Videos by Robyn Horner
To recontextualise from the perspective of a religious tradition depends on a capacity to make th... more To recontextualise from the perspective of a religious tradition depends on a capacity to make that tradition meaningful, and this first involves a commitment to its meaningfulness. The best teachers of English are those who have seen beauty and truth shine from within a poem or a piece of prose, for no matter how any of the students in the class judge the same work, such educators teach with a passion that can only come from a genuine love of their subject. They do not need the affirmation of others before revealing this love. Instead, they bear witness to it constantly because they cannot do otherwise. In this paper, we will examine: the notion that God reveals Godself by means of tradition, what it might mean that tradition is interrupted and develops in different contexts, and what it might mean that persons who have glimpsed something of God in tradition might come to be responsible for its development through recontextualisation. 139 views
Journal Articles by Robyn Horner
Irish Theological Quarterly, 2023
“The Leuven Project: Enhancing Catholic School Identity?” appeared in the May 2022 edition of ITQ... more “The Leuven Project: Enhancing Catholic School Identity?” appeared in the May 2022 edition of ITQ. Motivated by concerns that the article misrepresents the Enhancing Catholic School Identity (ECSI) research in the academic forum and fundamentally rejects the theology of the Second Vatican Council from which it springs, I write to clarify some of its misconceptions and critique some of its theological assumptions. In particular, Dr McGregor’s claims that the ECSI Research has a “very novel account of revelation and especially of the meaning of ‘symbol’” colour the entire article and preempt its construal of the authors on whose work it comments: Didier Pollefeyt and Lieven Boeve.
Journal of Religion and Health, 2022
A variety of social settings promote factors which help protect young people from developing poor... more A variety of social settings promote factors which help protect young people from developing poor social and emotional outcomes. Schools are one such setting. Objective: This study examined whether there was an association between Australian school sectoral environment (Government, Catholic or Independent) and levels of depressive symptomology over the high school years. Design: Data was drawn from the longitudinal International Youth Development Study (IYDS). Six waves of data, collected annually from 2002 to 2008 were used. Participants: At baseline, the Australian state-representative sample included 2884 Australian adolescents aged 10-18 years. Results Multilevel piecewise linear and logistic regression analyses were completed, controlling for a variety of demographic variables, and protective factors at the individual, school, family and community level. Using the Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire (SMFQ) as a measure of depressive symptomatology, school-level sectoral differences were found for SMFQ measured as a continuous variable and with clinical cut-point of 12. Over the high school years, adolescents in Catholic schools reported significantly fewer symptoms of depression compared to adolescents in Government (β= -0.39; p <.05) and Independent (β= -0.57; p <.05) schools. Adolescents in Catholic schools were also less likely to report having clinical levels of depressive symptoms, compared to those in Government (OR=0.79; p <.05) schools. Overall, piecewise regression identified that across all sectors, depressive symptomology decreased between 10 and 13 years of age, but significantly increased for girls at age 13. Conclusions: Findings suggest that the state-wide Catholic school sector operating during this study, may have been protective for adolescent mental health. Future research should examine whether the differences observed here are common to Catholic school systems in other localities, countries and continues into adulthood.
Experience of God: Revelation as Affective Knowledge in the works of Ignatius Loyola
Ephemerides Theologicae Lovanienses, 2022
To try to speak of ‘experience of God’ is always risky. From a philosophical point of view, the r... more To try to speak of ‘experience of God’ is always risky. From a philosophical point of view, the risk is that we will collapse the distinction between the sheer otherness of God and the limits of human thought, meaning that the God we ‘experience’ is no God at all. From a theological point of view, the risk is not only that we will overlook this distinction and subsequent collapse, but that we will also speak for God in our own names – not only as a community, but also as individuals. At the same time, in a Western cultural space that is highly detraditionalised and framed by immanence, being able to open onto the possibility of finding God in experience assumes a new importance. Here, I sketch what forms part of a larger project on revelation. Addressing the tension between propositional and relational accounts of revelation, I argue that phenomenology offers a way forward for theology to consider revelation in the context of experience. An examination of experience yields the possibility of encountering God in affective knowledge, an approach which can be tested in the example of the experience of Ignatius Loyola.
