Gordon:
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Interviewing someone with a profile on
Wikipedia makes the interview much easier. As a
Visiting Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at the Catholic
Theological Union, could
ypu explain to our readers who may not know, what Systemic
Theology is? |
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Father Dan:
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Ha, yeah, the Wikipedia page has always cracked me up. I
don’t know where it came from, but once I discovered it, I
check it out now and then to make sure that whoever’s
contributing to it is doing so accurately. I’ve made a few
corrections and updates myself, so I think it’s generally
accurate. As for “systematic theology,” this is simply a
fancy term to describe the field of theology that most
people think of when they think of “theology.” Some parts of
the world might refer to the same field of study as
“doctrinal theology” or “dogmatic theology” (those titles
are pretty common in Europe). The term “systematic theology”
is most common in the British and North American academic
context and refers to the notion that the discrete foci of
study, the particular doctrines of the Christian tradition,
can never truly be understood as independent subjects, but
instead are always already connected to one another. For
example, you cannot talk about “theological anthropology”
(the view of the human person from the Christian tradition)
apart from talking about “Christology” (the study of Jesus
Christ) or “fundamental theology” (the study of revelation,
grace, etc.). They are all interconnected. Many systematic
theologians specialize in a particular subfield, such as
“ecclesiology” (the study of the Church) or “pneumatology”
(the study of the Holy Spirit)—I like to think of myself as
a generalist who is interested in many of the subfields of
systematics, but I tend to research, write, and teach about
creation, anthropology, fundamental theology, and
Christology the most. |
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| Gordon: |
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What initially interested you in the work of
Thomas Merton? |
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Father Dan:
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My interest in Thomas Merton actually began as a personal,
spiritual interest. I was drawn to his personal story, his
spiritual writings, and then his commitment to the church’s
work in social justice. I was introduced to him while I was
in High School. I was given two Merton books as gifts, one
from my great aunt and uncle and the other from the pastor
of my home parish. The first book was an old first edition
of Merton’s spiritual autobiography The Seven Storey
Mountain, the second was a single volume of journal
selections. Both of these books were given to me because I
was preparing to go to college at St. Bonaventure
University, a Franciscan college in Western New York State
where Merton has actually taught for three semesters before
entering the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani. While Merton was
a figure whose memory was very present on the campus of SBU,
it wasn’t until a few years later when I became a Franciscan
friar that I became extraordinarily interested in his
writings. Very quickly, my interest in Merton became a
“hobby that grew out of control,” as I like to say. I was
asked to give talks and retreats about Merton, I soon was
doing a lot of scholarly research on Merton—publishing
articles, giving academic papers, writing a book about him.
In short order, I was elected to three consecutive terms on
the Board of Directors of the International Thomas Merton
Society (ITMS), so he and his legacy became and remain a
significant part of my personal and professional life. |
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| Gordon: |
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Could you provide an overview why
The
International Thomas Merton Society was
organized and, why and how they promote the study of Thomas
Merton? |
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Father Dan:
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The ITMS was organized about twenty-five-years ago by a
small group if Merton scholars who recognized the importance
of Merton’s life, work, and legacy and felt that an
organization dedicated to promoting research, study, and
interest in Merton would be a great gift to the church,
academy, and world at large. One of the greatest things
about the ITMS—in addition to the resources, financing, and
networking that promotes the scholarly research on Merton
and his writings—is that it is an organization that is also
open to non-scholars as well. The international conference,
which is held every two years (the next conference is June
2017 at St. Bonaventure University, info at www.Merton.org),
welcomes those who may not be Merton scholars per se but are
enthusiasts who are interested in learning more about
Merton, connecting with others who are attracted to his
impressive collection of writing, and who may enjoy hearing
the best Merton scholars from around the world share the
latest research. It’s an extraordinary event. One of my
colleagues, a theologian who isn’t actually a Merton
scholar, came to the 2015 conference and described it as one
of the best experiences she’s had in part because it felt to
her like “part academic conference and part retreat.” Not a
bad combination! |
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Gordon:
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We have several of your videos and article in our Library
including the powerful
video
"A
Franciscan Response to Racism & Fear of the ‘Other’ in
Today’s World"
Based
on recent events, are we becoming a more aggressive racist
society, and if so, what can our parishes
do to address this challenge?
