I evaluate the argument advanced in politics and Christian ethics that I term ‘decolonial homopho... more I evaluate the argument advanced in politics and Christian ethics that I term ‘decolonial homophobia’: that decolonisation and LGBT+ affirmation are contradictory because LGBT+ rights are a global Northern phenomenon that is imperialistically imposed on the global South. I suggest one premise of the argument is valid—neo-colonial imposition of LGBT+ rights does happen and should be opposed. However, the overall argument fails because it erases or distorts diverse views and complexities of pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial history, and it tacitly supports ‘homophobic nationalism’ that is oppressive even when advanced in ostensibly decolonial causes. I grant that there are tensions within many current expressions of decolonisation and LGBT+ rights, but argue that Christians should support both decolonisation and LGBT+ rights as intersecting justice issues. I close by suggesting we listen to global Southern LGBT+ activists like Uganda's kuchus on how to navigate this tension and pursue intersectional justice in all societies.
This was a research paper for a course entitled Feminist and Multicultural Theologies. I unpack w... more This was a research paper for a course entitled Feminist and Multicultural Theologies. I unpack what gender complementarianism is, examine its history, and compare it to how Scripture and earlier Christian Tradition understood gender. This allows me to establish that gender complementarianism is a recent innovation in secular and Christian thinking about gender, and that it can be described as a "trajectory" from Scripture and Tradition on gender, influenced by social, ideological, and intellectual developments in secular societies. I then pursue a critique of gender complementarianism, arguing that it is an "unsatisfactory trajectory" because it has troubling implications for orthodox theology, is not borne out by empirical experience and observation, and has harmful effects on human beings and societies and on ethical development.
This is a seminar paper for a course on theoretical approaches to early Christian studies. In the... more This is a seminar paper for a course on theoretical approaches to early Christian studies. In the course, we examined the role of theory and how it can be used to illuminate our understandings of early Christianity, and we read various theories and examples of how scholars have applied these theories to early Christian studies. For our seminar papers, we were asked to apply a theory to an aspect of early Christianity. I apply Homi Bhabha's postcolonial theory to the emergence and eventual dominance in early Christianity of a particular interpretation of the figure of the eunuch in Matthew 19:12, namely 'eunuch' as a metaphor for 'celibate.' I argue that we can identify two cases of 'imperial hybridity' undertaken by early proponents of Christian celibacy: the hybridizing of the symbol of the eunuch in the text and in reality, and the mimicry and eventual hybrid takeover of Roman ideals of masculinity. My argument is exploratory and speculative, but looking at this history through this theoretical perspective can help illuminate some aspects of the history that would perhaps not otherwise be apparent. It can help us focus on the conditions of possibility of various possible interpretations of the verse in the context of early Christianity in the Roman empire. It can also highlight the ways that real eunuchs and gender/sexual minorities are scapegoated in battles over interpretation, gender, sex, and power. Finally, it can help us see that insofar as the dominant interpretation of the verse and the dominant Christian marginalization of gender/sexual minorities are based on patterns resembling imperial hybridity, they retain some instability and some vulnerability to potential disruption.
I evaluate John Howard Yoder's theology of the cross as the defeat of 'the powers' in The Politic... more I evaluate John Howard Yoder's theology of the cross as the defeat of 'the powers' in The Politics of Jesus as a theology of resistance to oppressive ideology. I undertake this evaluation both in light of social-scientific analysis of ideology and in light of Yoder's own violent acts. I conclude that Yoder’s account of the cross is a useful corrective to many ideologies, but is dangerously incomplete as an overall ideology critique. This is a paper I wrote in 2015 for a Master's course in Political Theology.
In this paper, I was tasked with using sociological research to illuminate the problem of sexual ... more In this paper, I was tasked with using sociological research to illuminate the problem of sexual violence at the University of Notre Dame and suggest practical solutions to it. After an introductory section discussing the context of the problem at Notre Dame, I address five aspects of the problem: Gender norms and inequalities, particular aspects of social settings, understandings of ethical and legal wrongdoing, victim-blaming, and protecting the institution.
