1. Spirituality and Basic Values

Universitas Katolik Parahyangan (UNPAR) was established in 1955 by two founders, Bishop of the diocese of Bandung, Mgr. Petrus Marinus Arntz, OSC and Bishop of the diocese of Bogor, Mgr. Nicolaus Johannes Cornelis Geise, OFM (Universitas Katolik Parahyangan, 2026). The key to the thoughts of the founders can be stated as “UNPAR is based upon fundamental and axiomatic human values, which are born of certain judgments of values”. These thoughts were inspired by the anthropology of Thomas Aquinas, which later on was developed by Bernard Lonergan. Lonergan’s anthropological vision is integral, emphasizing that whatever is natural is open and even directed toward what is super-natural.[++][**] Therefore, the idea of human basic values, upon which UNPAR was established is open to transcendence, to what is divine, to God. The very final end is, of course, visio beatifica, beatific vision: when one sees God in heaven.

At the beginning, the motto of our vision, or sesanti in Javanese, Bakuning Hyang Mrih Guna Santyaya Bhakti, was not yet formulated in a coherent writing. In other words, the sesanti remained a-thematic[#]. In the years 2011-2014, the long process of moving from a-thematic to thematic occurred and this resulted in SINDU (Spiritualitas dan Nilai Dasar UNPAR), which means the Spirituality and Basic Values of UNPAR. SINDU has three basic values, namely charity in truth, living in diversity, and humanity[‡]. Out of the three, there are seven basic principles,[§] viz. openness (open to diversity, to differences, to otherness), transformative attitude, honesty, preferential option for the poor, common good (bonum commune), subsidiarity, and non-profit orientation.

With those values, UNPAR actively participates in history, characterized by progress, decline, and redemption. In Lonergan’s thought, these three are the amplification of human anthropology since human beings are protagonists in history. When human beings are true to their genuine self, they will follow the transcendental precepts of being attentive to experience, being intelligent in understanding reality, being reasonable in judging what is true, and being responsible in making decisions. As one is doing the precepts, one is transcending oneself: from the natural to the supernatural. Consequently, following the precepts will create progress in history. Decline is when human beings do not follow the precepts due to biases. Human history has shown that the two –progress and decline– are always intertwined. Big events in history are often the amplifications of either of the two. Nevertheless, when decline has become too strong that it overpowers progress, attempts to redeem history have to begin. It goes without saying, therefore, that the dynamics of history are full of the three processes.[%] Since this very dynamic in history is enacted by human beings in their relations to one another, the only way to promote progress, to reverse decline, and –when needed– to make significant efforts in redeeming history must necessarily involve collaboration which is transformative for the participants.

2. Challenges of Christian Universities

Now, against the theoretical framework laid out above, challenges faced by Christian universities are spelled out. As the demographic of Christianity starts to shift from the Western world to the Global South and East Asia, Christian higher education institutions need to adapt to the challenges and opportunities faced in the new places. These new places provide tremendous potential, while at the same time stores embers in husks. The pressing task is not only to empower young people from these emerging regions through faith, knowledge, and innovation, but also to nurture them as future leaders who will serve the society with integrity and compassion. The existence of Christian higher education institutions in this region was challenged to serve the community with common values within the context, and at the same time to keep and grow in Christian identity and values. To that end, collaboration that transcends cultural, disciplinary, and institutional boundaries is a sine qua non.

In an era where Christian higher education faces both the opportunities of global growth and the challenges of rapid change, collaborative strategies emerge as vital catalysts for raising human capital. This sharing puts particular emphasis on the role of UNPAR whose engagement in international initiatives, such as the Erasmus+ ECOGREEN project demonstrates how Christian universities can lead interdisciplinary and global collaboration while remaining firmly rooted in faith-based values (Lembaga Penjaminan Mutu, Parahyangan Catholic University, 2024). By examining the dimension of collaboration, curriculum design, and societal impact, we assert that Christian higher education can nurture leaders, who embody both academic excellence and Christian integrity, ensuring its continued relevance and transformative power in the 21st century. Furthermore, Christian higher education institutions contribute to societal transformation by translating service-oriented education into tangible impacts that advance a more humane and just society.