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Father Dan:
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Well, I don’t
know that our society has become more “aggressive” in its
racism. I think I would rather say two things. The first is
that the United States is, without any qualification, a
racist society. By “racist society” I mean that there are
structures and institutions in place that benefit some
(typically white men and women) and disadvantage others
(typically men and women of color). This reality goes back
to the founding of this nation and the way that the European
colonists treated the Native Peoples of this continent,
effectively exterminating them for the sake of taking the
land and resources. This is followed by the horrendous
practice of chattel slavery in which women, children, and
men were kidnapped from their native lands, families, and
communities and forced into the Middle Passage. Those who
didn’t die from the conditions of that unimaginable journey
then faced a living nightmare of slavery. This new nation,
especially its economy, was largely built on the institution
of slavery and we’ve never really come to serious terms with
that social sin. It continues to haunt our society and
cultures, overtly as in the case of Jim Crow laws in the
South or Red Lining and housing discrimination in the North,
and covertly in the biases that are socialized into the
collective psyches of the American people. There’s a
difference between “systemic racism” as an incontrovertible
reality and an individual “racist” or particular “racist
action.” Most Americans only think of the latter two when
they think about racism, but we are still in desperate need
to come to terms with the former and acknowledge the reality
of white privilege in order to begin overcoming these
injustices. The second thing I’d say is that, in the wake of
the 2016 United States election, I could see why racism in
the U.S. appears more “aggressive.” Sadly, I don’t think
what we’re witnessing in terms of the increase in hate
speech, hate crimes, and overt discrimination is
particularly new. Rather, it seems to me that the
rhetoric and proposed policies of the incoming president has contributed to a
sense of license for those who’ve already held these beliefs to do and say these
things more freely now. The lesson here is that for those who identify
themselves as Christian, there is a lot of work still to be done in terms of
racial justice and civil rights in this country—as Christians, we are called to
be at the forefront of that work because we claim to follow the Prince of Peace.
This is where parishes have a tremendous opportunity. To offer educational
opportunities, listening sessions, community engagement, honest preaching about
the realities of our time, and workshops that dare to engage these admittedly
difficult topics—these are ways local Catholic communities might begin to
respond to “the signs of our times in the light of the Gospel,” as the Second
Vatican Council exhorts us. |
| Gordon: |
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As a Chicagoan
that has seen the murder pandemic continue to escalate in
our city, how can Catholic parishes and other faiths work together
help address this challenge that affects so many lives? |
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Father Dan:
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I’m still new
to Chicago and learning more about my new home everyday.
Indeed, there are parts of the in which the community
experience violence on a daily basis to a degree that it
could accurately be called a war zone. Still elsewhere in
the city there are, like so many cities in this country,
local struggles and injustices that exist on a daily basis
but don’t necessarily get the national attention that the
tragic gun violence does. One thing that I’ve learned about
Chicago in my short time as a Chicagoan is that it is a very
neighborhood-based city. I think that the answer to your
question really varies depending on which neighborhood we’re
talking about in a given instance. The parish communities
know—or ought to know—the needs of their respective community. As
Christians living in the modern world, I think it’s incumbent on all members of
a parish to avoid letting their parish church become a “Sunday morning club,”
where they appear for an hour once a week and then disappear for the remaining
six days and twenty-three hours. Addressing the challenge of violence, poverty,
domestic abuse, or any of the other many issues facing people in our communities
requires that we allow what we celebrate in the Eucharist to lead us to work
together the rest of the time and in manifold creative ways. We see that done in
big and little ways around the archdiocese including, for example, in the
courageous leadership of
Fr. Michael Pflegger the pastor of
St. Sabina,
as well as elsewhere. |
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| Gordon: |
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You are an
exceptional communicator. Based on your experience, how can
parishes most effectively use social media, how should it be used, and what resources
would your recommend that they consider? |
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Father Dan:
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Well, that’s
very kind—thank you. The first thing I would say, borrowing
a line from Jesus Christ, is “do not be afraid!” For those
who are not members of the Millennial generation like me (or
whatever the younger generation is called behind mine),
getting involved with social media can seem daunting. In
truth, it is overwhelming at times for someone in his
thirties, too, so I have tremendous sympathy in this regard.
However, I’m reminded of what Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
said some years ago during an address about communication.
