ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter presents the rationale for this investigation into critical thinking in religious education as practiced in Catholic schools in the Philippines. It draws attention to the unexamined tension between fidelity and criticality in Catholic religious education, arguing that Catholic religious critical thinking ought to be problematized. It introduces the two lenses through which this issue will be examined: Roy Bhaskar’s critical realist epistemology and the Christian doctrine of sensus fidei. Aside from outlining the book and discussing its contributions to scholarship, this chapter offers an overview of Catholic education and its context in the Philippines, highlighting the tensions inherent in the mission of the Catholic school.