Openness to Faith as a Disposition for Teachers in Catholic Schools
International Journal of Practical Theology, 2020
In the Catholic Church, which includes in its mission the provision of school education, the sign... more In the Catholic Church, which includes in its mission the provision of school education, the significant rise of "no religion" in Western societies prompts serious new questions about how this mission can be lived out. An important response can be found in the Enhancing Catholic School Identity Project, which provides empirical evidence of the lived faith dispositions of members of Catholic school communities and recommends the enhancement of Catholic school identity through the recontextualisation of faith in dialogue. We argue that the dispositions of teachers are a vital factor in the development of a Catholic Dialogue School. Using aggregated data in Australia, we illustrate the importance of a teacher disposition that is intentionally and explicitly open to Catholic faith. Zusammenfassung: Durch die wachsende Zahl konfessionsloser Menschen in westlichen Gesellschaften sieht sich das römisch-katholische Privatschulwesen dazu herausgefordert, neue Wege zur Erfüllung seines religiösen Bildungsauf-trags zu finden. In Australien leistet das "Enhancing Catholic School Identity Pro-ject" einen wichtigen Beitrag hierzu. Die hier vorgestellte Studie untersucht, wie stark persönliche Glaubenshaltungen unter den Schulangehörigen verbreitet sind und stellt die Bedeutung einer dialogischen und kontextbezogenen Auseinander-setzung mit dem Glauben heraus. Der Offenheit der Lehrkräftekommt dabei eine Schlüsselrolle zu, wie die empirische Untersuchung zeigen konnte.
Tijdschrift voor Theologie, 2018
Hedendaagse ontmoetingen met de heilige Ignatius van Loyola robyn horner De belangrijkste nalaten... more Hedendaagse ontmoetingen met de heilige Ignatius van Loyola robyn horner De belangrijkste nalatenschap van de heilige Ignatius van Loyola is dat hij ervoer hoe God in het dagelijkse leven aanwezig is en dat hij anderen een manier heeft getoond om dit ook te ervaren en ernaar te leven. Dit bijzon-dere idee, dat het mogelijk zou zijn om een werkelijk persoonlijke relatie met God te hebben, biedt hoop voor de gewone mens die zich misschien niet geroepen voelt tot contemplatie maar er wel naar verlangt om te worden opgenomen in de liefde die in het vooruitzicht is gesteld als betekenis en dynamiek van het christelijke bestaan. Het is bovendien een ondubbelzinnige bevestiging van het seculiere, niet als een tegenover van wat kennelijk heilig is maar als plaats van de zorg en de aandacht van God en de invloedssfeer van Gods handelen. In 1956 stelde Karl Rahner dat de Geestelijke Oefeningen meer aandacht van theologen verdienen en naar mijn idee is dat nog steeds zo, niet in de laatste plaats vanwege de theologische recontextualisering van de openbaring vandaag de dag. 1 De vraag naar openbaring is in de wereld van nu onbegrijpelijk geworden, ook al geldt dat dan misschien niet voor theologen, of misschien zelfs ook wel voor hen. Als het beslissende punt waarop geloof op een wezenlijke manier verder gaat dan elke zogenaamd neutrale benadering van 'religie' is het hele idee van de openbaring problematisch in een van tradities en mythen ontdane, gepluraliseerde en geïndividualiseerde samenleving-zo wordt het bijvoorbeeld getolereerd dat men de Bijbel bestudeert als literatuur maar niet dat men het beroep dat erin wordt gedaan op de lezer of op de gemeenschap van gelovigen serieus neemt. 2 Binnen een academische context betekent spreken over openbaring vaak dat men dan ook niet meer kan deelnemen aan 1 k. rahner, Das dynamische in der Kirche,
International Journal of Practical Theology, 2018
The question of methodology in theology is sometimes vexed. In this article I seek to offer a her... more The question of methodology in theology is sometimes vexed. In this article I seek to offer a hermeneutic phenomenological methodology for theology, utilising the insights of recent French phenomenology. Such a methodology demands that we refrain from making judgments in advance about the kinds of phenomena it is possible to encounter. Not only does this enable us to re-frame questions about the distinctions between philosophy and theology, but it also frees theologians from the problematic requirement of assuming a methodological atheism, particularly as they undertake practical theological research.
