Seton Hall Appoints Noted Theologian As Visiting Professor

From Seton Hall: Seton Hall University has appointed noted theologian Mark T. Miller as the first Toth/Lonergan Endowed Visiting Professor. His appointment begins in August. Professor Miller is expected to teach courses in various schools throughout the University and participate in initiatives of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies and the Center for Catholic Studies.

Prior to his appointment at Seton Hall, Miller has a long history of academic excellence. He is currently a member of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of San Francisco, and has taught at Georgetown University and Boston College as well as the University of Asia and the Pacific, Manilla and the Ateneo de Zamboanga University, Philippines. He holds a joint appointment in the Yuchenco Philippines Studies Program and is the Associate Director of the St. Ignatius Institute at San Francisco University.

“We are honored to welcome Professor Miller to Seton Hall. He is a world-class scholar and theologian and his arrival as the inaugural Toth/Lonergan Endowed Visiting Professor further informs our University in its greatest work: preparing our students— based upon ethics, values and a rigorous academic experience— to become servant leaders in a global society,” said Senior Associate Provost Joan Guetti.

Professor Miller received his Ph.D. (concentration in Systematic Theology, minor in Theological Ethics) as well as his M.A. (Theology) from Boston College, with a year of graduate coursework in Catholic Theology undertaken at Eberhard-Karls Üniversität, Tübingen, Germany. Miller received his Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University, School of Foreign Service.

The title of Miller’s Ph.D. dissertation was “Why the Passion? Bernard Lonergan on the Cross as Communication.” In addition to numerous presentations and peer-reviewed articles, such as “Conversion in Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling,” and “Malcolm X’s Autobiography and Lonergan’s Conversions,” Miller is the author of a book entitled, The Quest for God and the Good Life: Lonergan’s Theological Anthropology, which was published by the Catholic University of America Press in 2013.

The Toth/Lonergan Endowed Chair in Interdisciplinary Studies was created by the University’s Center for Catholic Studies to honor two great scholars: Bernard Lonergan, S.J. and Deacon William Toth.
Fr. Lonergan (1904-1984) was a renowned scholar, who, as noted by Time magazine, was “considered by many intellectuals to be the finest philosophic thinker of the 20th century.” Lonergan’s classic works, Insight: A Study of Human Understanding (1957) and Method in Theology (1972) link faith and theology with the contemporary sciences and professions by way of a generalized empirical method (GEM). The 25 volumes of his Collected Works, published by the University of Toronto Press, include works on theology, the sciences and contemporary economics. Since 2009, Seton Hall has annually published The Lonergan Review, edited by Msgr. Richard Liddy, Director of the Center for Catholic Studies and the Bernard J. Lonergan Institute.
Deacon Toth (1940-2008), who taught moral theology at Immaculate Conception Seminary and School of Theology, founded the Institute on Work within the Center for Catholic Studies, which later became the Micah Institute.

He also served as chair of the Peace and Justice Commission of the Archdiocese of Newark. Deacon Toth sought to link Catholic theology with the professions, especially business and law. “I had the great good fortune to have worked with Professor Toth here at Seton Hall,” said Interim Provost Karen Boroff. “We co-authored a research presentation, among many other projects. And always, he sought to incorporate the moral sense within the work, knowing that it is not enough for ethics and moral theology to exist within the University as discrete entities— believing that a curriculum infused with ethical understanding is a working curriculum, a working faith and a faith that works. It is such a tribute to Bill’s legacy that we welcome Professor Miller.”

The Toth/Lonergan Endowment at the Center for Catholic Studies supports a scholar whose work will deepen and enhance the connections between the University’s Catholic mission and scholarly and professional education. The establishment of this endowed position represents another important step in the University’s implementation of its strategic plan, Strength to Strength. For more information on the Toth/Lonergan Endowment Fund, contact Monsignor Richard Liddy at Richard.liddy@shu.edu.

Image Courtesy of Seton Hall