PAPER INTRODUCTION: Candidates for president of the United States must embark upon a long process... more PAPER INTRODUCTION: Candidates for president of the United States must embark upon a long process of convincing their parties and the voting public that they are the best candidate for the job. Throughout this campaign process, they are in a sense performing 'presidentiality' – capable, trustworthy, strong political leadership that matches as closely as possible to what eligible voters seek in a president. Yet they are also performing gender, as well as ethnicity, class, and various other identities, as candidates are not abstract ideals of leadership but socially situated people. Here I explore the question of how a particular group of presidential candidates – those vying for the Republican party's nomination – perform gender while campaigning. Specifically, I examine their gender in nationally televised debate. I begin with a literature review, initially outlining the concept of 'doing gender' as discussed in recent sociological literature. This scholarship tends to focus on interactions of a much more everyday nature than a presidential debate, so I also survey relevant literature from other fields such as political science and management. With the insights of this literature in mind, I analyze gender performances at the CNN Republican presidential candidates' debate of September 16, 2015.
PAPER INTRODUCTION: St. Anselm of Canterbury’s Canterbury’s Cur Deus Homo (Why did God become hum... more PAPER INTRODUCTION: St. Anselm of Canterbury’s Canterbury’s Cur Deus Homo (Why did God become human? or Why a God-human?) was a path-breaking work in theology; the first attempt to explain by means of a systematic theory why the Word became flesh, and how exactly Christ’s life, death, and resurrection achieved our salvation. It was also an important influence on later penal substitutionary atonement models. I here examine Anselm’s work in dialogue with various articulations of penal substitution theories; addressing Cur Deus Homo’s importance, sources and purpose; outlining its theory in detail, and discussing how well the two paradigms integrate Christ’s death with his life, resurrection and call to discipleship. I conclude that there are both important differences and discernible lines of continuity between the two paradigms, both of which demonstrate Cur Deus Homo’s historical significance.
Important traditions in Christians ethics link morality to creation or nature, while other import... more Important traditions in Christians ethics link morality to creation or nature, while other important traditions resist this, believing morality can only derive from God’s free sovereign will. Evangelical Christians have traditionally sided more with the latter approach. However, in recent decades, evangelical arguments about LGBT+ relationships have increasingly moved towards creation-based ethics. Roman Catholics, meanwhile, have been doing creation-based ethics on this and other matters for basically two thousand years, with some waxing and waning and variation.
Today I consider evangelical creation-based arguments on LGBT+ relationships in dialogue with Catholic arguments to help analyse and evaluation evangelical contributions to creation-based ethics on this topic. I review both affirming and non-affirming arguments from both Catholics and evangelicals. I organise creation-based arguments into two categories: The first is natural law-style arguments centring on procreation. The second is arguments based on human experience, informed by theology, philosophy and science, and biblical interpretation, which—for non-affirming Christians—centre around the concept of gender complementarity.
I conclude, broadly, that non-affirming evangelical creation-based arguments do not add much of use to Catholic arguments, but affirming evangelical creation-based arguments do.
In this paper I introduce a schema I am developing to illuminate evangelical theological ethics. ... more In this paper I introduce a schema I am developing to illuminate evangelical theological ethics. Many social scientists and theologians have helpfully analysed evangelical Christianity, often focused on defining evangelicalism across history. My schema is designed for aiding understanding of evangelical theological ethics now. It focuses specifically on ethical topics and on evangelicals in the present day. In the first section, I outline this schema and how it relates to those of other scholars. My schema comprises four ‘touchstones’ or important theological-ethical focuses for evangelicals: ‘Trust and Obey’, God’s transcendent will as the central source of ethics; ‘Follow me’, discipleship on the way of the Cross in hope of resurrection; ‘Not of this world’, ethical distinction from dominant moralities in the social context; and ‘The least of these’, compassion and social action for the vulnerable. I argue that these touchstones importantly shape how evangelicals practice and articulate theological ethics, alongside topic-specific resources and influences. In the second section, I begin to use the schema to illuminate one particular intra-evangelical theological-ethical debate. I am developing this schema as part of research surveying, analysing, and evaluating evangelical theological-ethical statements on homosexuality. I therefore read some key arguments from non-affirming and affirming evangelicals through this schema, using it to deepen understanding of important theological-ethical methodological features (explicit or implicit), points of disagreement between evangelicals, and tensions within particular arguments. I will appreciate thoughts and advice from attendees about how to further develop this schema, either generally or as applied to this specific topic.
