Theology Department
boston college
The Theology Department provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary for reasoned reflection on their own values, faith, and tradition, as well as on the religious forces that shape our society and world. The department’s five primary areas of research include biblical studies, church history, comparative theology, systematic theology, and theological ethics.
news and events
Pope John XXIII's encyclical
Recent Theology Ph.D. graduate, Meghan Clark, speaking of the 50th anniversary of Pope John XXIII’s encyclical, Peace on Earth.
Faculty Promotion
Congratulations to M. Shawn Copeland, professor of systematic theology, recently promoted to full professor. In addition to being beloved by her students, Professor Copeland is a renowned scholar of theological and philosophical anthropology, political theology, as well as African American Catholic experience and history. She is the recipient of numerous awards and author of over 100 publications, including Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race, and Being.
Visions of Hope: Emerging Theologians
Just released from Orbis Books, Visions of Hope: Emerging Theologians and the Future of the Church, edited by Kevin Ahern, student in Theological Ethics. This volume includes articles from young scholars all over the world reflecting on the Church in light of the Second Vatican Council. Among the authors whose works were selected for this publication include B. Kevin Brown, Christopher Conway, Benjamin Durheim, Eduardo Gonzalez, Michael P. Jaycox, and Stephen Okey.
Multimedia
Accompaniment: Liberation Theology, Solidarity, and a Life of Service
Video from Boston College School of Theology and Ministry
Roberto Goizueta, Margaret O'Brien Flatley Professor of Catholic Theology, in conversation with Paul Farmer, Harvard Professor and founding director of Partners in Health. The two discuss liberation theology and Catholic social teaching in the context of global poverty and social inequality.
Lectures: Church in the 21st Century
Video from C21
Fr. Robert Imbelli, Associate Professor of Theology, participates in ongoing conversations taking place through the Church in the 21st Century Center. His contributions include a lecture regarding Pope Benedict VI and the Reception of Vatican II and how the Catholic Intellectual Tradition aims to address the purpose meaning of human life.
Interview: Faculty Publication Highlights
Video from Boston College Libraries
Richard Gaillardetz, the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology, is interviewed regarding his recent book, Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II, authored with Catherine E. Clifford, Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at Saint Paul University.
student profile
Matthew Richey A&S '12 has been awarded a Fulbright grant to study toward a master’s degree at Tel Aviv University in Archaeology and the History of the Land of the Bible. His seminar paper, “The Use of Greek at Qumran,” is slated for publication in the flagship journal Dead Sea Discoveries.
ph.d. profile
Kevin Ahern, Ph.D. '13 will soon defend his dissertation. He has accepted a position as an assistant professor in Catholic social ethics at Manhattan College. He is the editor of Visions of Hope: Emerging Theologians and the Future of the Church (Orbis, 2013).
in print
Christianity and the Political Order: Conflict, Cooptation, and Cooperation
by Kenneth R. Himes, Orbis Books, 2013
Global Justice, Christology and Christian Ethics
by Lisa Sowle Cahill, Cambridge U. Press, 2013
Interreligious Dialogue and Cultural Change
co-ed by Catherine Cornille, Cascade Books, 2012