Believing scholars : ten Catholic intellectuals

205 Pages·2005·1.18 MB·English

by  James L. Heft

B E L I E V I N G S C H O L A R S
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The Abrahamic Dialogues Series
David B. Burrell, series editor
EditorialBoard
IbrahimAbu-Rabi’,HartfordSeminary
SusannahHeschel,DartmouthCollege
DonaldJ.Moore,S.J.,FordhamUniversity
1.JamesL.Heft,ed.,BeyondViolence:ReligiousSources
ofSocialTransformationinJudaism,Christianity,andIslam.
2.RusmirMahmutc´ehajic´,LearningfromBosnia:
ApproachingTradition
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believing scholars
Ten Catholic Intellectuals
Edited by
james l. heft, s.m.
2005
Fordham University Press, New York,
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Copyright(cid:2)2005FordhamUniversityPress
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedina
retrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans—electronic,
mechanical,photocopy,recording,oranyother—exceptforbriefquotationsin
printedreviews,withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher.
‘‘ACatholicModernity?’’fromACatholicModernity?CharlesTaylor’sMarianist
AwardLecturebyCharlesTaylor,editedbyJamesL.Heft,copyright(cid:2)1999by
OxfordUniversityPress,Inc.UsedbypermissionofOxfordUniversityPress,Inc.
TheAbrahamicDialoguesSeries,No.3
ISSN1548–4130
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Believingscholars:tenCatholicintellectuals/editedbyJamesL.Heft.—
1sted.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN0-8232-2525-9(hardcover)—ISBN0-8232-2526-7(pbk.)
1.CatholicChurch—Doctrines. I.Heft,James.
BX1751.3.B45 2005
230(cid:2).2—dc22 2005016812
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
07 06 05 5 4 3 2 1
Firstedition
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Contents
PrefaceandAcknowledgments vii
james l. heft, s.m.
Introduction
CatholicIntellectuals:NoIvoryTower
james l. heft, s.m. 1
1. ACatholicModernity?
charles taylor 10
2. ThePoorandtheThirdMillennium
gustavo gutie´rrez 36
3. FormsofDivineDisclosure
david tracy 47
4. MemoirsandMeaning
jill ker conway 58
5. CatholicandIntellectual:ConjunctionorDisjunction?
marcia l. colish 69
6. CatholicismandHumanRights
mary ann glendon 81
7. AFeelingforHierarchy
mary douglas 94
8. MyLifeasa‘‘Woman’’:EditingtheWorld
margaret o’brien steinfels 121
9. LiberalCatholicismReexamined
peter steinfels 134
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Contents vi
10. TheFaithofaTheologian
avery cardinal dulles, s.j. 151
Notes 165
Contributors 173
Index 181
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Preface and Acknowledgments
james l heft s m
. , . .
I
nanypublishedworkofthissort,manypeoplehaveparticipated.
IwishheretoacknowledgeseveralindividualswhohavemadetheMari-
anistAwardspossible.First,thanksfortheeducationalvisionandadmin-
istrative skills of Bro. Ray Fitz, S.M., the president of the University of
1979 2002
Dayton for twenty-three years ( – ), and to his successor Dr.
Daniel Curran, for continued support of this award. Thanks also to the
Office of the Rector of the University, most recently directed by Fr.
EugeneContadino,S.M.,foritscontributionstovariousdetailsoforga-
nization that made the visits of the Marianist awardees graceful occa-
sions. And thanks to Ms. Carol Farrell, my assistant, who also helped
with many of the details of the events surrounding these lectures, and
thevariousreceptionsanddinnersconnectedwiththem.Ms.Farrellalso
assisted me in the preparation of these lectures for publication. Thanks
to DonaldWigal whoprepared theexcellentindexforthisvolume.
IwishfinallytoexpressappreciationforMarianisteducationaltradi-
tions that bring together head and heart, theory and practice, leadership
andservice,andworktoovercomemanyoftheunfortunatedichotomies
that characterize our lives and our institutions. Marianist brothers and
priests live together as equals and collaborate with Marianist sisters and
lay persons to create learning environments for Catholic education and
leadership. I have been personally blessedto enjoy such an environment
at theUniversityof Daytonforovera quarterofacentury.
r ames eft
F . J L. H , S.M.
anuary 28th east of t homas quinas
J , F S . T A
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introduction
Catholic Intellectuals: No Ivory Tower
james l heft s m
. , . .
N
earlyadecadeago,thefirstvolumeofMarianistAwardlectures
appeared in print.1 In the preface to that volume, I explained how the
University of Dayton, founded by the Marianists (Society ofMary) in
1850 1950
,hadbeengivingsince anannualawardtoaleadingMariolo-
gist. Some years after the Second Vatican Council, during a period
when many Marian practices fell into desuetude, so did the granting
of this annual award. However, the commitment of the university to
the support and continued development of its Marian Library re-
mained firm. For example, the leaders of the university and of that
1975
library, especially Fr. Theodore Koehler, S.M., established in the
International Marian Research Institute which, in conjunction with
the Marianum in Rome, grants pontifical degrees in the field of Mari-
ology.
1980
In the mid- s the university decided to reinstitute the annual
award, but with a slightly different focus: the award would be given
to a Catholic intellectual who has made a major contribution to the
intellectual life. Recipients were asked to speak about their faith and
how it has influenced their scholarship, and how their scholarship has
influenced their faith. Some of these Marianist Award lectures have
beencitedelsewhere,andsometimesevenreprinted.2Inthisintroduc-
tion, I will touch upon three themes that are critically important for
understanding the situation of a Catholic tradition four decades after
the Second Vatican Council and five years into the third millennium.
The three themes that seem to have gained the greatest importance
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