This second edition of The Australian Ejournal of Theology (AEJT) reaches you with the news that it has now been added to the Register of Refereed Journals compiled by The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). An explanation is provided in the Addendum below.

Many major issues confronting Church and society are covered in the Journal's articles. Two matters of utmost importance, treated by various scholars, are ethical decision-making and Christian identity in an age of pluralism. Our invited international scholars initiate these discussions.

AEJT is also fortunate in being able to publish an article on the nature of the Catholic university by one of the foremost scholars in this field. What follows is a brief overview of these and other contributions to this volume of the Journal.

Ethics, of course, is a discipline and activity which challenges all human beings. New ethical challenges are emerging almost daily.  Former answers and even approaches are not universally convincing even in orthodox Christian circles. AEJT is particularly grateful for the international perspectives articulated here by Jan Jans (Tilburg University, Netherlands) and Joseph Selling (Catholic University Leuven, Belgium ). Christian theological ethics needs to embrace both the sources of the Christian tradition and the sources of contemporary life in all its complexity. Ethics, unlike politics, is "the art of the desirable" which is, nonetheless, carried out by flawed human beings living in an imperfect world. It is heartening to be told that "this very imperfection is both the shelter and the splendour of ethical truth". Other contributors - Richard Wade, Gary Curran and Yuri Koszarycz - provide insight into ethical issues in animal theology and genetic engineering.

If ethics is an interdisciplinary and multi-cultural activity, interreligious dialogue is its natural partner. Is it still possible to be faithful to Christian core-belief in the universality of Christ without being imperialistic or relativist? Both international voices on the topic - Harvey Egan (Boston College) and Timothy  Radcliffe (Former Master General of the Dominicans) - provide a resounding "yes" to this question. Both stress that Christian faith is in process of reinterpretation and transformation. Belief in the universality of God's saving truth in Jesus was never meant to be an ideology of exclusion. The Christian story needs to be retold in light of  the conquest of the Americas , the Holocaust and September 11^th. Perhaps we need a more radical vision of what it means to be Christian. Raimon Panikkar, no stranger to students and scholars of multi-religious dialogue, proposes such a vision which Gerard Hall presents and critiques.

Of less global significance, perhaps, is the meaning of a Catholic university in today's secular and pluralist world. This is, nonetheless, an immediate issue for many contributors and readers of this Journal. James Heft (Dayton University, Ohio) was invited to Australian Catholic University in August-September 2003 to assist in this discernment. His paper enunciates five specific challenges: creation of community in an individualistic culture; reinstating faith with reason to challenge "academic dualism" (only reason counts) and "apatheism" (belief in God without caring much about God); clear affirmation of Catholic principles without falling into secularist or sectarian excesses; commitment to moral and ethical formation; and use of philosophy and theology as important sources of wisdom in the creation of a Catholic vision of university. Robyn Horner takes up the particular issue of what it means to teach theology in a university that is both Catholic and public.

Other articles and contributions are difficult to organize under generic headings. What most share, however, is an interdisciplinary approach to theology. For example, Tony Kelly demonstrates the potential for deconstruction in philosophical and theological discourse. Damien Casey finds in the world of literature, specifically in the writings of Tolkein, a fruitful basis for theology. Bronwen Neil and Sophie McGrath use historical research as a catalyst for bringing historical (and literary) figures to life in a way that informs and challenges theological thought. Several authors, notably Susan Smith (University of Auckland), Paul Mulqueen and James MacDonald use biblical research methods in their respective approaches to the Gospels of Mark and Luke and the "empty tomb tradition".

Classical and often practical theological concerns -- with particular reference to the Roman Catholic Church -- are the subject of contributions on: ecclesial communion (Anthony Gooley); the role of women in the Church (Ruth Henderson); and use of the catechism in religious education (Matthew Ogilvie - University of Dallas). Worth noting here is that Jan Jans, Tony Kelly and Matthew Ogilvie all found their arguments in the writings of that most famous of all Catholic theologians, St. Thomas Aquinas.