3. Collaboration as the Core of Christian Higher Education

Collaboration has been at the heart of Christianity since the earliest church communities, where faith was sustained through fellowship, solidarity, and mutual support. Emphasizing community, solidarity, and mutual support, Christianity provides a fertile ground for building academic partnerships that extend beyond geographical and cultural divides. In the context of higher education, collaboration is not only about resource sharing but also about mutual transformation. For the case of UNPAR, collaboration is rooted in its spirituality and basic values, especially living in diversity and bonum commune (the common good).

Collaboration is essential in sharing resources, expanding opportunities, and ensuring that every joint effort remains firmly rooted in Christian values. Collaboration without values runs the risk of being transactional, but collaboration shaped by faith is transformative: nurturing leaders who serve with integrity, justice, and compassion. At the same time, collaboration has long been a defining element of higher education, providing a pathway for institutions to share resources, exchange ideas, expand opportunities for students and faculty alike. In today’s interconnected world, collaboration also allows universities to transcend geographical and cultural boundaries, creating spaces where knowledge is co-created and enriched through diverse perspectives.

This is particularly important in the Global South, where many institutions face constraints in resources, technology, and access to global academic networks (Vallee & Prinsloo, 2023). Collaboration then becomes not only to close the gaps but also to highlight the unique strengths of the Global South, such as contextual knowledge, community-based wisdom, resilience in the face of social and environmental challenges. Partnership between Global South and Global North institutions creates more pathways for more inclusive and equitable knowledge exchange.

4. Interdisciplinary for Global Challenges

The complexity of today’s global challenges requires more than isolated expertise; it demands an integrated vision. Poverty, health crises, inequality, technological gaps, and climate change cannot be addressed by a single field of study, since they are deeply interconnected and rooted in structural, cultural, and ethical dimensions. In Christian higher education, interdisciplinarity means more than combining technical solutions across fields. It calls for the integration of theology, ethics, and the social sciences with natural sciences and engineering, ensuring that responses are not only effective but also grounded in justice, compassion, and respect for human dignity. More than merely a mechanism of efficiency, collaboration should indeed be a process of mutual transformation. When universities work together, they do not only strengthen their own capacities but also nurture future leaders who embody integrity, creativity and commitment to serving society (Fowler & Musgrave, 2024).

This interdisciplinary vision resonates with the Christian understanding of the body of Christ, in which many members bring different gifts yet work together for the common good (1 Corinthians 12). Each discipline contributes its unique strength, but their true transformative potential is realized only when united by shared values and a higher purpose. Christian universities, therefore, have a distinctive role: to form leaders capable of bridging disciplinary divides, translating knowledge into service, and guiding innovation with moral clarity. No single discipline, no single institution, and no single community could solve the myriad of problems of humanity. What is required is an interdisciplinary approach, a coming together of diverse fields of knowledge, united by a shared commitment to serve humanity and to honor God’s creation.

5. Interdisciplinary Approaches and the ECOGREEN Case

This conviction is at the heart of the Erasmus+ EcoGreen Project, a partnership led by UNPAR together with seven other universities across Europe and Asia (Lembaga Penjaminan Mutu, Parahyangan Catholic University, 2024) [Figure 1]. This initiative is a living example of how interdisciplinary and intercultural collaboration can respond to pressing societal needs while still carrying the values of the Christian faith. EcoGreen brings together environmental science, economics, social studies, and engineering to build holistic solutions for sustainability. At the same time, it embodies Christian values of stewardship, justice, and care for creation. As the book of Genesis reminds us, humanity is given dominion over the earth, but not for domination. We are entrusted with stewardship to cultivate and care for God’s creation for ourselves and Him. This spirit resonates deeply with the Laudato Si’ movement [##], which invites us to care for our common home and to work toward climate justice. To this we may add that EcoGreen reflects our value of integral humanity, i.e., by continuing the process of self-transcendence, human beings move from self-centeredness to caring about others, including mother earth.

Furthermore, through EcoGreen, we could as well envision the importance of curriculum development and capacity building. The project equips students with technical expertise and ethical responsibility by integrating sustainability and environmental awareness into education across disciplines. It enhances teaching, research, and knowledge-sharing among participating universities, ensuring academic knowledge translates into societal impact. Graduates are thus prepared to solve problems and serve their communities with wisdom and compassion.

