Hinze, Bradford E. 1954-

views updated

Hinze, Bradford E. 1954-

PERSONAL:

Born 1954. Education: University of Chicago, Ph.D.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of Theology, Marquette University, Coughlin Hall, Rm. 116, 607 N. 13th St, P.O. Box 1881, Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, member of theology faculty.

WRITINGS:

Narrating History, Developing Doctrine: Friedrich Schleiermacher and Johann Sebastian Drey, Scholars Press (Atlanta, GA), 1993.

(Editor, with D. Lyle Dabney) Advents of the Spirit: An Introduction to the Current Study of Pneumatology, Marquette University Press (Milwaukee WI), 2001.

(Editor) The Spirit in the Church and the World, Orbis Books (Maryknoll, NY), 2004.

(Editor, with Irfan A. Omar) Heirs of Abraham: The Future of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Relations, Orbis Books (Maryknoll, NY), 2005.

Practices of Dialogue in the Roman Catholic Church: Aims and Obstacles, Lessons and Laments, Continuum (New York, NY), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Heythrop Journal, Horizons, and Theological Studies.

SIDELIGHTS:

Theology professor Bradford E. Hinze "specializes in fundamental and systematic theology with a concentration in ecclesiology, revelation, and theological hermeneutics," according to a faculty profile posted on the Marquette University Department of Theology Web site. Hinze is the author of Narrating History, Developing Doctrine: Friedrich Schleiermacher and Johann Sebastian Drey and Practices of Dialogue in the Roman Catholic Church: Aims and Obstacles, Lessons and Laments, as well as the editor or coeditor of several other works on theological topics.

Narrating History, Developing Doctrine compares the ideas of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Johann Sebastian Drey and "offers a comprehensive and comparative analysis of the primary texts of both theologians in order to show the significance of their particular configuration of history for their respective understandings of doctrinal continuity and change," reported William V. Dych in Theological Studies. Hinze attempts to show the similarities between the two men's thinking, including their shared vision of "the ‘positive’ nature of the Christian religion over and against the Enlightenment's ‘natural’ religion of reason," related Dych. The critic went on to note: "There are many similarities between the two theologians, but in general [Drey] tends to be more traditional and [Schleiermacher] more critical in many areas." Hinze believes that the two thinkers should continue to be considered relevant to current discussions on theology. "Whether or not one agrees," concluded Dych, "Hinze's very comprehensive and nuanced study presents a strong case."

Hinze's Practices of Dialogue in the Roman Catholic Church concerns the role of dialogue in the tradition of communion. The author, reported Jeffrey Gros in Theological Studies, comments on how such disciplines as anthropology, hermeneutics, and phenomenology have contributed to the discussion on dialogue. The book also includes chapters on "Catholic Common Ground Initiative, the Roman synods of bishops, and ecumenical and interreligious dialogue initiatives," according to Gros, who, furthermore, found the chapter on female religious in America "particularly illuminating." Hinze makes "clear that both the critics of dialogue and those who lament both resistance to it and its own failures must be taken seriously," stated the reviewer, who concluded: "This volume should be helpful to both the theoretical formulation of a theology of dialogue and the pastoral assessment of the skills, challenges, and imperative of building a dialogic community in discerning its mission and articulating its faith."

Hinze, who is also interested in pneumatology, has also edited Advents of the Spirit: An Introduction to the Current Study of Pneumatology with D. Lyle Dabney. Another editorial collaboration, this time with Irfan A. Omar, is Heirs of Abraham: The Future of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Relations, which provides a forum for discussion between representatives of three of the world's major faiths. "The book … brings together Rabbi Reuven Firestone, professor of medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles; Archbishop Michael L. Fitzgerald, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue; and Mahmoud M. Ayoub, professor of Islamic studies at Temple University in Philadelphia," reported Darrell Turner in the National Catholic Reporter. Turner went on to praise the effort of bringing these faiths together, although the critic felt such open discussion would not persuade stubborn-minded religious: "Despite their differences, all three participants affirm their commitment to further discussions and cooperative efforts on such issues as poverty and injustice. However, they seem to represent a relatively small number of the faithful of each tradition. Another problem is that just as racists rarely take part in interracial discussions, so proponents of religious hatred don't join in discussions like this one." Another reviewer had more praise for the book, however. "Reuven Firestone represents Judaism, Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald, Catholicism and Mahmoud M. Ayoub, Islam," reported Nathan R. Kollar in the Catholic Books Review. "We hear their faith, their uneasiness about some aspects of other's faith, and their attempt to understand both their own uneasiness and the convictions of others." "The editors have done a great service for all people who seek to gain a better understanding of the Abrahamic faiths," asserted Harold Kasimow in a Shofar review of the book.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

National Catholic Reporter, October 7, 2005, Darrell Turner, "‘Trialogue’ Grapples with Barriers to Interfaith Harmony," p. 4.

Shofar, fall, 2006, Harold Kasimow, review of Heirs of Abraham: The Future of Muslim, Jewish, and Christian Relations.

Theological Studies, June, 1994, William V. Dych, review of Narrating History, Developing Doctrine: Friedrich Schleiermacher and Johann Sebastian Drey, p. 366; September, 2003, Nancy A. Dallavalle, review of Advents of the Spirit: An Introduction to the Current Study of Pneumatology, p. 635; December, 2006, Jeffrey Gros, review of Practices of Dialogue in the Roman Catholic Church: Aims and Obstacles, Lessons and Laments, p. 899.