Dating God

That Prof. Lawrence Cunningham would be the first theologian in the “Theologians That Rock” series (Technically, Caputo was first, but that was before the series was announced) is something based completely on chance. See, this morning I was walking over to Millennium Park in Chicago to spend some of this beautiful day outside among the sculptures when I happened to walk by the Chicago branch of the “University of Notre Dame Bookstore.”  Completely on impulse I decided to stop inside and explore the store.

In the book section of the store — which was, otherwise, a clothing store geared toward students, family and alums — I saw a newly released book by Cunningham.  Unlike some of his previous books, which are thematic and focus on systematic theology or Christian spirituality, this book, Things Seen and Unseen: A Catholic Theologian’s Notebook (Sorin Books, 2010), is collection of Cunningham’s seemingly random thoughts that span over two decades.

Theologian memoirs are definitely “in” this year, Cunningham’s book (although not really a memoir, as the author would surely also protest that description) follows the much discussed memoir of Stanley Hauerwas, which came out earlier this year.  And, like Hauerwas’s book, I purchased Cunningham’s latest without much hesitation, paying the actual list price instead of waiting to benefit from Amazon’s monopoly and save 20% or so.  That’s how much I wanted to get this text, immediately.

Although I have just started to read through Things Seen and Unseen, I am impressed.  Publishing one’s journal, diary, or, as in this case, more disparately themed notebooks is a risky venture.  Who knows if anyone will want to read such a book?  Cunningham, the John A. O’Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, also reflected on this consideration and, right at the onset, explains what compelled him to give his own try: “Reading journals and diaries of other people has always been a pleasure to me, so it struck me that others might like a peek into the vagrant workings of one theologian’s mind.”  I agree!

There is something deeply fascinating about having access to the written thoughts of someone else that have been collected over a period of time.  Attributing much of his inspiration to keeping the original notebooks from which these published selections have been gleaned to Thomas Merton, Cunningham recalls that it was during the years he was editing one of the masterful seven volumes of Merton’s personal journals for publication that he was encouraged to do likewise.  Albeit, in his own way.  Additionally revealing, Cunningham explains: “I have kept the notebook in obedience to an admonition of Thomas Merton’s advice ‘to contemplate with a pencil.’”

Lawrence Cunningham is most certainly a theologian that rocks.  Among the myriad reasons I could offer, I suggest that the first is his significant contribution to two subfields of theology about which I am also concerned and engaged.  These themes are the Franciscan tradition and the thought of Thomas Merton.

Cunningham’s book on Francis, Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life, has been very well received.  But it’s Cunningham’s work in the field of Merton Studies that is worth noting in more detail.  Perhaps his most popular contribution to Merton Studies is the collection of Merton’s writings he edited and introduced in the volume, Thomas Merton: Spiritual Master (Paulist Press, 1992).  This collection of writings is indeed a valued resource among Merton scholars, enthusiasts and novices alike.  From the standpoint of Merton scholarship, his book Thomas Merton and the Monastic Vision (Wm. B. Eerdmanns, 1999) is a classic.  Finally, his scholarly editorial work in the field of Merton Studies has been tremendously helpful, particularly volume three of the journals, A Search for Solitude: Pursuing the Monk’s True Life; 1952-1960 (HarperOne, 1997).  

As someone who is currently editing a forthcoming volume of Merton’s correspondence, I understand the painstaking effort that goes into the search for manuscripts, transcription, editing and annotation of such a volume.  To do it well is a challenging task, one that often receives less appreciation than it should from the scholarly community.

In addition to all of his personal accomplishments and scholarly contributions to his areas of academic interest, Cunningham has also mentored and guided several theologians of the next generation that are top-notch thinkers and scholars in their own right.  Indeed that is one concrete sign of a theologian that rocks, the ability to influence and encourage successful theologians to come after you.  I’ve spent all of this time and feel as though I have only scratched the surface.  Lawrence Cunningham definitely deserves to be counted among the “theologians that rock.”  If you haven’t read one of his books, you better get on that!  Perhaps you might find that Things Seen and Unseen is a good place to begin.