Unter Rückgriff auf jüngere französische phänomenologische Arbeiten beschreibt der Beitrag eine hermeneutisch-phänomenologische Methodik für die Theologie. Eine solche Methodik fällt im Voraus kein Urteil darüber, welcher Art von Phänomenen grundsätzlich begegnet werden kann. Dies gestattet es, Fragen zum Verhältnis von Philosophie und Theologie neu zu bestimmen und erlaubt es insbesondere im Zusammenhang praktisch-theologischer Forschung, auf einen problematischen „methodischen Atheismus“ zu verzichten.
Words that reveal: Jean-Yves Lacoste and the experience of God
Continental Philosophy Review, 2018
Much of the contemporary discussion of religion seems to do away with the very possibility of rev... more Much of the contemporary discussion of religion seems to do away with the very possibility of revelation. In this article, I use Lacoste’s phenomenology of la parole to rethink a theology of revelation in terms of God’s personal self-giving in experience. After examining Lacoste’s views of the relationship between philosophy and theology, his liturgical reduction and what this means for an understanding of experience and knowledge, and his thought of la parole more broadly, I give critical consideration to how he thinks the possibility of God’s address to humanity. Lacoste maintains that God’s presence in experience may be known through affection, and, indeed, that the word may so move us that we are able to recognise that presence. He uses the notion of self-evidence rather than the usual phenomenological category of evidence to evince the reasonableness of this response. I argue that while Lacoste accords due deference to a traditional understanding of revelation as the repetition or unfolding of a word addressed to us in the past, his thought also allows us to think revelation as a contemporary event, the hermeneutics of which allow us to know God in ways that are new.
The question of the gift has once again arisen as a question of debate for phenomenology and theo... more The question of the gift has once again arisen as a question of debate for phenomenology and theology. In this article the work of Jean-Yves Lacoste on the gift is considered in light of earlier reflections by Jean-Luc Marion and Jacques Derrida. Reading closely his recent work on gift and sacrament, especially in Être en danger, the author looks anew at issues arising there around the sacred, the economy, presence, and exchange. Lacoste’s phenomenological thinking of the gift of the holy in a wound of experience, one that signifies only by the feeling of a lack of feeling, offers a new way forward for theological discernment of the divine gift.
While one of the arguments against religious belief relates to its apparent irrationality, it can... more While one of the arguments against religious belief relates to its apparent irrationality, it can be shown phenomenologically that there is a di erent kind of rationality at work in religious knowledge, undermining the sharp distinction between sacred and secular that enables theology to be marginalised as irrational. Approaching Christianity through the category of revelation, that is, as a way of living and believing that draws not only on founding narratives of revelation but on the ongoing ‘experience’ of transcendence in unveiling truth, I seek to examine how the possibility of truth itself can inspire hatred and so open onto violence. ‘Religious’ violence typically emerges from a hatred directed at otherness. Hatred of what truth reveals is a powerful motivation for violence, but it cannot be shown that this is speci cally religious. Nevertheless, otherness is characterised by an excess that resists objecti cation and may be revelatory of truth. Violence may be religious precisely to the extent that it is directed against the otherness before which each person stands accused.
Lyotard and Theology stands in the Bloomsbury/T&T Clark "Philosophy and Theology" series that inc... more Lyotard and Theology stands in the Bloomsbury/T&T Clark "Philosophy and Theology" series that includes a range of twentieth-and twenty-first-century thinkers in dialogue with Christian faith. 1 "Dialogue" may appear too optimistic a word to choose when many of these thinkers-sometimes atheistic in outlook or at least unsympathetic to Christian truth claimsmight seem to remain extrinsic to the actual task of theology. Even if they may have something interesting or novel to offer, we might consider them, prima facie, as contemporary artifacts in a museum, housed together in a room that will be dedicated to a time when "the postmodern" at best serves as something overly-intellectual happening around the edges of theology (or at worst, as anathema to theology's very essence). Yet "dialogue" is a significant word in Lieven Boeve's vocabulary, even if he does not mean simply the exchange between or engagement of one point 1 Lieven Boeve, Lyotard and Theology (London: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2014).
