Theology News and Accomplishments

Papanikolaou named U Chicago Divinity School Alum of the Year

Professor Aristotle "Telly" Papanikolaou, Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture and Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center, was named the University of Chicago Divinity School Alum of the Year for 2024.  He was also appointed as a McDonald Distinguished Senior Fellow for the Emory Center for the Study of Law and Religion.

Alumna dialogues with Traina on LGBTQ acceptance in Orthodox Church

Ashley Purpura, Ph.D., GSAS ’14, associate professor at Purdue University and visiting associate professor at Harvard Divinity School, addressed current disagreements about the participation of LGBTQ people in today’s Eastern Orthodox Church in conversation with Professor Cristina Traina on March 6. Dr. Purpura emphasized that the Orthodox Christian tradition can be a resource for acceptance and affirmation of the experiences of the LGBTQ faithful. Read the full story here.

Professor Emerita Johnson releases book

Distinguished Professor Emerita Dr. Elizabeth A. Johnson published Come, Have Breakfast: Meditations on God and the Earth through Orbis Books in February.

Traina releases book

Dr. Cristina L. H. Traina, Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Chair in Catholic Theology, published her book, Finitude, Feminism, and Flourishing: On Being Mortal, Like Everyone Else through Paulist Press in March 2024. In her latest work, Prof. Traina argues that "the divine gift of finitude means that we cannot flourish without each other." "Flourishing is embodied, messy, interdependent, tragic, joyful, always a work in progress—and our common calling."

Welborn releases book

Dr. Larry Welborn, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, published a new co-authored/co-edited book,  The Village in Antiquity and the Rise of Christianity, through T. & T. Clark.

Guardado discusses book with Orbis' Robert Ellsberg

Assistant Professor Leo Guardado released his book Church as Sanctuary: Reconstituting Refuge in an Age of Forced Displacement through Orbis Books on December 8, 2023. Robert Ellsberg, editor-in-chief of Orbis Books, interviewed Guardado about the book. The interview, described by Ellsberg as "one of the best interviews I've done with an Orbis author," is accessible on YouTube.

Fiano launches latest book at Center for Jewish Studies event

On Thursday, November 30, the Center for Jewish Studies, Theology Department, and Orthodox Christian Studies Center at Fordham University hosted a book launch at Fordham's Lincoln Center campus for Emmanuel Fiano's latest book, Three Powers in Heaven: The Emergence of Theology and the Parting of the Ways. Fiano is an associate professor of Syriac studies for Fordham's theology department and the faculty chair for undergraduate theology studies at the Rose Hill campus.

Guardado caps fellowship with lecture on Gutiérrez at IACS

In "Between Memory and Prophecy," a lecture hosted by the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at the University of Southern California, on Monday, November 13, Leo Guardado, Ph.D., assessed the past fifty years of Gustavo Gutiérrez’s theological contributions, the global impact and reception of a commitment to doing theology from the perspective of the poor and insignificant, and the ongoing challenges liberation theology presents for a global Catholic Church. Dr. Guardado was the IACS's inaugural DePaul Fellow. The IACS Hancock and DePaul Fellowships support scholars conducting cutting-edge research across different academic disciplines that contributes to Catholic thinking.

The full lecture can be viewed on the IACS's YouTube page.

Massaro delivers 15th Annual Burunat Memorial Lecture

The Rev. Thomas Massaro, S.J., Ph.D., delivered the fifteenth annual Burunat Memorial Lecture at Fordham University's Lincoln Center campus on Sunday, October 29. His topic, "Pope Francis as Moral Leader: Ethicist, Discerner, Communicator, and Advocate for Social Justice," described and analyzed how Pope Francis has functioned in each of these roles during his pontificate and how the ethical achievements of his papacy have reshaped the role played by the Catholic Church across the globe.

The Burunat Lecture is held each year thanks to the Julio Burunat Memorial Fund, established by Julio's spouse Dr. Silvia Burunat. Julio earned two Ph.D.'s at Fordham and touched many lives by his caring witness and commitment to his profession of teaching for almost 35 years. In addition to the annual lecture, the fund supports a deserving graduate student in theology.