Finally, EcoGreen reminds us of the power of networks and exchanges. With eight universities spanning different continents, the project bridges the Global South and the Global North, fostering mutual learning and contextualized knowledge exchange. It demonstrates that faith-based universities can collaborate fruitfully with secular institutions, creating an inclusive platform that remains faithful to Christian mission. More than just a project, EcoGreen is a platform that inspires further partnerships, proving that education, when rooted in values, remains a source of hope for a just and sustainable world. This conviction is not merely theoretical; it is embodied in initiatives such as the Erasmus+ EcoGreen Project, where interdisciplinarity and collaboration converge to create tangible solutions for the pressing challenges of our time.

6. Call for Collaboration

These findings suggest that Christian higher education institutions should prioritize broader, value-based collaboration across institutions, nations, and disciplines. Expanding networks of cooperation will strengthen the capacity of universities to translate knowledge into service and social impact. Such collaboration is essential to ensuring that Christian higher education remains faithful to its mission of forming leaders and innovators who serve church and society with integrity, justice, and compassion. More broadly, the integration of faith, knowledge, and innovation remains a defining strength of Christian higher education. When aligned with collaborative practices, this integration enables institutions to respond more effectively to complex social, ethical, and global challenges. Looking ahead, sustained partnerships and shared learning among Christian universities will be critical in addressing the demands of a rapidly changing world. Strengthening collaborative frameworks based on ethically and theologically informed integral anthropology from which values are formulated will support the cultivation of human capital equipped with ethical grounding, professional competence, and visionary capacity.

NOTES

⁺⁺ This kind of anthropology is universal since all human beings have within themselves the unrestricted, pure desire to know, which will always keep them asking questions. At one point, one is aware that one’s capacity to question is way higher than one’s capacity to answer. Hence, one is transcending oneself. As one keeps doing that, one moves toward transcendence. Due to this very capacity, every human being is NOT “already-out-there-now -real”, BUT “unity-identity-whole: material & immaterial.”

^** Lonergan penned his studies of Aquinas’s thought especially in his two fundamental works, now published in a series of Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan edited by experts in his philosophy and theology: a] Lonergan, Bernard, Insight: A Study of Human Understanding in Crowe, Frederick E. & Doran, Robert M. (eds.), Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan Vol. 3, University of Toronto Press, Toronto - Buffalo - London 2005 (1993); and b] Lonergan, Bernard, Method in Theology, in Doran, Robert M. & Dadosky, John D. (eds.), Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan Vol. 14, University of Toronto Press, Toronto - Buffalo - London 2017.

^# The process of the judgment of values is not always explicit. Philosophically speaking, when it is not explicit, the judgment of values is a-thematic; while when it is explicit, then it is thematic. More often than not, in the beginning it is a-thematic, and when needs arise, a group of persons would make it explicit and hence thematic.

^‡ This humanity is open to transcendence.

^§ Philosophically speaking these seven principles are values as well.

^% Note: For more, see Lonergan, Bernard, Method in Theology, pp. 51-54, Cf. Lonergan, Bernard, Insight, pp. 242-267.

^## Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of The Holy Father Francis On Care For Our Common Home.

Figure 1.

2024 Sustainability Report - Lembaga Penjaminan Mutu [Source: Lembaga Penjaminan Mutu, Parahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR). (2024). Sustainability report 2024. Parahyangan Catholic University.].

References

• Fowler, D., & Musgrave, J. (2024). Embracing Christian values: Positive relationships and academic achievement in higher education. Diligentia: Journal of Theology and Christian Education, 6(3), 81-108. https://doi.org/10.19166/dil.v6i3.8717ArticlePDF
• Lembaga Penjaminan Mutu, Parahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR). (2024). Sustainability report 2024. Parahyangan Catholic University.
• Lonergan, Bernard, Insight: A Study of Human Understanding in Crowe, Frederick E. & Doran, Robert M. (eds.), Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan Vol. 3, University of Toronto Press, Toronto - Buffalo - London 2005 (1993).
• Lonergan, Bernard, Method in Theology, in Doran, Robert M. & Dadosky, John D. (eds.), Collected Works of Bernard Lonergan Vol. 14, University of Toronto Press, Toronto - Buffalo - London 2017.
• Universitas Katolik Parahyangan. (2026). History of the establishment. https://unpar.ac.id/en/history/
• Vallee, T., & Prinsloo, T. (2023). The Lack of Education Development in the Global South Caused by Data Access Limitations: A Thematic Analysis. Published Online by the SAICSIT 2023 Organising Committee Potchefstroom: South African Institute of Computer Scientists & In-formation Technologists, 100.

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