Personal Story and Public Identity as Axis of Value Response: Lessons on Literacy and Morality from John Henry Newman (1801-1890) and Ma Xiangbo (1840-1939)

In the hype of multi-/inter-disciplinarity, is the voi-ce or voices of theistic religions and the attendant philosophical moral awareness (etymologically bet-ter rendered as conscientização in Portuguese) still meant to be heard? Can classical tales of saints and sinners remain part of the canon of public literacy? How existential is the threat of “organised religions” or otherwise established ecclesiastical structures posed to society when they are accused of attempting to fight proxy crusades against humanitarian enlightenment under the guise of religious literature? Are tenets pro-pounded by scholars like Gavin D’Costa in Theology and the Public Square (2005) to be politely bracketed when discussing perennial values? Values that respon-sible media strive to propagate, particularly the value of human dignity eulogised by the life exemplars of great figures in times of existential crises of whatever magnitude. With these questions in mind, this article will hearken back to the stories of two “grandees” in the Roman Catholic tradition who left their marks on the pages of the development of modern English and Chinese literacy. Newman’s Apologia pro vita sua(1865) is just but one of the tactical devises for his defense of creedal integrity, while Ma Xiangbo engaged in catholicising the Chinese national ethos through educational literacy for close to half a century. We shall phenomenologically draw inspirations from their parallel vision and experience on what lends power to the medium of words and deeds in shaping informed public conscience in regard to the core values of truth, good, and beauty.