2006 fall magazine - Seton Hall University

“A deep knowledge
of their faith makes
Christians less
subject to passing
fads and fictions.”
What value does a theological education (and
systematics in particular) have for lay Catholics
in their vocations, their lives?
T.G.: The study of systematic theology, and indeed all of
theology, helps the lay students in their vocations either
as Christian ministers or as Christian witnesses living
Christlike lives, in the power of the Holy Spirit, giving
praise to God the Father. Further, a deep knowledge of
their faith makes Christians less subject to passing fads
and fictions. Anyone who had studied theology would have
seen immediately that the novel The Da Vinci Code, while
an interesting tale, was one full of historical fabrications
and obvious falsehoods about historical Christianity.
What do you enjoy about teaching theology?
T.G.: It studies the very bedrock of reality and existence, the root
cause of all that is, as well as the final goal of all humanity.
Please describe your involvement with ecumenical
dialogue.
T.G.: I have been involved for many years in the Catholic-
Evangelical bilateral ecumenical dialogue. Catholics and
Evangelicals, while surely differing on some matters, are
very close on central issues, such as the unity and triunity
of the Godhead, Jesus Christ as the unique manifestation
of God’s love for us and the foundational importance of the
inspired text of the Bible.
Just this September, we published a document titled
“That They May Have Life,” affirming our joint witness
to the sanctity of all human life from conception until
natural death. I personally remain fully interested in both
ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. Surely such dialogue
recognizes the dignity of each human being as created in
God’s image with the freedom to pursue the truth.
Photo by Ian Bradshaw
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