Peter Vardy's panacea for Heythrop College, that it continue delivering its traditional philosophical-theological content online to a worldwide cohort of students (“Greater glory online”, 8 August), is charming in its naivety. Of course theological education is most impactful when underpinned by a learning community. However, is the quality of the teacher-student relationship, enabled by an online platform like Moocs (Massive Open Online Courses), in any way comparable to the traditional face-to-face relationship that characterised ancient traditions of Academia?
In our experience of delivering theological education, the site where individual transformation occurs is as much in the living community supporting the learning activities as in the classroom itself.
Whilst it is important to make proportionate use of modern technology in the delivery of theological education it is dangerous to rely exclusively on any one platform. Perhaps more important than the method of delivery is the appropriateness of the course content. If this were tailored more specifically to contemporary learning needs, the pool of potential applicants would truly increase exponentially. For example, the extent of theological illiteracy among politicians and policy-makers is staggering, as the recent official report on the cause of Lee Rigby's murder highlights: Facebook was blamed whilst the creedal beliefs fuelling the murderous intent were entirely overlooked.
Dr Henry Broadbent, London School of Theology, Northwood
Even allowing for the possibility that Jesuit leaders have not yet fully explained all the reasons for closing Heythrop College, the sudden decision to do so is alarming and incredibly ill-timed.
The historic rationale behind and contemporary raison d’être of Heythrop is crucial not just to Catholicism, or indeed Christianity, but to all religions. In much the same way that science must inform philosophy, philosophy must inform theology. There is no other credible way, and that is precisely what Heythrop is all about. Closing it down at a time of hostile scientism and rampant secularism beggars belief.
Can the Ignatian charism really succumb to materialist forces in such a tame fashion?
Alfred P Zarb, Blue Mountains, Australia
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