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
Best Religious Liberty coverage
An article by David Hollenbach, S.J., co-authored with Thomas Shannon, is part of a special issue of America magazine that has received the 2013 first place award from the Catholic Press Association for Best Coverage of Religious Liberty Issues. The article is titled “A Balancing Act: Catholic Teaching on the Church’s Rights—and the Rights of All” and it appeared on March 5, 2012 in the issue of America on “Religious Liberty,” with other articles by Bishop Blase Cupich and by Prof. Mary Ann Glendon. The Association described the issue this way: “A wide-reaching, but thorough reflection on religious liberty today. Timely and informed, with pressing issues at the forefront. Staggering in its breadth and grasp.”
25 Years at BC
Congratulations to Professor John Darr and Professor Stephen Pope. Both are celebrating 25 years at Boston College and will be recognized at a special dinner by university President William P. Leahy, SJ.
Retiring Professors Honored
Professors Donald Dietrich, Charles Hefling, and Fr. Robert Imbelli, all retiring after this year, will be honored at a dinner by university President William P. Leahy, SJ.
Book Awarded 1st Place
Congratulations to Professor Richard Gaillardetz whose recent book, Keys to the Council (Liturgical Press), co-authored with Catherine Clifford, received first place in the Religion/Philosophy category of the Midwest Independent Publishers Association awards.
Multimedia
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.
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.
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 defended his dissertation and 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