National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies Te Ao o Rongomaraeroa 2017 Conference: 'Rethinking Pacifism for Revolution, Security and Politics', 2017
Few Christian thinkers are as closely associated with pacifism as Martin Luther King, Jr, and few... more Few Christian thinkers are as closely associated with pacifism as Martin Luther King, Jr, and few are as closely associated with critique of pacifism as Reinhold Niebuhr. Niebuhr used Christian theology, particularly Augustine’s concept of original sin, to craft a compelling, highly influential theory of political realism. Niebuhr also argued from his realist stance against total pacifism, which he considered idealistic, apolitical, and naïve about the realities of evil, self-interest, and power. I argue, however, that Niebuhr fell short of his own realist vision through his idealistic faith in U.S. democracy, the U.S. American nation-state, and its use of force. American exceptionalism limits Niebuhr’s realism. King was influenced by Niebuhr’s Augustinian realism in his own thoroughly theological understanding of politics, social justice, and resistance in the United States. King departed from Niebuhr in endorsing pacifism, in conducting his political theology from a different perspective, and in displaying a more apocalyptic understanding of divine intervention in the present and future. I argue that these differences are largely because King’s political theology was grounded in pacifist praxis on behalf of the oppressed: it can be called a liberation theology. I further argue that King’s liberation theology is more consistent with the realism Niebuhr endorsed than is Niebuhr’s own political theology. While Niebuhr believes his realism demands support for his government’s violence, King in fact makes Niebuhr’s political realism possible precisely by rejecting Niebuhr’s American anti-pacifism. For this reason, King was also far more effective in making American democracy more just and democratic. In today’s world of resurgent nationalism, anti-realism, and violence, reading King and Niebuhr this way can help show what pacifist praxis and theology can offer to political realism, and what a realist, theological, liberational pacifism can offer to theories and practices of resistance, peacebuilding, and pursuit of justice and security.
I re-examine the traditional gender requirement for morally endorsed and ecclesially blessed Chri... more I re-examine the traditional gender requirement for morally endorsed and ecclesially blessed Christian sex and marriage, and suggest it may be “a time to throw [it] away” (cf. Eccl. 3:6). After defining the question, I survey arguments for and against this gender requirement from three Christian ethical approaches: divine commands in Scripture, natural law, and theologies of the body, and suggest the revisionist arguments stronger in each case. Firstly, the best way to make sense of the Scriptural material on gender norms is a ‘trajectory’ hermeneutic, which Christians already apply in many situations. The Bible’s trajectory on gender points away from gender-based restrictions on social, ecclesial, and familial roles. Secondly, common rationalist natural law arguments against homosexuality, based on the procreative end, reduce to an inconsistent rule based on gender essentialism, abstracted from real procreation. The classic natural law method re-applied today can support the removal of the gender requirement, especially if brought into dialogue with newer insights from the observation of nature. Thirdly, ‘gender complementarity’ is an inadequate account of, and norm for, the bodily experience of real people, especially LGBTIQ people. Examining real embodied experiences of human flourishing and suffering provides strong arguments against the traditional gender requirement.
Lumen et Vita 2016 Graduate Theological Conference: 'Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World', 2016
I presented this paper at the 2016 Lumen et Vita Graduate Theological Conference, 'Sacramental Vi... more I presented this paper at the 2016 Lumen et Vita Graduate Theological Conference, 'Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World,' at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
The Oxford Handbook of the Sources of International Law, 2017
This chapter posits that international law, like all law, can be understood as a hybrid of positi... more This chapter posits that international law, like all law, can be understood as a hybrid of positive and natural law. The history of natural law from Ancient Greece to today’s global community reveals that the method used for centuries to explain extra-positive features of law consists of three integral elements.. The method uses reason, reflection on nature, and openness to transcendence. Certain contemporary natural law theorists, however, prefer to focus on reason and nature alone. Yet, the history of natural law thinking shows that transcendence is integral to the method. History also reveals that religion is not the only avenue to transcendence. Transcendence completes a natural law method capable of explaining persuasively why law binds in general and why certain principles are superior to positive law.
