Boston College's Jesuit and Catholic traditions provide it with a unique vantage point on the merging of faith and spirituality with social outreach. If the Bush proposal has raised provocative, even troubling questions about its scope and intent, the BC representatives say, it also indicates the great need for dialogue among Americans on basic matters regarding faith, spirituality and belief. I consider those values, which I practice as a social worker, a dean and a teacher, to be very Christian and Jesuitical. I think it is in the area of social justice that faiths may come together in expression of those values. But this too invites considerable interpretation, according to Byrne, referring to the teachings of Jesuit philosopher Bernard Lonergan.
Faith is knowledge borne out of religious experience in the Christian and Catholic context.
God bestows this love on all human beings unconditionally, regardless of confessional allegiances. Hence, anything any person does out of the experience of God's grace would be faith-based. In particular, the faith of Jews and Christians holds that all humans are all created in the likeness of God, with His love. We are therefore enjoined by that knowledge to treat everyone accordingly. This has a relevance to faith-based social service programs, because frequently those in need have been battered by life experiences.