Haight, Roger 1936-

PERSONAL:

Born April 30, 1936. Education: Berchmans College, B.A., 1960, M.A., 1961; Woodstock College, S.T.B., 1967; University of Chicago Divinity School, M.A., 1969, Ph.D., 1973; Jesuit School of Theology, S.T.L., 1981. Religion: Roman Catholic.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY. Office—University of Chicago Divinity School, 1025 E. 58th St., Chicago, IL 60637. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Entered Society of Jesus (Jesuits); Ateneo de Davao High School, Manila, Philippines, teacher, 1961-64; Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, assistant professor, 1973-75; Jesuit School of Theology, Chicago, IL, assistant professor, 1975-79, associate professor, 1979-81, chair of systematic theology department, 1976-79; director of master of theology and ministry program, 1978-79; Regis College, Toronto School of Theology, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, associate professor, 1981-1990; Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, MA, professor of theology, 1990—, chair of department of theology, 1992—. Visiting professor, Papal Seminary in Pune, India, 1977, Hekima College in Nairobi, Kenya, 1991; scholar in residence, Woodstock Theological Center, 1984 and 2003, Ateno de Manila University, 1989 and 1996, Centre Sevres, Paris, 1996.

MEMBER:

American Academy of Religion, American Theological Society, Catholic Theological Society of America (past president).

AWARDS, HONORS:

Alumnus of the Year Award, University of Chicago Divinity School, 2005.

WRITINGS:

The Experience and Language of Grace, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1979.

An Alternative Vision: An Interpretation of Liberation Theology, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1985.

Dynamics of Theology, Paulist Press (New York, NY), 1990.

Jesus, Symbol of God, Orbis Books (Maryknoll, NY), 1999.

Christian Community in History, Continuum (New York, NY), Volume 1: Historical Ecclesiology, 2004, Volume 2: Comparative Ecclesiology, 2005.

The Future of Christology, Continuum (New York, NY), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Roger Haight is a Jesuit priest whose writings on theology have attracted wide acclaim. Dynamics of Theology introduces readers to the academic discipline of theology—a rigorous study of religion based on thoughtful analysis. Chapters explore the philosophical foundations of faith, revelation, symbolism, and scripture. The book is a "careful, rigorous, scholarly introduction," wrote Thomas G. Whelan in the Midwest Book Review. In Christian Community in History: Historical Ecclesiology, the first of a two-volume work, Haight traces the beginnings of the Christian Church from Jesus' Jewish origins, to Constantine's division of the Roman Empire between east and west, to Gregorian reform in the medieval church, but stopping short of the Protestant Reformation nearly fifteen centuries later. He focuses on what he calls "ecclesiology from below," which stresses commonalities among all varieties of Christianity, rather than the differences between them, a viewpoint that contradicts the "ecclesiology from above" concept espoused by earlier theologians. It is a "richly challenging book," wrote Jill Raitt in the Catholic Books Review, although she questioned why Haight did not examine the circumstances that led to differences between the development of the Western Christian Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. According to Richard R. Gaillardetz in a review for Theological Studies, "the breadth and mastery of the scholarship to which Haight appeals is impressive."

The second volume, Christian Community in History: Comparative Ecclesiology, explores the Protestant Reformation using a more comparative methodology than the first volume and by borrowing concepts from other disciplines, such as anthropology and sociology. The writings of Martin Luther and John Calvin are examined, as are the Vatican II Council, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Pentecostalism. Modern organizations, such as the World Council of Churches, which Haight credits for much of the unity in contemporary Protestantism, are examined in a "book that will be an invaluable resource for serious scholars, pastors, and ecumenical participants," wrote Glenn Miller in the Journal of Church and State.

The Future of Christology explores the field of Christology—the study of how the human and the divine coexist in one body—and explores for a more general audience the ideas Haight raised in his previous book, Jesus, Symbol of God. Topics include the symbolism of the cross, the role it plays in salvation, and how religious pluralism since Vatican II has strengthened the Church. University students and general readers looking to understand Christianity in a modern-day, multicultural worldview will "find this collection stimulating and insightful," wrote Gloria L. Schaab in the Catholic Books Review.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

America, October 26, 1991, John R. Sachs, review of Dynamics of Theology, p. 298.

Catholic Historical Review, April, 2007, Christopher M. Bellitto, review of Christian Community in History: Historical Ecclesiology, p. 363.

Choice, October, 1999, R.F. Berkey, review of Jesus, Symbol of God, p. 345.

Christian Century, November 17, 1999, Leo D. Lefebure, review of Jesus, Symbol of God, p. 1139.

Commonweal, January 28, 2005, Luke Timothy Johnson, review of Christian Community in History, p. 34; April 7, 2006, John Garvey, review of The Future of Christology, p. 21.

International Review of Mission, January, 1990, Priscilla Pope-Levison, review of An Alternative Vision: An Interpretation of Liberation Theology, p. 102.

Journal of Church and State, autumn, 2006, Glenn Miller, review of Christian Community in History, p. 879.

Journal of Religion, January, 1987, Joseph A. Colombo, review of An Alternative Vision, p. 109; October, 1992, Catherine Mowry LaCugna, review of Dynamics of Theology, p. 604; April, 2001, Edward T. Oakes, review of Jesus, Symbol of God, p. 303.

Journal of Theological Studies, April, 2000, Anthony Baxter, review of Jesus, Symbol of God, p. 400.

Library Journal, May 15, 1985, Paul Knitter, review of An Alternative Vision, p. 70.

Modern Theology, October, 2000, James J. Buckley, review of Jesus, Symbol of God, p. 555.

National Catholic Reporter, March 7, 1986, Tarcisio Beal, review of An Alternative Vision, p. 19; September 11, 1992, Zachary Hayes, review of Dynamics of Theology, p. 31.

Reference & Research Book News, February, 2006, review of The Future of Christology.

Scottish Journal of Theology, spring, 2002, Ian A. McFarland, review of Jesus, Symbol of God.

Theological Studies, September, 1991, Michael L. Cook, review of Dynamics of Theology, p. 573; June, 2000, Dermot A. Lane, review of Jesus, Symbol of God, p. 379; March, 2006, Richard R. Gaillardetz, review of Christian Community in History, p. 183.

Theology, September 1, 2001, Stephen Sykes, review of Jesus, Symbol of God, p. 374.

ONLINE

Catholic Books Review,http://catholicbooksreview.org/ (February 22, 2008), Jill Raitt, review of Christian Community in History: Historical Ecclesiology; Gloria L. Schaab, review of The Future of Christology.

Midwest Book Review,http://www.midwestbookreview.com/ (February 22, 2008), Thomas G. Whelan, review of Dynamics of Theology.