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Department ofReligious Studies

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Eugene Schlesinger

Eugene Schlesinger

Meet Eugene Schlesinger

Eugene Schlesinger joins us from Marquette University, where he completed his Ph.D. in Religious Studies (concentrating in systematic theology), and taught as an adjunct instructor. Gene specializes in Catholic systematic theology, and works especially at the intersection of the doctrine of the church and sacramental theology. His first book, Missa Est! A Missional Liturgical Ecclesiology(Fortress Press, 2017), considers the way that the church’s internal life of worship and externally-directed life of mission relate to and inform each other. His articles have appeared in such journals as Theological Studies, International Journal of Systematic Theology, Anglican Theological Review, Augustinian Studies, and Ecclesiology, and he has recently completed work on a second book, Sacrificing the Church: Mass, Mission, and Ecumenism (forthcoming from Lexington Books/Fortress Academic).

Gene teaches courses in Christian theology at the undergraduate level and in our Graduate Program in Pastoral Ministries, and relishes the opportunity to spark interest in the big questions among students who are most likely in his classes because of core requirements. He especially looks forward to offering a new course on Good and Evil (mostly evil), which ranges from Greek tragedies to modern genocides, and engages literature, philosophy, theology, film, and graphic novels.

In what free time he has, Gene enjoys cooking, and especially baking, music, and reading fiction (usually of the nerdy fantasy persuasion). Most weekends he’s off exploring beautiful Northern California with his family: Loren, Joann (14), and Evelyn (9).