Thomas M. Elbourn, III
Doctoral Student
Theological Ethics
Minor: Comparative Theology
Thomas M. Elbourn, III
Contact
Stokes Hall N 330F
Email: elbourn@bc.edu
Education
- Th.M., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2019. Summa cum laude
- M.Div., Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 2018. Summa cum laude
- B.A., Psychology (Major) and Theology (Minor), Assumption College, 2014. Summa cum laude
- A.A., Liberal Arts, Mount Wachusett Community College, 2012. Highest Honors
Courses
Adjunct Professor/Lecturer (Assumption University: Fall 2019-Spring 2024)
- Introduction to Theology
- Faith and Reason
- Problem of God
Biography
Tom was enchanted by the study of Theology and Religion in childhood, finding in it the most fascinating ultimate questions about human life. This led him to become a student and educator in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy, especially interested in political theology, with a concern for the modern state and democracy, personhood and agency, the intersections of capitalism, nationalism, and the common good.
Tom’s study of ethics spans from issues of just war and peace to virtue ethics and the comparative study of world religions, with a special concern for Buddhism, Anabaptism, Catholic social thought, and ‘secular’ religiosity. He spends much of his time in conversation with Balthasar, Moltmann, Aquinas, Levinas, King, Marx, Butler, and Nietzsche.
Tom’s greatest hope is to bring himself and others into deeper critical reasoning around Ultimate Reality and Truth, into a more penetrating capacity to act on their absolute interdependency with everything and Goodness, and into a more Beautiful experience of Being.
When not thinking about Theology and Religion, Tom enjoys spending time with his wife Alisha and two children, Tommy and Sylvie, going on long road trips, hearing beautiful stories, and doing genealogical investigation… while still thinking about Theology and Religion.
Scholarly Work
Publications
"The Eclipse of the Common Good: How American Nationalism Overcame Catholic Social Teaching in the 20th Century and How the 21st Century Might Reclaim It," Religions 16, no. 10 (2025): 1320. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16101320
"Confounded: What Was Liz Cheney Supposed to Teach BC?," The Heights (October 31, 2024). https://www.bcheights.com/2024/10/31/confounded-what-was-liz-cheney-supposed-to-teach-bc/
“Anything and Everything All of the Time: Escaping Democracy’s Infernal Nadir of Individualism with Emmanuel d’Alzon.” Assumptionist Virtual Library, Summer d’Alzon Grant (October 2022). https://assumption.us/virtual-library/anything-and-everything-all-of-the-time-escaping-liberalisms-infernal-nadir-of-individualism-with-emmanuel-dalzon/
“Servants of Caesar: The Politically Violent Love of Luther and Calvin.” Heythrop Journal 63, no.4 (July 2022): 626-637. https://doi.org/10.1111/heyj.13686
Lectures
"The Dynamic Death of God in Moltmann and Balthasar: Toward a Relational Anthropology of Vulnerability,” American Academy of Religion, Boston, November 22, 2025. https://youtu.be/m4ItTNPXTJk?si=kiIOva864_bqRSZF
"Cruciform Resilience: Two Anabaptist Ingredients for Survival," Accessing the Divine: Religious Sources of Resilience in an Age of Political Turmoil, the Boisi Center, Boston College, April 5, 2025. https://youtu.be/c8u-PNTp6D4?si=tYydkvsWLSrUzqFB
"Becoming Messiah: Catholic and Native Experience in the United States," Catholic Social Tradition: Interdisciplinary Responses to Religious Nationalism, University of Notre Dame, March 21, 2025. https://youtu.be/Q_TCeArY2QI?si=oqAGHBLk5QinnLWZ
"Living a Future Story Now: St. Francis and the Sultan," Lumen et Vita: Untold Stories, Clough School of Theology and Ministry, Boston College, March 15, 2025. https://youtu.be/zbTpb9EHSmE?si=KqGkoXmiPwiODwN7
"What is it Like to be a Child?," Phenomenology and Value: Pedagogy and Childhood Development, Boston College, October 19, 2024. https://youtu.be/qcF02wWxeI8?si=eUQ8DkHfo8HksnMW
“The Doctrine of One-Kingdom: Barth Reforming the Reformers on Church and State.” Theology for Everyone: An Evening with Karl Barth. South Hamilton, MA. September 26, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu3FsYwi-HU