Notre Dame Law School Legal Studies Research Abstract No. 1623, 2016
International law, like all law, can be understood as a hybrid of positive law and natural law. P... more International law, like all law, can be understood as a hybrid of positive law and natural law. Positive law relies on material evidence to support conclusions as to the existence of principles, rules, and processes. Natural law relies on a very different method to explain aspects of law that positivism cannot, including peremptory norms (jus cogens), general principles inherent to law, and legal authority. The history of natural law thought from Ancient Greece to today’s global community reveals three integral elements in the method employed to produce these explanations of extra-positive features of the law. The method uses reason, reflection on nature, and openness to transcendence. Certain contemporary natural law theorists, concerned about the association of natural law with Christianity, attempt to suppress transcendence from natural law method, focusing only on reason and nature. Yet, the history of natural law thinking shows transcendence is integral to the method. History also reveals, however, that religion is not the only avenue to transcendence. Aesthetic theory, for example, invokes the beauty of the natural world and of the arts to provide ‘glimpses of transcendence’. Just such glimpses of transcendence complete natural law method, rendering it capable of explaining persuasively why law binds in general and why certain principles are higher or superior to positive law.
I evaluate the argument advanced in politics and Christian ethics that I term ‘decolonial homopho... more I evaluate the argument advanced in politics and Christian ethics that I term ‘decolonial homophobia’: that decolonisation and LGBT+ affirmation are contradictory because LGBT+ rights are a global Northern phenomenon that is imperialistically imposed on the global South. I suggest one premise of the argument is valid—neo-colonial imposition of LGBT+ rights does happen and should be opposed. However, the overall argument fails because it erases or distorts diverse views and complexities of pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial history, and it tacitly supports ‘homophobic nationalism’ that is oppressive even when advanced in ostensibly decolonial causes. I grant that there are tensions within many current expressions of decolonisation and LGBT+ rights, but argue that Christians should support both decolonisation and LGBT+ rights as intersecting justice issues. I close by suggesting we listen to global Southern LGBT+ activists like Uganda's kuchus on how to navigate this tension and pursue intersectional justice in all societies.
This was a research paper for a course entitled Feminist and Multicultural Theologies. I unpack w... more This was a research paper for a course entitled Feminist and Multicultural Theologies. I unpack what gender complementarianism is, examine its history, and compare it to how Scripture and earlier Christian Tradition understood gender. This allows me to establish that gender complementarianism is a recent innovation in secular and Christian thinking about gender, and that it can be described as a "trajectory" from Scripture and Tradition on gender, influenced by social, ideological, and intellectual developments in secular societies. I then pursue a critique of gender complementarianism, arguing that it is an "unsatisfactory trajectory" because it has troubling implications for orthodox theology, is not borne out by empirical experience and observation, and has harmful effects on human beings and societies and on ethical development.
This is a seminar paper for a course on theoretical approaches to early Christian studies. In the... more This is a seminar paper for a course on theoretical approaches to early Christian studies. In the course, we examined the role of theory and how it can be used to illuminate our understandings of early Christianity, and we read various theories and examples of how scholars have applied these theories to early Christian studies. For our seminar papers, we were asked to apply a theory to an aspect of early Christianity. I apply Homi Bhabha's postcolonial theory to the emergence and eventual dominance in early Christianity of a particular interpretation of the figure of the eunuch in Matthew 19:12, namely 'eunuch' as a metaphor for 'celibate.' I argue that we can identify two cases of 'imperial hybridity' undertaken by early proponents of Christian celibacy: the hybridizing of the symbol of the eunuch in the text and in reality, and the mimicry and eventual hybrid takeover of Roman ideals of masculinity. My argument is exploratory and speculative, but looking at this history through this theoretical perspective can help illuminate some aspects of the history that would perhaps not otherwise be apparent. It can help us focus on the conditions of possibility of various possible interpretations of the verse in the context of early Christianity in the Roman empire. It can also highlight the ways that real eunuchs and gender/sexual minorities are scapegoated in battles over interpretation, gender, sex, and power. Finally, it can help us see that insofar as the dominant interpretation of the verse and the dominant Christian marginalization of gender/sexual minorities are based on patterns resembling imperial hybridity, they retain some instability and some vulnerability to potential disruption.
