought to craft a distinctly Evangelical concept of the university that would shield studentsfrom the corruption of worldly values thought to have infiltrated the Catholic Church, Those concemed with ethical, comprehensive education for all face similar challenges today. How do we create an educational system of universal accessibility without discarding the moral foundation provided by a faith-based model? Luther's and Newman's ideas suggest that private colleges and universities will serve students and society well where they remain true to their theological traditions, while public institutions contribute by taking seriously the challenge of moral education and taking advantage of available religious resources. If the basic dilemma in the postmodem university is the lack of balance between heart and mind—the moral and the pragmatic, "ought" and "is "—then Newman's dialectical approach in particular offers an excellent first step toward the restoration of that balance.
The Idea of a University by John Henry Newman is a collection of two books, derived from a variety of source materials, that are famous for their interrogation of three primary themes pertaining to university life: 1) the nature of knowledge; 2) the role of religious belief in higher education; and 3) a defense of liberal education for university students. Ultimately, Newman makes a twofold argument concerning the nature of education for students. First, he passionately defends a liberal education that prizes the development of individual intellect over institutional measurement and narrowly-defined skill development. Second, he argues for potential of the university to bring together diverse perspectives and areas of expertise in service of greater understanding.
Higher education is going through as significant a change as at any time in the last century. Recommendations about how to resolve these issues have been offered by numerous government commissions, think tanks and foundations. A seldom used approach is to look back to consider what others have said and suggested in previous eras. The author considers if John Henry Newman’s ‘The idea of a university’ has relevance today. ‘The idea of a university’ is considered one of the most important books about higher education ever written. The author first discusses Newman’s life and then outlines the ideas in the book. The discussion centres on (1) the nature of knowledge, (2) how belief functions and (3) what students should learn. The article concludes with the use of Newman’s ideas for leaders in the twentieth century. Writers as diverse as James Joyce and Edward Said have looked to Newman’s work for what it has to say about academic life. In particular, Newman’s argument for the role of the academic in contemporary life, the importance of scholarly engagement with competing ideas and the necessity for a curriculum that is broad, yet coherent, are suggested as key points to consider during the current challenges that face the academy. From the perspective advanced here, leadership pertains to speaking out on the issues of the day and developing a culture of dialogue and debate rather than remaining silent or adhering to technocratic approaches to teaching and learning.
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