A journal of academic theology

Volume 78 Number 4

December 2017 Editorial

Over the course of many conversations with younger theologians, it has become clear to me that publishing in a major theological journal can be a daunting undertaking. Some institutions, like Theological Studies, can intimidate even if they do not wish to. Many of us know the fear of putting our work out there for blind

Ec(o)clesiology: Ecology as Ecclesiology in Laudato Si’

This article argues that the call in Laudato Si’ for an integral ecology can also be understood as teaching about the church. It first excavates the theological presuppositions on which the practical teaching of the encyclical rests, that the interrelation between church and context is constitutive of ecclesial tradition. It suggests that Laudato Si’ provides

A Place for Communion: Reflections on an Ecclesiology of Parish Life

Theologians have demonstrated curious restraint in assigning theological meaning to the parish. I argue here for a renewed attention to the parish as an “ecclesial place,” that is, a geographical site situated in particular contexts where ecclesial relationships of communion unfold by the power of the Holy Spirit for the sake of God’s mission. Simply

Should Deacons Represent Christ the Servant?

Vatican II envisioned a revived permanent diaconate modeled on Christ the servant. That view, well grounded in subsequent church documents and widely appealed to in theological reflection, is criticized increasingly as lacking theological integrity or practical guidance for ministry. This article examines the metaphor itself and its application to the diaconate, concluding that the office

Mission Impossible? Pope Benedict XVI and Interreligious Dialogue

There exist very different accounts about the attitude of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI to interreligious dialogue. Does interreligious dialogue aim at truth and intertwine with mission, or is it an impossibility that needs to be replaced with an intercultural dialogue about peaceful coexistence and common values? This article traces the complex history and relationship of

Believing and Seeing

This article reconsiders the relationship between vision and faith, recuperating an understanding of the “ray of darkness” accented by Church Fathers such as Gregory of Nyssa and Dionysius for a fuller understanding of the beatific vision. Vision and faith are not ultimately two opposite movements, but rather two inseparable aspects of one dynamism leading to

Theodore M. Hesburgh, Theologian: Revisiting Land O’Lakes Fifty Years Later

Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, was the driving force behind the 1967 Land O’Lakes Statement—a watershed document that affirmed both the distinctive identity of Catholic universities and the “true autonomy and academic freedom” they needed to excel. This article explores the prominent role of theology in the Land O’Lakes Statement by means of an examination of

Cup of Suffering, Chalice of Salvation: Refugees, Lampedusa, and the Eucharist

This article explores the significance of the Eucharist in the context of the global refugee crisis. It analyzes this topic in light of the mass that Pope Francis celebrated on the island of Lampedusa on July 13, 2013 and the chalice he used that was hewn from the driftwood of a refugee shipwreck. Drawing on

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