It has recently been argued that Derrida's work is thoroughly atheistic, which seems to put any d... more It has recently been argued that Derrida's work is thoroughly atheistic, which seems to put any dialogue between Derrida and theology out of play. However, such arguments forget that to forbid the impossible outright is as much to be a slave to metaphysics as to presume that one could attain to it in language. Here I revisit the relationship between deconstruction and negative theology, and reconsider utilising Derrida to think God as the impossible. Arguing that thinking God in the absolute future still cannot sustain theology, I suggest how Derrida's work might nevertheless open onto the possibility of revelation.
The article examines how students who seek accreditation to teach religious education in Catholic... more The article examines how students who seek accreditation to teach religious education in Catholic schools in Australia can be brought to a higher level of engagement.
In the twelfth century, Anselm famously defined theology as “faith seeking understanding.” This c... more In the twelfth century, Anselm famously defined theology as “faith seeking understanding.” This classic definition is further specified by, for exampie, John Macquarrie, who maintains that: “theology may be defined as the study which, through participation in and reflection upon a religious faith,
seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available.״ This view of theology takes into account a number of factors. It situates theology within the life of practice of the religious faith concerned. Theology is undertaken from inside a religious tradition, and
has implications for the ongoing participation of the believer in faith. This is typically contrasted with what is known more generally as “religious studies,” and presents a challenge in the context of the modern, public university, where students cannot be expected to participate in any tradition of religious
faith, but also where the beliefs of any religious tradition are frequently not regarded as determinative for knowledge in the secular sphere. Anselm's definition also implies (and Macquarries definition makes explicit) that the faith presupposed by theology is capable of being articulated in a rationally coherent manner. Yet theology has been increasingly marginalised in modern thought because of a perceived tension between faith and rationality. While Catholic theology, in particular, upholds the consonance of faith with reason, it is fair to say that theology and philosophy largely parted company
at some time during the rise of modernity, and that the apparently scientific worldview that forms the bedrock of much of contemporary life tends to hold faith and reason as mutually exclusive.
These two problems—the doing of theology when explicit (Christian) faith can no longer be assumed, and the jarring between the claims of faith traditionally articulated and the claims of modernity—come together for students studying theology in the context of a contemporary public university,
particularly for those who might not choose to study theology for reasons of personal belief or interest. In this article we outline that context and then consider some of the issues presented by it for doing theology in public tertiary education environments. We draw from the insights of writers who engage a conversation between theology and poststructuralist thought, to argue that theology has a continuing place in the public university, where revelation is approached through a renewed phenomenological method, and faith is seen
to be emergent in an ongoing process of dialogue with its other.
Jean-Luc Marion and the Possibility of Something Like Theology
Theology becomes a marginalised pursuit where revelation is excluded a priori from the domain of ... more Theology becomes a marginalised pursuit where revelation is excluded a priori from the domain of reason, and relegated to the realm of the faith of individuals. In a contemporary context, however, where the metaphysical limits of reason itself are exposed, new questions arise about the encounter of thought with its excess. With the work of Jean-Luc Marion, we find an attempt to rethink phenomenology as a philosophical method by means of which we are able to go beyond metaphysics and allow the invisible to make itself manifest. Following Marion's work through to its conclusion, we can argue for a new – if by no means self-assured – place for theology within contemporary discourse.
Some recent discussions of Christian hope refer to the difficulties posed for a theology of hope ... more Some recent discussions of Christian hope refer to the difficulties posed for a theology of hope in view of aspects of contemporary thought. Of particular interest here are those discussions that include reference to the thinking of Jacques Derrida, and the way in which in his work he makes use of a messianic structure yet seems to exclude the possibility of any realised messianic hope. 1 While there are aspects of Derrida's thought that pose challenges for Christianity, a dialogue with Derrida and others can also help to open up theology to its own best possibilities. In what follows I propose to pursue such a dialogue, especially in the light of specific issues raised by James K. A. Smith.
