I am a Catholic theologian, initial holder of the Aloysius P. Kelley, S.J. chair in Catholic Studies and the founding director of the Center for Catholic Studies, at Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT. I am the author of ten book and editor of two more, in the fields of Catholic ecclesiology, cultural theory, and religion and literature. I am 77 years old, currently in process or retiring from this Jesuit school in Connecticut after 42 years of undergraduate teaching.
Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his reasoning behind not wanting to define religion: the fact that mo... more Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his reasoning behind not wanting to define religion: the fact that most definitions are either too narrow or too broad. He then gives the following as his definition: “Religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that provisionally satisfy the question, ‘What is it all about and what should I do about it?’.” He speaks about what this definition means and what he avoids in using it. He then discusses the relationship between humans, faith and belief
Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses the changing place of religion in the world as a whole, an important ... more Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses the changing place of religion in the world as a whole, an important issue since the Second Vatican Council. He says that since the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church has stopped insisting Catholicism is the only true religion, There is a shift in the Catholic sensibilities towards a more accepting we are all in it together thinking
Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his religious and professional backgrounds and interests, including h... more Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his religious and professional backgrounds and interests, including his time spent as a Jesuit and his original aversion to teaching. He also speaks about the importance of both liking the job you have and of making teaching be less about the teacher and more about the students. He mentions that his biggest influence was his high school literature teacher who taught him how to succeed as a student and that he has learned far more from his friends and colleagues than he ever had from his teachers
Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his reasoning behind not wanting to define religion: the fact that mo... more Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his reasoning behind not wanting to define religion: the fact that most definitions are either too narrow or too broad. He then gives the following as his definition: “Religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that provisionally satisfy the question, ‘What is it all about and what should I do about it?’.” He speaks about what this definition means and what he avoids in using it. He then discusses the relationship between humans, faith and belief
... Their respective notions of God, of course, correspond to this difference: Hegel'sGod dr... more ... Their respective notions of God, of course, correspond to this difference: Hegel'sGod drives the process; Whitehead's coaxes it. Both fulfill their respective functions insofar as reason is present in history, but Hegel's God is that ...
Dr. Paul Lakeland describes Rerum Novarum as the founding document of the tradition of Catholic s... more Dr. Paul Lakeland describes Rerum Novarum as the founding document of the tradition of Catholic social teaching. He discusses both the opportunism of its publication and the importance and relativity it still holds in today’s Church and society regarding topics like workers’ wages, workers’ treatment and preferential treatment for the poor
Dr. Michael Horan discusses the American project of trying to be both a democratic society and Ca... more Dr. Michael Horan discusses the American project of trying to be both a democratic society and Catholic. He speaks about the difficulties American Catholics sometimes face when attempting to be both American and Catholic at the same time, because they often feel “unhosted” by Roman Catholicism
Paul Lakeland is a contributing author. Breaking the Mould of Christendom: David Clark’s Challeng... more Paul Lakeland is a contributing author. Breaking the Mould of Christendom: David Clark’s Challenge to Catholicism , pp. 23-34. Book description: This symposium presents a highly topical debate about the nature and significance of an innovative model of church described in David Clarka??s book Breaking the Mould of Christendom: Kingdom Community, Diaconal Church and the Liberation of the Laity, published by Epworth in November 2005. In that book, David Clark argues that a??the diaconal churcha?? is the only form of church that can set us free from the continuing domination of the Christendom model and offer genuine hope to a world now facing a stark choice between community and chaos. Since publication, the book has been widely reviewed nationally and internationally. It has become a catalyst for wide-ranging discussion about the kingdom as a community, the servant nature of the church and the primacy of the laity. In this symposium, 13 scholars discuss the key themes, summarized as eighteen theses, which underpin the model of the diaconal church. Their common concern is whether the diaconal church can take us a??beyond the mould of Christendoma??. The contributors represent Anglican, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Quaker, Baptist and Anabaptist traditions. They come from England, Scotland, New Zealand and the United States. The result is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking debate about the significance and implications of the diaconal model of church.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/religiousstudies-books/1039/thumbnail.jp
... Charles Curran has recently written that a fifth mark of the Church is its sinfulness, Michae... more ... Charles Curran has recently written that a fifth mark of the Church is its sinfulness, Michael Himes has suggested that conciliarity is another, and Dolores Leckey argues for the role of the laity as a further defining characteristic.1 Cogent as all these are, here we will take up only ...
Description/Summary In this groundbreaking volume, the critical theory of German philosopher Jurg... more Description/Summary In this groundbreaking volume, the critical theory of German philosopher Jurgen Habermas is brought intodialogue with the ecclesiology of the Roman Catholic Church in the years after the Second Vatican Council. Paul Lakeland asserts that the Roman Catholic Church has failed to enact the vision presented in the central documents of the Second Vatican Council because the Church lacks a critical theory of church and society. This critical theory would provie an intellectual context in which social teachings and praxis could give constant direction,and which would in addition invite a reflexive critique of the internal dynamics of church life. Lakeland finds precisely this much-needed critical theory in the work of Habermas, and brings this to bear in his examination of the contemporary church.
Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his reasoning behind not wanting to define religion: the fact that mo... more Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his reasoning behind not wanting to define religion: the fact that most definitions are either too narrow or too broad. He then gives the following as his definition: “Religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that provisionally satisfy the question, ‘What is it all about and what should I do about it?’.” He speaks about what this definition means and what he avoids in using it. He then discusses the relationship between humans, faith and belief
Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses the changing place of religion in the world as a whole, an important ... more Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses the changing place of religion in the world as a whole, an important issue since the Second Vatican Council. He says that since the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church has stopped insisting Catholicism is the only true religion, There is a shift in the Catholic sensibilities towards a more accepting we are all in it together thinking
Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his religious and professional backgrounds and interests, including h... more Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his religious and professional backgrounds and interests, including his time spent as a Jesuit and his original aversion to teaching. He also speaks about the importance of both liking the job you have and of making teaching be less about the teacher and more about the students. He mentions that his biggest influence was his high school literature teacher who taught him how to succeed as a student and that he has learned far more from his friends and colleagues than he ever had from his teachers
Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his reasoning behind not wanting to define religion: the fact that mo... more Dr. Paul Lakeland discusses his reasoning behind not wanting to define religion: the fact that most definitions are either too narrow or too broad. He then gives the following as his definition: “Religion is a set of beliefs and rituals that provisionally satisfy the question, ‘What is it all about and what should I do about it?’.” He speaks about what this definition means and what he avoids in using it. He then discusses the relationship between humans, faith and belief
... Their respective notions of God, of course, correspond to this difference: Hegel'sGod dr... more ... Their respective notions of God, of course, correspond to this difference: Hegel'sGod drives the process; Whitehead's coaxes it. Both fulfill their respective functions insofar as reason is present in history, but Hegel's God is that ...
Dr. Paul Lakeland describes Rerum Novarum as the founding document of the tradition of Catholic s... more Dr. Paul Lakeland describes Rerum Novarum as the founding document of the tradition of Catholic social teaching. He discusses both the opportunism of its publication and the importance and relativity it still holds in today’s Church and society regarding topics like workers’ wages, workers’ treatment and preferential treatment for the poor
Dr. Michael Horan discusses the American project of trying to be both a democratic society and Ca... more Dr. Michael Horan discusses the American project of trying to be both a democratic society and Catholic. He speaks about the difficulties American Catholics sometimes face when attempting to be both American and Catholic at the same time, because they often feel “unhosted” by Roman Catholicism
Paul Lakeland is a contributing author. Breaking the Mould of Christendom: David Clark’s Challeng... more Paul Lakeland is a contributing author. Breaking the Mould of Christendom: David Clark’s Challenge to Catholicism , pp. 23-34. Book description: This symposium presents a highly topical debate about the nature and significance of an innovative model of church described in David Clarka??s book Breaking the Mould of Christendom: Kingdom Community, Diaconal Church and the Liberation of the Laity, published by Epworth in November 2005. In that book, David Clark argues that a??the diaconal churcha?? is the only form of church that can set us free from the continuing domination of the Christendom model and offer genuine hope to a world now facing a stark choice between community and chaos. Since publication, the book has been widely reviewed nationally and internationally. It has become a catalyst for wide-ranging discussion about the kingdom as a community, the servant nature of the church and the primacy of the laity. In this symposium, 13 scholars discuss the key themes, summarized as eighteen theses, which underpin the model of the diaconal church. Their common concern is whether the diaconal church can take us a??beyond the mould of Christendoma??. The contributors represent Anglican, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Quaker, Baptist and Anabaptist traditions. They come from England, Scotland, New Zealand and the United States. The result is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking debate about the significance and implications of the diaconal model of church.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/religiousstudies-books/1039/thumbnail.jp
... Charles Curran has recently written that a fifth mark of the Church is its sinfulness, Michae... more ... Charles Curran has recently written that a fifth mark of the Church is its sinfulness, Michael Himes has suggested that conciliarity is another, and Dolores Leckey argues for the role of the laity as a further defining characteristic.1 Cogent as all these are, here we will take up only ...
Description/Summary In this groundbreaking volume, the critical theory of German philosopher Jurg... more Description/Summary In this groundbreaking volume, the critical theory of German philosopher Jurgen Habermas is brought intodialogue with the ecclesiology of the Roman Catholic Church in the years after the Second Vatican Council. Paul Lakeland asserts that the Roman Catholic Church has failed to enact the vision presented in the central documents of the Second Vatican Council because the Church lacks a critical theory of church and society. This critical theory would provie an intellectual context in which social teachings and praxis could give constant direction,and which would in addition invite a reflexive critique of the internal dynamics of church life. Lakeland finds precisely this much-needed critical theory in the work of Habermas, and brings this to bear in his examination of the contemporary church.
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