Theology News and Accomplishments

Two 2023 THRS graduates earn awards from Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Two 2023 Fordham graduates whose degrees included majors in Theology and Religious Studies earned awards from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. They are part of a group of fifteen Fordham students and alumni who received scholarships through the Fulbright program this year, the highest one-year total for the University yet to date. Chris Gosier's Fordham Now article on the award recipients includes the following information on the award recipients.

"Anna Nowalk, FCLC ’23, from Virginia, who earned a bachelor’s degree in theology religious studies with minors in philosophy and peace and justice studies, received a research award for study in El Salvador.

"Christian Ramirez, FCRH ’23, who is from Minnesota and earned a bachelor’s degree in English and theology religious studies, with a minor in Spanish, was awarded an English teaching assistantship to Colombia."

Papanikolaou named U Chicago Divinity School Alum of the Year

Professor Aristotle "Telly" Papanikolaou, Archbishop Demetrios Chair in Orthodox Theology and Culture and Co-Director of the Orthodox Christian Studies Center, was named the University of Chicago Divinity School Alum of the Year for 2024.  He was also appointed as a McDonald Distinguished Senior Fellow for the Emory Center for the Study of Law and Religion.

Alumna dialogues with Traina on LGBTQ acceptance in Orthodox Church

Ashley Purpura, Ph.D., GSAS ’14, associate professor at Purdue University and visiting associate professor at Harvard Divinity School, addressed current disagreements about the participation of LGBTQ people in today’s Eastern Orthodox Church in conversation with Professor Cristina Traina on March 6. Dr. Purpura emphasized that the Orthodox Christian tradition can be a resource for acceptance and affirmation of the experiences of the LGBTQ faithful. Read the full story here.

Professor Emerita Johnson releases book

Distinguished Professor Emerita Dr. Elizabeth A. Johnson published Come, Have Breakfast: Meditations on God and the Earth through Orbis Books in February.

Traina releases book

Dr. Cristina L. H. Traina, Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Chair in Catholic Theology, published her book, Finitude, Feminism, and Flourishing: On Being Mortal, Like Everyone Else through Paulist Press in March 2024. In her latest work, Prof. Traina argues that "the divine gift of finitude means that we cannot flourish without each other." "Flourishing is embodied, messy, interdependent, tragic, joyful, always a work in progress—and our common calling."

Welborn releases book

Dr. Larry Welborn, Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity, published a new co-authored/co-edited book,  The Village in Antiquity and the Rise of Christianity, through T. & T. Clark.