He said that the Internet, and now social media as well, is
like a “digital continent” on which so many of the
un-catechized live and spend so much of their time. If we
are to take seriously our missionary call as Christian
disciples to preach the Gospel, then we must also go out to
this new, virtual land and be present there. Many pastors
are concerned about financial resources, and understandably
so, but I would suggest that the resource of time is
something that needs to be allocated more generously toward
social-media presence and outreach. Parish websites should
be updated very regularly; parish Facebook pages and twitter
handles should be active with administrators from the staff
sharing both original content about and from the parish as
well as links to interesting articles, reflections, and
resources. This is not an optional form of communication
anymore, but the primary means of connecting women and men
to one another and the church today. The catch is, however,
that a fancy website and an active social-media account are
not enough—you have to have a vibrant real life
community to which you are inviting those out on the “digital continent.” That
means someone who connects with the parish online and then shows up on the
weekend will find well-researched homilies and good preaching, investment in the
liturgical life of the parish and thoughtful music, a variety of offerings that
include both informative ongoing formation as well as social outreach
opportunities, among other characteristics that reflect a vibrant and
spirit-filled worship community. |
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| Gordon: |
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We have seen reports of the exodus of more than 50% of young
adults from Catholicism. What can we do to reverse this challenge? |
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Father Dan:
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I used to be
more on top of the latest Pew Research polls and the data
from CARA at Georgetown University than I am now, which
would provide us with the most accurate demographic
statistics, so I can’t say with certainty that the 50% datum
is accurate, but anecdotally we know that people my age
(early-30s) and younger are not very likely to identify with
a particular religious affiliation including Catholicism.
Furthermore, there is a noticeable decline in the typical
markers of religious affectivity such as weekly mass
attendance, parish registration, and the like among
Millennials. I have very mixed feelings about this. On the
one hand, I understand the concern on the part of the older
generations. Parents and grandparents and pastors are
worried about the faith lives of the younger generations.
Yet, on the other hand, this generation has consistently
displayed extraordinarily laudable characteristics such as
skyrocketing rates of post-collegiate volunteer service, a
decrease in attitudes associated with materialism and a
consumer culture, a willingness to prioritize values of
tolerance, acceptance, and peacemaking over against
individual interests and personal gain. Demographers going
back to the early 2000s noticed these trends with the
emerging members of the Millennial generation, and these
have continued. What this signals to me is perhaps another
kind of work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of young
adults. Tied with these trends is a strong desire for
authenticity (or at least the perception of it), and so I
think that Millennials tend to be less patient with
perceived inauthenticity on the part of
Church leaders and local pastors who tend to be more sectarian and uninterested
in the social-justice concerns of many young adults. Therefore, these young
women and men would rather be something like “anonymous Christians” (to
deliberately misuse an expression from the late theologian Karl Rahner) out in
the everyday world than “punch the Mass clock” once a week in a parish that
seems to them disconnected from the everyday reality of modern people. What does
this mean for parishes? It means that bishops, priests, lay ministers, and
religious need to listen and learn from their younger sisters and
brothers. Instead of trying to “do things” to lure them back to church, perhaps
local parishes might look into what motivates and inspires these young people.
The bridge between the ostensible divide is really the Gospel of Jesus Christ in
which we are told again and again that it is how we live our faith (think
of Matthew 25 and the “sheep” and “goats”) rather than what we say about our
faith that matters most to God. Parishes can learn from Millennials about
the “joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties” (Gaudium et Spes, no. 1) of
the women and men of the modern world, while parish communities can teach
Millennials about how the Catholic Christian tradition provides a spiritual,
theological, and scriptural home and resources for understanding how to
interpret their recognition of the Spirit’s call to service. |
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| Gordon: |
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Ironically,
there has been a parallel increase by young adults in
superhero films. If Thomas Merton was a Marvel Superhero, which one would he be and why? |
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Father Dan:
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My youngest brother, who is a college senior double majoring
in theology and journalism and is a huge film buff, would
love this question! This is tough because I’ve never really
been a comic-book guy nor have I seen all the movies in
recent years (so forgive me if I confuse Marvel with DC
characters, only a venial sin I hope). I guess I would say
that Merton could be a sort of “Professor Xavier” from The X-men. This is for several reasons. First,
and this is totally superficial, they both had the same hairstyle: completely
bald (something I totally appreciate). Second, while the other members of the
X-Men team would often go out into the world to engage in mission, Professor
X often stayed back at the “School for the Gifted,” which serves as something
like an analog to Merton’s monastery. Merton’s religious vows kept him in his
cloister, whereas Professor X’s wheelchair kept him often back at home. Third,
despite their geographical and travel limitations, both of them nevertheless
could reach out and connect with people all over the globe. Professor X’s mutant
power was, if I remember correctly, the ability to get to the heart and mind of
people remotely through a kind of telepathy. Likewise, Merton’s power was
through his writing, especially his correspondence, through which he was able to
reach the hearts and minds of people all over the world including those well
into the future. In a letter to Pope Saint John XXIII, Merton famously described
this “power” (as I’m calling it) as an “apostolate of friendship.” I think that
this is a power for good that could and should be cultivated more and more
today, especially through the connectivity of social-media platforms.
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