I evaluate John Howard Yoder's theology of the cross as the defeat of 'the powers' in The Politic... more I evaluate John Howard Yoder's theology of the cross as the defeat of 'the powers' in The Politics of Jesus as a theology of resistance to oppressive ideology. I undertake this evaluation both in light of social-scientific analysis of ideology and in light of Yoder's own violent acts. I conclude that Yoder’s account of the cross is a useful corrective to many ideologies, but is dangerously incomplete as an overall ideology critique. This is a paper I wrote in 2015 for a Master's course in Political Theology.
In this paper, I was tasked with using sociological research to illuminate the problem of sexual ... more In this paper, I was tasked with using sociological research to illuminate the problem of sexual violence at the University of Notre Dame and suggest practical solutions to it. After an introductory section discussing the context of the problem at Notre Dame, I address five aspects of the problem: Gender norms and inequalities, particular aspects of social settings, understandings of ethical and legal wrongdoing, victim-blaming, and protecting the institution.
PAPER INTRODUCTION: Candidates for president of the United States must embark upon a long process... more PAPER INTRODUCTION: Candidates for president of the United States must embark upon a long process of convincing their parties and the voting public that they are the best candidate for the job. Throughout this campaign process, they are in a sense performing 'presidentiality' – capable, trustworthy, strong political leadership that matches as closely as possible to what eligible voters seek in a president. Yet they are also performing gender, as well as ethnicity, class, and various other identities, as candidates are not abstract ideals of leadership but socially situated people. Here I explore the question of how a particular group of presidential candidates – those vying for the Republican party's nomination – perform gender while campaigning. Specifically, I examine their gender in nationally televised debate. I begin with a literature review, initially outlining the concept of 'doing gender' as discussed in recent sociological literature. This scholarship tends to focus on interactions of a much more everyday nature than a presidential debate, so I also survey relevant literature from other fields such as political science and management. With the insights of this literature in mind, I analyze gender performances at the CNN Republican presidential candidates' debate of September 16, 2015.
PAPER INTRODUCTION: St. Anselm of Canterbury’s Canterbury’s Cur Deus Homo (Why did God become hum... more PAPER INTRODUCTION: St. Anselm of Canterbury’s Canterbury’s Cur Deus Homo (Why did God become human? or Why a God-human?) was a path-breaking work in theology; the first attempt to explain by means of a systematic theory why the Word became flesh, and how exactly Christ’s life, death, and resurrection achieved our salvation. It was also an important influence on later penal substitutionary atonement models. I here examine Anselm’s work in dialogue with various articulations of penal substitution theories; addressing Cur Deus Homo’s importance, sources and purpose; outlining its theory in detail, and discussing how well the two paradigms integrate Christ’s death with his life, resurrection and call to discipleship. I conclude that there are both important differences and discernible lines of continuity between the two paradigms, both of which demonstrate Cur Deus Homo’s historical significance.
Important traditions in Christians ethics link morality to creation or nature, while other import... more Important traditions in Christians ethics link morality to creation or nature, while other important traditions resist this, believing morality can only derive from God’s free sovereign will. Evangelical Christians have traditionally sided more with the latter approach. However, in recent decades, evangelical arguments about LGBT+ relationships have increasingly moved towards creation-based ethics. Roman Catholics, meanwhile, have been doing creation-based ethics on this and other matters for basically two thousand years, with some waxing and waning and variation.
Today I consider evangelical creation-based arguments on LGBT+ relationships in dialogue with Catholic arguments to help analyse and evaluation evangelical contributions to creation-based ethics on this topic. I review both affirming and non-affirming arguments from both Catholics and evangelicals. I organise creation-based arguments into two categories: The first is natural law-style arguments centring on procreation. The second is arguments based on human experience, informed by theology, philosophy and science, and biblical interpretation, which—for non-affirming Christians—centre around the concept of gender complementarity.
