The Heythrop Journal, Volume 63, Issue 4, Page 796-806, July 2022.

Etienne Gilson was a strong promoter of the notion of a ‘Christian philosophy’. He viewed it as a type of historical practice whereby Christian thinkers are spurred by revelation to develop philosophical positions congruent with revelation, but which are defensible by reason alone. This paper reviews Gilson's notion of Christian philosophy and argues that the philosophical position of Bernard Lonergan is one example of such a practice.

This paper explores differing accounts of the nature of desire, found in the works of Bernard Lonergan and René Girard, and their implications for our understanding of the origins or socio-cultural order. Using Lonergan's distinction between natural and elicited desires it argues that Girard's account of desire as mimetic may account for elicited desire, but may not account for natural desire, in Lonergan's account, as desire for meaning, truth and goodness. It then considers the implications for this distinction in our (...) understanding of our socio-cultural origins. (shrink)

This article analyzes a single paragraph in John Milbank’s The Word Made Strange that criticizes Bernard Lonergan’s understanding of Thomas Aquinas’ theology of the trinitarian processions. It demonstrates that the criticisms are unsubstantiated by the texts referenced in the footnote citations and are thus, in all probability, baseless. In doing so, it calls into question the level of argumentation adopted in Milank’s works.

In Method, Meaning and Revelation, Ormerod examines the writings of Lonergan to ascertain his theology of revelation and to place this in the context of current theologies of revelation, Rahner, Pannenberg, and Lindbeck. Ormerod's synthesis of Lonergan's position is that of seeing revelation as the entry of divine meanings and values into human history. A valuable addition to the study of the work of Lonergan.

Building on Lonergan's notion of the scale of values , Robert Doran has provided a framework for a theology of history, consisting of three interlocking dialectics, personal, cultural and social, together with the creating and healing vectors operating in history. This present article considers the much discussed phenomenon of globalization, in light of Doran's theology of history. It analyses the vital, social, cultural, personal and religious issues raised by globalization. It argues that the driving force of globalization is the creative (...) drive of practical intelligence, particularly at the social, economic level. It considers emerging global cultural elements commensurate with this drive, and the reshaping of personal moral virtue needed in a global environment. It identifies the impact of globalization on religion, with particular reference to inter-religious dialogue, and asks how religion may contribute to the healing of the global issues of evil which confront us. (shrink)