Catholic religious critical thinking as the exercise of sensus fidei

This chapter makes the case that sensus fidei in its personal and subjective dimension constitutes the believer’s capacity for religious critical thinking, and its exercise, which has shaped church doctrine, remains a continuing obligation for the believer. Included is an examination of sensus fidei as a unique mode of knowing, and a careful consideration of dissent as an element in critical thinking and sensus fidei. To foster critical thinking in Catholic religious education, I make recommendations in the following areas: (a) staff development, (b) the design of curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and (c) the role to be played by the religious educator. Finally, three examples are offered to illustrate how Catholic religious critical thinking, grounded in a critical realist epistemology and in the sensus fidei, can be promoted in a Catholic religious education classroom.