I conclude, broadly, that non-affirming evangelical creation-based arguments do not add much of use to Catholic arguments, but affirming evangelical creation-based arguments do.
In this paper I introduce a schema I am developing to illuminate evangelical theological ethics. ... more In this paper I introduce a schema I am developing to illuminate evangelical theological ethics. Many social scientists and theologians have helpfully analysed evangelical Christianity, often focused on defining evangelicalism across history. My schema is designed for aiding understanding of evangelical theological ethics now. It focuses specifically on ethical topics and on evangelicals in the present day. In the first section, I outline this schema and how it relates to those of other scholars. My schema comprises four ‘touchstones’ or important theological-ethical focuses for evangelicals: ‘Trust and Obey’, God’s transcendent will as the central source of ethics; ‘Follow me’, discipleship on the way of the Cross in hope of resurrection; ‘Not of this world’, ethical distinction from dominant moralities in the social context; and ‘The least of these’, compassion and social action for the vulnerable. I argue that these touchstones importantly shape how evangelicals practice and articulate theological ethics, alongside topic-specific resources and influences. In the second section, I begin to use the schema to illuminate one particular intra-evangelical theological-ethical debate. I am developing this schema as part of research surveying, analysing, and evaluating evangelical theological-ethical statements on homosexuality. I therefore read some key arguments from non-affirming and affirming evangelicals through this schema, using it to deepen understanding of important theological-ethical methodological features (explicit or implicit), points of disagreement between evangelicals, and tensions within particular arguments. I will appreciate thoughts and advice from attendees about how to further develop this schema, either generally or as applied to this specific topic.
National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies Te Ao o Rongomaraeroa 2017 Conference: 'Rethinking Pacifism for Revolution, Security and Politics', 2017
Few Christian thinkers are as closely associated with pacifism as Martin Luther King, Jr, and few... more Few Christian thinkers are as closely associated with pacifism as Martin Luther King, Jr, and few are as closely associated with critique of pacifism as Reinhold Niebuhr. Niebuhr used Christian theology, particularly Augustine’s concept of original sin, to craft a compelling, highly influential theory of political realism. Niebuhr also argued from his realist stance against total pacifism, which he considered idealistic, apolitical, and naïve about the realities of evil, self-interest, and power. I argue, however, that Niebuhr fell short of his own realist vision through his idealistic faith in U.S. democracy, the U.S. American nation-state, and its use of force. American exceptionalism limits Niebuhr’s realism. King was influenced by Niebuhr’s Augustinian realism in his own thoroughly theological understanding of politics, social justice, and resistance in the United States. King departed from Niebuhr in endorsing pacifism, in conducting his political theology from a different perspective, and in displaying a more apocalyptic understanding of divine intervention in the present and future. I argue that these differences are largely because King’s political theology was grounded in pacifist praxis on behalf of the oppressed: it can be called a liberation theology. I further argue that King’s liberation theology is more consistent with the realism Niebuhr endorsed than is Niebuhr’s own political theology. While Niebuhr believes his realism demands support for his government’s violence, King in fact makes Niebuhr’s political realism possible precisely by rejecting Niebuhr’s American anti-pacifism. For this reason, King was also far more effective in making American democracy more just and democratic. In today’s world of resurgent nationalism, anti-realism, and violence, reading King and Niebuhr this way can help show what pacifist praxis and theology can offer to political realism, and what a realist, theological, liberational pacifism can offer to theories and practices of resistance, peacebuilding, and pursuit of justice and security.
