Wisdom and the Renewal of Catholic Theology

For more than fifty years, Fr. Matthew L. Lamb has been one of the major figures in American Catholic theology through his writing, teaching, and involvement in scholarly societies. Over a decade ago, Fr. Lamb moved from the Department of Theology at Boston College to develop the graduate programs in theology at Ave Maria University in response to what he identified as the widespread decline in theological education. Twelve years into their operation, the graduate programs in theology have begun to produce junior scholars who have attained appointments in universities and seminaries across the United States. In Wisdom and the Renewal of Catholic Theology, Thomas P. Harmon and Roger W. Nutt have brought together some of this first generation of Ave Maria graduates to produce a collection of essays to honor their teacher and the architect of their theological education. ""This collection of essays honoring Father Matthew Lamb is a most suitable indication of his theological achievement at Ave Maria University. He initiated a solid theological MA and PhD program in 2004. All of its graduates have attained teaching positions at seminaries and universities, and now we have in these essays the early evidence of the effective training of these young theologians as scholars. This volume is a wonderful tribute."" --Stephen F. Brown, Boston College ""The essays in this engaged and engaging book powerfully challenge the reigning intellectual orthodoxy of contemporary academic theology: that theological reflection inescapably takes the form of either emotive religiosity or the dogmatic assertion of a purely perspectival point of view. Wisdom and the Renewal of Catholic Theology is a timely book, one that helpfully illumines, in both speech and deed, the sapiential path that authentic Catholic theological reflection must necessarily take today."" --Marc D. Guerra, Assumption College Thomas P. Harmon is Professor of Theology and Culture at John Paul the Great Catholic University in Escondido, California, where he lives with his wife and three children. Roger W. Nutt is Associate Professor of Theology at Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Florida, where he lives with his wife and son.