Some recent discussions of Christian hope refer to the difficulties posed for a theology of hope ... more Some recent discussions of Christian hope refer to the difficulties posed for a theology of hope in view of aspects of contemporary thought. Of particular interest here are those discussions that include reference to the thinking of Jacques Derrida,
and the way in which in his work he makes use of a messianic structure yet seems to exclude the possibility of any realised messianic hope. While there are aspects of Derrida’s thought that pose challenges for Christianity, a dialogue with Derrida and
others can also help to open up theology to its own best possibilities. In what follows I propose to pursue such a dialogue, especially in the light of specific issues raised by James K. A. Smith.
The genealogies of idol and icon in Jean-Luc Marion's work, as well as the distinct use he makes ... more The genealogies of idol and icon in Jean-Luc Marion's work, as well as the distinct use he makes of the icon to sustain the possibility of encounter with the other person and with God, are examined. The question underpinning this examination will be to what extent there can be a phenomenology of the invisible--or equally, a theology of perception--that does not compromise invisibility as invisibility.
The discipline of theology is often considered to play a pivotal role in the transmission of valu... more The discipline of theology is often considered to play a pivotal role in the transmission of values in a Catholic University. Nevertheless, a number of issues are raised by this belief. What are values? What kinds of values are at stake in the teaching
and learning of theology? And given that theology can be defined as "faith seeking understanding," do the values that identify a university as Catholic conflict with the values that also identify it as public? In this article, these questions are raised with regard to the specific mission of Australian Catholic University, and its training of teachers of Religious Education in Catholic Schools.
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Videos by Robyn Horner
Journal Articles by Robyn Horner
Unter Rückgriff auf jüngere französische phänomenologische Arbeiten beschreibt der Beitrag eine hermeneutisch-phänomenologische Methodik für die Theologie. Eine solche Methodik fällt im Voraus kein Urteil darüber, welcher Art von Phänomenen grundsätzlich begegnet werden kann. Dies gestattet es, Fragen zum Verhältnis von Philosophie und Theologie neu zu bestimmen und erlaubt es insbesondere im Zusammenhang praktisch-theologischer Forschung, auf einen problematischen „methodischen Atheismus“ zu verzichten.
seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available.״ This view of theology takes into account a number of factors. It situates theology within the life of practice of the religious faith concerned. Theology is undertaken from inside a religious tradition, and
has implications for the ongoing participation of the believer in faith. This is typically contrasted with what is known more generally as “religious studies,” and presents a challenge in the context of the modern, public university, where students cannot be expected to participate in any tradition of religious
faith, but also where the beliefs of any religious tradition are frequently not regarded as determinative for knowledge in the secular sphere. Anselm's definition also implies (and Macquarries definition makes explicit) that the faith presupposed by theology is capable of being articulated in a rationally coherent manner. Yet theology has been increasingly marginalised in modern thought because of a perceived tension between faith and rationality. While Catholic theology, in particular, upholds the consonance of faith with reason, it is fair to say that theology and philosophy largely parted company
at some time during the rise of modernity, and that the apparently scientific worldview that forms the bedrock of much of contemporary life tends to hold faith and reason as mutually exclusive.
These two problems—the doing of theology when explicit (Christian) faith can no longer be assumed, and the jarring between the claims of faith traditionally articulated and the claims of modernity—come together for students studying theology in the context of a contemporary public university,
particularly for those who might not choose to study theology for reasons of personal belief or interest. In this article we outline that context and then consider some of the issues presented by it for doing theology in public tertiary education environments. We draw from the insights of writers who engage a conversation between theology and poststructuralist thought, to argue that theology has a continuing place in the public university, where revelation is approached through a renewed phenomenological method, and faith is seen
to be emergent in an ongoing process of dialogue with its other.
and the way in which in his work he makes use of a messianic structure yet seems to exclude the possibility of any realised messianic hope. While there are aspects of Derrida’s thought that pose challenges for Christianity, a dialogue with Derrida and
others can also help to open up theology to its own best possibilities. In what follows I propose to pursue such a dialogue, especially in the light of specific issues raised by James K. A. Smith.
and learning of theology? And given that theology can be defined as "faith seeking understanding," do the values that identify a university as Catholic conflict with the values that also identify it as public? In this article, these questions are raised with regard to the specific mission of Australian Catholic University, and its training of teachers of Religious Education in Catholic Schools.