The volume has also been fortunate enough to gain four of the six pastoral and theological reflections of  The Brisbane Archdiocesan Liturgy Symposium, 4^th December 2003, in celebration of forty years since the promulgation of The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy. These contributors from St Paul's Theological College and The Archdiocesan Liturgical Commission - Tom Elich, Elizabeth Harrington, Ursula O'Rourke, Orm Rush - provide much food for thought with reference to past practices, current challenges and future possibilities for liturgical renewal.

The volume also contains two book reviews: Adrian Hasting (ed.), A World History of Christianity; and David Ford (ed.), The Modern Theologians (revised). Finally, in line with AEJT's policy of encouraging theological creativity in the arts, there is a selection of poetry and art - work by contributors representing Australia, North America, Malta and the Fiji Islands.

My appreciation to all contributors. We received many comments on our first edition which were most encouraging for our work. We have also taken on board as far as possible constructive criticisms for the improvement of AEJT. One of the critiques of the first volume was the small number of women authors represented within that issue. This volume goes some way towards redressing the balance, and I take this opportunity to encourage more women voices in the future. It goes without saying that we can only publish what we receive.

My particular thanks to Yuri Koszarycz for his outstanding skills in technical presentation. He, Bet Green and generous others have also contributed hours of work in editing texts. Thank you to the reviewers and referees - especially Professor Kelly who took on the task of organising most of the refereeing for this volume.

AEJT / Vol 3 (August 2004)

The next volume of AEJT is due to be "live online" in August 2004. All articles should be in the hands of the Professor Tony Kelly (“Acting Editor”) and/or Mr Yuri Koszarycz (“Technical Editor”) by 1^st June. These should be in electronic form. Correspondence should also be directed to Professor Kelly and/or Yuri Koszarycz. You are welcome of course to contact other members of the Editorial Board. Please note that the Editor will be on study-leave until July 2004.

Future contributors should also follow the approved outline of how to prepare articles for electronic publication in AEJT.

The August 2004 edition of AEJT will be a tribute to Fr John Thornhill SM, foremost Australian theologian and past contributor to Theology@McAuley. Dr Thornhill, Marist priest and theologian, has many distinctions which AEJT would like to acknowledge in a formal way. These include his roles as: Director of The Catholic Theological Union (Toongabbie and Hunters Hill) and Sydney's Aquinas Academy; founding member of The Australian Catholic Theological Association; first Australian member of The International Theological Commission; author of numerous academic works; teacher and mentor of many current theological educators in Australia - and beyond. Colleagues and students of Fr Thornhill are especially invited to submit articles for this volume.

Gerard Hall SM

Editor. (12^th February 2004)

Addendum

The fact that an article appears in the Register of Refereed Journals means that it satisfies the peer-reviewed requirements according to criteria established by The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). However, inclusion on the Register does not automatically mean that all articles in the journal are to be considered "research publications" according to the processes of the Higher Education Research Data Collection (HERDC). Apart from being validated/verified by "peer-review", articles must meet the following criteria: 

• substantial scholarly activity, as evidenced by discussion of the relevant literature, an awareness of the history and antecedents of work described, and a format which allows a reader to trace sources of the work through citations, footnotes etc;
• originality, that is, it is not a compilation of existing works;
• increasing the stock of knowledge; and
• being in a form that enables dissemination of knowledge.

The types of journal articles that may meet the criteria include:

·           commentaries and communications of original research;

·           critical scholarly texts which appear in article form;

·           articles reviewing multiple works or an entire field of research;

·           invited papers in journals;

·           articles in journals which are targeted to both scholars and professionals.

Articles in this current edition of AEJT are categorized under various headings. These categories do not in themselves imply that an article is or is not a "research publication" as defined by HERDC. The responsibility for showing this remains with the author. We simply follow the protocol of "peer-reviewing for scholarly works" (as requested) as distinct from other contributions including pastoral reflections and opinions, book reviews, art works, work-in-progress and essays which are more synthetic than analytic. Often, of course, it is these latter contributions that are more creative, readable and helpful for the theological enterprise of communicating the mystery of God's self-communication to the world. Indeed, we wish to encourage every form of theological expression in order to celebrate theology in all its diversity.

