A native of Evansville, IN, Paul Schutz received his B.A. in English from Boston College and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Fordham University. His research focuses on the meaning and significance of creation in the Christian tradition, with an emphasis on how scientific research might inform religious accounts of humanity's relationship with other-than-human creatures. His doctoral dissertation on the theological writings of Jesuit astrophysicist William Stoeger proposes an 'ecopolitical' theology oriented toward the flourishing of all creatures. His recent publications apply Stoeger's framework to questions of gender, race, and interreligious dialogue (especially with Buddhism), as well as prayer, liturgy, and ministry. His current book project (forthcoming with Orbis Books) explores the potential of "flourishing" to serve as a core category for Christian theology and a basis for cultivating a robust praxis of ecological and social justice.
- Coverage in America Magazine
- Interview with Canadian Public Radio
- Interview with Catholic Moral Theology
“God Saw . . . and God knew . . .”: Science, Divine Action, and Un/answered Prayers.” In Prayer and Communication with the Divine, the Saints, and the Departed, ed. Thomas G. Plante and Gary E. Schwartz (Routledge/Taylor & Francis, 2021).
“Fire of Justice, Breath of Life: Exodus 3 as Foundational Narrative for Ecopolitical Theology.” The Heythrop Journal (Dec. 2020).
“Cultivating a ‘Cosmic Perspective’ in Theology: Reading William R. Stoeger with Laudato Si.’” Theological Studies 80, no. 4 (Dec. 2019).
“As Dewdrops on Indra’s Web: Buddhism, Constitutive Relationships, and Care for Our Common Home,” in All the Ends of the Earth: Challenge and Celebration of Global Catholicism: The Annual Volume of the College Theology Society, ed. Jane E. Linahan and Cyril Orji (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2020).
"Environmental Sciences" and “20th and 21st Century Catholic Voices on Nature and Science.” In Christian Theology and the Modern Sciences, edited by John Slattery. London: Bloomsbury/T&T Clark, 2020.
"Could a Creature Harm a Fly? From Creatureliness to a Creation Imagination." The Other Journal (October 2017).
“All Creation Sings: The Ecological Crisis, Laudato Si’, and an Orthodoxy of Praise.” Liturgy+Power: The Annual Volume of the College Theology Society (Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2017).
“The Art & Challenge of Collaborative Liturgy.” Pastoral Music 34, no. 1 (Oct. 2006): 53. (with Rev. Stephen P. Lintzenich, former pastor, St. Mary Catholic Church, Evansville, IN)