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Department ofReligious Studies

Paul Schutz

Paul J. Schutz

Associate Professor and Interim Director of the Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries

Curriculum Vitae (CV)


A native of Evansville, IN, Paul Schutz received his B.A. in English from Boston College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Fordham University. His research focuses on the meaning and significance of creation in the Christian tradition, with an emphasis on how scientific research might inform religious accounts of humanity's relationship with other-than-human creatures. His doctoral dissertation on the theological writings of Jesuit astrophysicist William Stoeger proposes an 'ecopolitical' theology oriented toward the flourishing of all creatures. His recent publications apply Stoeger's framework to questions of gender, race, and interreligious dialogue (especially with Buddhism), as well as prayer, liturgy, and ministry. His current book project (forthcoming with Orbis Books) explores the potential of "flourishing" to serve as a core category for Christian theology and a basis for cultivating a robust praxis of ecological and social justice.

Courses
TESP 4: The Christian Tradition
TESP 16: Religion, Science, and Ecology
TESP 26: Sustainable Theologies
TESP 33: Theologies of Creation
TESP 152: Faith, Ethics, and Biodiversity
SCTR 111: The Bible and Ecology
Practical Theology (Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries)
Creation, Science, Ecology (Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries)
 
Publications
“En-Gendering Creation Anew: Rethinking Gender and Sexuality with William R. Stoeger, S.J.” Horizons 48, no. 1 (June 2021).

“God Saw . . . and God knew . . .”: Science, Divine Action, and Un/answered Prayers.” In Prayer and Communication with the Divine, the Saints, and the Departed, ed. Thomas G. Plante and Gary E. Schwartz (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2021).    

“Fire of Justice, Breath of Life: Exodus 3 as Foundational Narrative for Ecopolitical Theology.” The Heythrop Journal (Dec. 2020).

“Cultivating a ‘Cosmic Perspective’ in Theology: Reading William R. Stoeger with Laudato Si.’” Theological Studies 80, no. 4 (Dec. 2019).

“As Dewdrops on Indra’s Web: Buddhism, Constitutive Relationships, and Care for Our Common Home,” in All the Ends of the Earth: Challenge and Celebration of Global Catholicism: The Annual Volume of the College Theology Society, ed. Jane E. Linahan and Cyril Orji (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2020).

"Environmental Sciences" and “20th and 21st Century Catholic Voices on Nature and Science.” In Christian Theology and the Modern Sciences, edited by John Slattery. London: Bloomsbury/T&T Clark, 2020.

"Could a Creature Harm a Fly? From Creatureliness to a Creation Imagination." The Other Journal  (October 2017).

“All Creation Sings: The Ecological Crisis, Laudato Si’, and an Orthodoxy of Praise.” Liturgy+Power: The Annual Volume of the College Theology Society (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2017).

“The Art & Challenge of Collaborative Liturgy.” Pastoral Music 34, no. 1 (Oct. 2006): 53. (with Rev. Stephen P. Lintzenich, former pastor, St. Mary Catholic Church, Evansville, IN)
 
In the News

August 30, 2022

Julie Rubio (JST) and Paul Schutz (Religious Studies)'s new report published in America Magazine explores how a culture of clericalism contributes to the cover-up of sexual abuse by clergy in the Catholic Church. Also Church Leaders and other outlets.

October 13, 2021

Paul J. Schutz comments on how creation should be treasured.

June 24, 2019

Paul J. Schutz wrote an op-ed for National Catholic Reporter touching upon transgender identity in the Catholic community.