Tonight, I gave a presentation to a group of students and staff at Santa Clara, regarding recent research on the relationship between spiritual practice and sexual decision-making in the lives of college students. No one who works with the current generation of college students will be surprised to learn that to a person, and irrespective of political or ecclesiological orientation, everyone was totally tuned in. So many wanted to stay and continue the conversation that we added on an extra 55 minutes. The crux of the conversation was the contemporary "hookup culture" in college life, its characteristics, causes, and spiritual challenges, and what sort of horizon for adult Christian faith and sexuality lies beyond it for these students, and for all of us in American Jesuit higher education. It was another reminder that today’s Catholic college students want to learn to pay attention to their lives--in ways both practical and theological. Tom Beaudoin
Spirituality and Sexuality on Campus
Show Comments ()
1
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
16 years 5 months ago
Tom, coming from a perspective of great concern about the sexual activity among students at Catholic colleges, I find your post heartening. The more Catholic colleges pay attention to the research that you cite, linking strong religious beliefs and practice to more careful decision-making, the more we hope to see efforts to address the epidemic of STDs and the high rates of sexual activity, contraceptive use and abortions in ways similar to anti-alcohol abuse programs. I would be interested in dialoging further with you (offline) and others about the available research, which the Cardinal Newman Society is presently collecting to encourage this sort of discussion.
The latest from america
The lie that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute persisted for centuries. A new play reclaims her story.
"Magdalene: I am the utterance of my name" is advocating for setting the record straight on one of Christianity’s most vital disciples.
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley struggle to resist the temptation to “type” each other as they learn about the Enneagram from Liz Orr, author of “The Unfiltered Enneagram: A Witty and Wise Guide to Self-Compassion.”
Keeping President Biden on the ballot is like telling voters: “Trust us. Don’t believe your eyes and ears.”
Many watching last night’s debate wondered if this was the end for Joe Biden. But I could not help but wonder if this was the end of presidential debates.