Professor Gill Goulding C.J., has been named as one of six Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology for 2015-16 by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) and the Henry Luce Foundation. Fellows are required to participate in year-long projects selected on the basis of the strength of their proposals to conduct creative and innovative research in religion and theology.

Professor Gill’s year-long project is to complete a book titled, “Configured to Christ: The Dynamic Effect of Mercy on the Mission of the Church.”

Facing global problems of climate change, terror, unemployment, refugees, and dire poverty, Pope Francis has given shape to his compassion through endorsing a clear trajectory of mercy, love and forgiveness as pre-eminently the mission of the Church to contemporary cultures and communities of faith. The mercy of God has a concrete face in Jesus Christ. This project aims to re-appropriate the theological foundations of mercy, the Christological and Trinitarian roots and the ecclesiological ramifications of that call to exercise mercy both within and without the parameters of the Church. It will draw on three primary interlocutors to whom Pope Francis has owned his own indebtedness namely: Hans Urs von Balthasar, Henri de Lubac and Ignatius Loyola. The project will also examine how Pope Francis has elevated Christian discourse about mercy endeavoring to draw from the tradition and to bridge polarizations, such as those which mark church life in North America, to focus Christian energies on fecundity in the mission. The potential ramifications for ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue are very significant.  At the most profound level, Pope Francis has issued a challenge to a re-appropriation of an understanding of the Church configured to Christ journeying with him towards Trinitarian life. From the heart of the Trinity and the depths of the mystery of God the tide of God’s mercy never ceases.

The Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology Program

Established in 1993, the program of the Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology supports the research of junior and senior scholars whose projects offer significant and innovative contributions to theological studies. The program seeks to foster excellence in theological scholarship, and to strengthen the links among theological research, churches, and wider publics.6 fellows are chosen each year from the applications from faculty members.

Henry Luce III Fellowships

The Henry Luce III Fellows in Theology program is designed to encourage high-quality research that promises both to contribute to theological inquiry and to provide leadership in theological scholarship. Since its inception in 1994, the program has funded intellectually rigorous research projects that emphasize the interdisciplinary character of theological scholarship and education, and address the needs of the academy, communities of faith, and the wider society. The fellowship enables each Fellow to conduct yearlong research in one of several areas of theological inquiry. In addition, Fellows present their findings at a yearly conference, and in both scholarly and popular journals.

For more information on Henry Luce III fellowships, please click here.