Unter Rückgriff auf jüngere französische phänomenologische Arbeiten beschreibt der Beitrag eine hermeneutisch-phänomenologische Methodik für die Theologie. Eine solche Methodik fällt im Voraus kein Urteil darüber, welcher Art von Phänomenen grundsätzlich begegnet werden kann. Dies gestattet es, Fragen zum Verhältnis von Philosophie und Theologie neu zu bestimmen und erlaubt es insbesondere im Zusammenhang praktisch-theologischer Forschung, auf einen problematischen „methodischen Atheismus“ zu verzichten.
seeks to express the content of this faith in the clearest and most coherent language available.״ This view of theology takes into account a number of factors. It situates theology within the life of practice of the religious faith concerned. Theology is undertaken from inside a religious tradition, and
has implications for the ongoing participation of the believer in faith. This is typically contrasted with what is known more generally as “religious studies,” and presents a challenge in the context of the modern, public university, where students cannot be expected to participate in any tradition of religious
faith, but also where the beliefs of any religious tradition are frequently not regarded as determinative for knowledge in the secular sphere. Anselm's definition also implies (and Macquarries definition makes explicit) that the faith presupposed by theology is capable of being articulated in a rationally coherent manner. Yet theology has been increasingly marginalised in modern thought because of a perceived tension between faith and rationality. While Catholic theology, in particular, upholds the consonance of faith with reason, it is fair to say that theology and philosophy largely parted company
at some time during the rise of modernity, and that the apparently scientific worldview that forms the bedrock of much of contemporary life tends to hold faith and reason as mutually exclusive.
These two problems—the doing of theology when explicit (Christian) faith can no longer be assumed, and the jarring between the claims of faith traditionally articulated and the claims of modernity—come together for students studying theology in the context of a contemporary public university,
particularly for those who might not choose to study theology for reasons of personal belief or interest. In this article we outline that context and then consider some of the issues presented by it for doing theology in public tertiary education environments. We draw from the insights of writers who engage a conversation between theology and poststructuralist thought, to argue that theology has a continuing place in the public university, where revelation is approached through a renewed phenomenological method, and faith is seen
to be emergent in an ongoing process of dialogue with its other.
and the way in which in his work he makes use of a messianic structure yet seems to exclude the possibility of any realised messianic hope. While there are aspects of Derrida’s thought that pose challenges for Christianity, a dialogue with Derrida and
others can also help to open up theology to its own best possibilities. In what follows I propose to pursue such a dialogue, especially in the light of specific issues raised by James K. A. Smith.
and learning of theology? And given that theology can be defined as "faith seeking understanding," do the values that identify a university as Catholic conflict with the values that also identify it as public? In this article, these questions are raised with regard to the specific mission of Australian Catholic University, and its training of teachers of Religious Education in Catholic Schools.
Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage
Loyola University, Chicago, 14-16 April, 2016
notion of revelation rarely figures in the public imagination. If it is considered at all, it is often dismissed as implausible in educated society. I suggest that this is because revelation is considered first as a matter of belief rather than as a question of experience. Revelation presents a problem for our age in three, interconnected ways. Culturally, revelation has become both unintelligible and unimaginable; in lives
largely bounded by the immanence of the world, the concept of revelation seems arcane or anachronistic. Philosophically, revelation resists the kind of analysis that we readily identify with many Western philosophical approaches; there is little place for a concept of revelation linked to the particularity of religious traditions. Theologically, revelation is often understood as a set of things that have to be believed, things seemingly bearing no relation to present experience. In all three cases, belief or lack of belief becomes an obstacle to the very possibility of revelation. I will argue here that revelation can be a meaningful possibility and that we have to allow for that possibility within experience, even as we affirm its impossibility as experience at the same time.
Revealing the extent to which religious and atheistic belief must be seen to influence, and on a fundamental level, to co-create one another, the pluralistic society in which religious belief is counted as one option amongst many is given primacy. The fact that religious faith has become not only optional but also, in many contexts, strangely alienated from society, deeply modifies the experience of the believer as much as that of the non-believer. A focus on 'experience', over and above 'belief', moves us towards a mode of experiential knowledge which refuses to privilege the atheistic believer and deride the reality of religious belief.