Unfortunately, you seem to have picked up on some liberal disinformacija. Even if the post of "Director of Theology" only implied "helping students pick their classes", that would give him more power over students than any professor has; and it does not. It is to do with the setting the direction of the whole department, and its powers are described as "vast and vague" - which is scary. And someone whose opening Theology lecture is dedicated to trashing the concept of the Trinity, even supposing it were done in a scholarly manner rather than in the sub-Humean way I expect, ought not to be in charge of suggesting classes and readings to Catholic students.
What I do not understand is you of all people taking this position. You ought to be aware that Catholic theology is both a complex and a rational endeavour. Students, unless they are both extraordinarily pious and extraordinarily lucky, come to college knowing almost nothing of it - with the exception of Thomas Aquinas, the great theologians are not mentioned even in Philosophy classes. (Have you ever heard Suarez or Simeon the New Theologian discussed in any philosophy class?) And its capacity to produce "creative" thought (I hate the expression, on fairly obvious grounds) cannot be overrated. The amount of things that may be said, debates that may be had, fascinating writings that may be studied, on the notion of the Trinity alone, would be quite enough for several years of study. Instead of which, this guy interjects his own predilections between the students and any knowledge of this enormous field, which is what they are presumably paying for to study in a presumably Catholic college. From what it is reported, it is all too evident that the theology he teaches is the kind he favours; that is, Universalism. And we wonder that there are priests who do not understand Transubstantiation or are unable to explain to the faithful the basic dogmas of the Church.
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Date: 2006-05-10 03:43 am (UTC)What I do not understand is you of all people taking this position. You ought to be aware that Catholic theology is both a complex and a rational endeavour. Students, unless they are both extraordinarily pious and extraordinarily lucky, come to college knowing almost nothing of it - with the exception of Thomas Aquinas, the great theologians are not mentioned even in Philosophy classes. (Have you ever heard Suarez or Simeon the New Theologian discussed in any philosophy class?) And its capacity to produce "creative" thought (I hate the expression, on fairly obvious grounds) cannot be overrated. The amount of things that may be said, debates that may be had, fascinating writings that may be studied, on the notion of the Trinity alone, would be quite enough for several years of study. Instead of which, this guy interjects his own predilections between the students and any knowledge of this enormous field, which is what they are presumably paying for to study in a presumably Catholic college. From what it is reported, it is all too evident that the theology he teaches is the kind he favours; that is, Universalism. And we wonder that there are priests who do not understand Transubstantiation or are unable to explain to the faithful the basic dogmas of the Church.