I re-examine the traditional gender requirement for morally endorsed and ecclesially blessed Chri... more I re-examine the traditional gender requirement for morally endorsed and ecclesially blessed Christian sex and marriage, and suggest it may be “a time to throw [it] away” (cf. Eccl. 3:6). After defining the question, I survey arguments for and against this gender requirement from three Christian ethical approaches: divine commands in Scripture, natural law, and theologies of the body, and suggest the revisionist arguments stronger in each case. Firstly, the best way to make sense of the Scriptural material on gender norms is a ‘trajectory’ hermeneutic, which Christians already apply in many situations. The Bible’s trajectory on gender points away from gender-based restrictions on social, ecclesial, and familial roles. Secondly, common rationalist natural law arguments against homosexuality, based on the procreative end, reduce to an inconsistent rule based on gender essentialism, abstracted from real procreation. The classic natural law method re-applied today can support the removal of the gender requirement, especially if brought into dialogue with newer insights from the observation of nature. Thirdly, ‘gender complementarity’ is an inadequate account of, and norm for, the bodily experience of real people, especially LGBTIQ people. Examining real embodied experiences of human flourishing and suffering provides strong arguments against the traditional gender requirement.
Lumen et Vita 2016 Graduate Theological Conference: 'Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World', 2016
I presented this paper at the 2016 Lumen et Vita Graduate Theological Conference, 'Sacramental Vi... more I presented this paper at the 2016 Lumen et Vita Graduate Theological Conference, 'Sacramental Vision and Rejuvenating Word: Embodying Theological Conversations with a Troubled World,' at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry.
The Oxford Handbook of the Sources of International Law, 2017
This chapter posits that international law, like all law, can be understood as a hybrid of positi... more This chapter posits that international law, like all law, can be understood as a hybrid of positive and natural law. The history of natural law from Ancient Greece to today’s global community reveals that the method used for centuries to explain extra-positive features of law consists of three integral elements.. The method uses reason, reflection on nature, and openness to transcendence. Certain contemporary natural law theorists, however, prefer to focus on reason and nature alone. Yet, the history of natural law thinking shows that transcendence is integral to the method. History also reveals that religion is not the only avenue to transcendence. Transcendence completes a natural law method capable of explaining persuasively why law binds in general and why certain principles are superior to positive law.
Notre Dame Law School Legal Studies Research Abstract No. 1623, 2016
International law, like all law, can be understood as a hybrid of positive law and natural law. P... more International law, like all law, can be understood as a hybrid of positive law and natural law. Positive law relies on material evidence to support conclusions as to the existence of principles, rules, and processes. Natural law relies on a very different method to explain aspects of law that positivism cannot, including peremptory norms (jus cogens), general principles inherent to law, and legal authority. The history of natural law thought from Ancient Greece to today’s global community reveals three integral elements in the method employed to produce these explanations of extra-positive features of the law. The method uses reason, reflection on nature, and openness to transcendence. Certain contemporary natural law theorists, concerned about the association of natural law with Christianity, attempt to suppress transcendence from natural law method, focusing only on reason and nature. Yet, the history of natural law thinking shows transcendence is integral to the method. History also reveals, however, that religion is not the only avenue to transcendence. Aesthetic theory, for example, invokes the beauty of the natural world and of the arts to provide ‘glimpses of transcendence’. Just such glimpses of transcendence complete natural law method, rendering it capable of explaining persuasively why law binds in general and why certain principles are higher or superior to positive law.
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Today I consider evangelical creation-based arguments on LGBT+ relationships in dialogue with Catholic arguments to help analyse and evaluation evangelical contributions to creation-based ethics on this topic. I review both affirming and non-affirming arguments from both Catholics and evangelicals. I organise creation-based arguments into two categories: The first is natural law-style arguments centring on procreation. The second is arguments based on human experience, informed by theology, philosophy and science, and biblical interpretation, which—for non-affirming Christians—centre around the concept of gender complementarity.
I conclude, broadly, that non-affirming evangelical creation-based arguments do not add much of use to Catholic arguments, but affirming evangelical creation-based arguments do.
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Today I consider evangelical creation-based arguments on LGBT+ relationships in dialogue with Catholic arguments to help analyse and evaluation evangelical contributions to creation-based ethics on this topic. I review both affirming and non-affirming arguments from both Catholics and evangelicals. I organise creation-based arguments into two categories: The first is natural law-style arguments centring on procreation. The second is arguments based on human experience, informed by theology, philosophy and science, and biblical interpretation, which—for non-affirming Christians—centre around the concept of gender complementarity.
I conclude, broadly, that non-affirming evangelical creation-based arguments do not add much of use to Catholic arguments, but affirming evangelical creation-based arguments do.