AEJT: February, 2004

Refereed articles emanating from conferences and invited papers of international standing

Name	Title	Institution and/or Forum
Professor Harvey Egan SJ	A Rahnerian response to Dominus Iesus	Boston College, USA
Professor James Heft SM	The open circle: the culture of a Catholic university	Dayton University, USA; The Couch Lecture, ACU Sydney, 23rd July 2003
Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP	"Go and make disciples of all nations"--preaching the kingdom of religious imperialism?	Former Master General of the Dominican Order; Public Lecture, ACU Brisbane, 29th August 2003
Assistant Professor Jan Jans	On the difficult dialectics between faith and ethics	Tilburg Faculty of Theology, Netherlands ; St Augustine College of South Africa
Dr Robyn Horner	Issues for teaching and learning theology in a publicly-funded Catholic university	ACU Internal Forum: "values-based professional education", Sydney, 12th June 2003; Victorian School of Theology, ACU
Professor Joseph Selling	The polarity of ethical discourse	Catholic University Leuven, Belgium

 

Submitted and peer-reviewed scholarly works

Dr Damien Casey	Tolkein's Theological Vision	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
G. J. Curran, Y. J. Koszarycz	Genetic engineering: creating an ethical framework	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
Dr Brian Gleeson CP	Symbols and sacraments: their human foundations	Yarra Theological Union, Melbourne
Dr Gerard Hall SM	Multi-faith dialogue in conversation with Raimon Panikkar	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
Professor Anthony Kelly CSsR	Blessed negativities: the contribution of deconstruction to theology	Head, Sub-Faculty of Philosophy an Theology, ACU
Dr Bronwen Neil	Maximus the Confessor's Spiritual Psychology	McAuley School of Theology; Centre for Early Christian Studies, ACU
Dr Matthew Ogilvie	Nothing but the truth: a systematic theological perspective on using the catechism in education	Institute for Religious and Pastoral Studies, University of Dallas, USA
Dr Sophie McGrath RSM	Virginia Woolf and Benedict XV in conversation	Golding Centre for Research in Women's History, Theology and Spirituality, Sydney ACU
Dr Susan Smith	Mark and mission	School of Theology, University of Auckland
Dr Richard Wade	Animal theology and ethical concerns	Victorian School of Theology, Ballarat ACU

 

General Contributions

James MacDonald	The empty tomb	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
Anthony Gooley	The eucharist and ecclesial communion	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
Ruth Henderson	Tradition and the status of women in the Catholic church	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
Paul Mulqueen	Luke's use of story advancement (sygkrisis) to delineate and develop the respective roles of Jesus and John the Baptist	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU

 

Liturgy Symposium: Celebration of forty years since the promulgation of The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, (4^th December 2003)

Dr Tom Elich	Of great advantage: the use of the mother tongue	St Paul's Theological College, Brisbane
Elizabeth Harrington	The warm and living love of Scripture	St Paul's Theological College, Brisbane
Sr Ursula O'Rourke SGS	Day and night: made holy by the praises of God	St Paul's Theological College, Brisbane
Dr Orm Rush	"Fully conscious and active participation": formation in the sacramental imagination	St Paul's Theological College, Brisbane

 

Poetry -- Art -- Literature

Professor Ingrid Shafer	Noogenesis	University of Science and Arts, Oklahoma USA
Dr Michael George Michael	And so the light cleaves upon itself	Centre for Early Christian Studies, ACU
Fr Ben McKenna SM	The coincidence of opposites: "all things go in pairs, by opposites" (Sir 42: 24)	Marist Formation Community, Tutu, Fiji Islands
Dr Jack Justice	Trinity	Newport, Kentucky USA ; McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
Leslie Longworth	Who shall live?	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
Phillipe Agius	Depiction of Padre Pio receiving the stigmata	University of Malta

 

Editorial / Book Reviews

Dr Gerard Hall SM	Editorial	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU
Dr Greg Monro	Adrian Hastings (ed.), A World History of Christianity	McAuley School of Arts & Sciences, Brisbane ACU
Mr Yuri Koszarycz	David Ford (ed.), The Modern Theologians (rev.)	McAuley School of Theology, Brisbane ACU