Theology Department
The Theology major at Bellarmine University probes the ultimate questions of our existence: What is the meaning and purpose of life? What are our obligations to God and to each other? Theology majors will explore these issues through the study of theology, comparative religions, spirituality, morality, and social justice. Students will develop their communication and critical thinking skills. A Theology major provides the student with a sound liberal arts background.
The Theology major at Bellarmine University probes the ultimate questions of our existence: What is the meaning and purpose of life? What are our obligations to God and to each other? Theology majors will explore these issues through the study of theology, comparative religions, spirituality, morality, and social justice. Students will develop their communication and critical thinking skills. A Theology major provides the student with a sound liberal arts background.
Rich Setting for Theological Study
Louisville is the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville and the national center for the Presbyterian Church USA. The Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary are close to the Bellarmine campus, and St. Meinrad School of Theology and Benedictine Abbey is in the region. The Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption houses the Cathedral Heritage Foundation which sponsors the annual Festival of Faiths, a nationally recognized celebration of religious diversity and theological thought. The Bellarmine Theology Department sponsors an annual lecture or event aimed at bringing recognized scholars to the area. There are ample opportunities for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue and for theological and spiritual growth in the area.
Bellarmine University houses the International Thomas Merton Center, which maintains the complete collection of the writings and work of and about Thomas Merton and makes it available to visiting scholars. The Abbey at Gethsemani, where Merton lived and worked, is a short distance from Louisville. The Theology Department offers immersion learning experiences through theology courses periodically held at the Abbey.
Upcoming Events
The Annual Vernon Robertson Lecture: Wednesday, February 22 at 7 p.m. in Hilary’s
Dr. M. Shawn Copeland will be speaking on the topic of solidarity. Dr. M. Shawn Copeland is associate professor of systematic theology in the Department of Theology and in the Program in African and African Diaspora Studies at Boston College. Dr. Copeland holds the Ph. D. in systematic theology from Boston College. Prior to her return to Boston College as a faculty member, she taught at Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Yale University Divinity School, New Haven, Connecticut, and St. Norbert College, DePere, Wisconsin. She is the author of more than 80 journal articles and book chapters on such topics as the meaning of the human person, social suffering, political theology, gender, race, and African American Catholicism. Dr. Copeland is the principal editor of Uncommon Faithfulness: the Black Catholic Experience (2009), and author of Enfleshing Freedom: Body, Race and Being (2010). Dr. Copeland is a former Convenor of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium (BCTS), an interdisciplinary learned association of Black Catholic scholars, and is a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America (CTSA).
A panel discussion is also scheduled for the following day on Thursday, February 23 during free period in Hilary’s.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Careers in Theology
Faculty
J. Milburn Thompson, Ph.D, Chair (email) (Full Profile)
Clyde Crews, Ph.D, University Historian and Archival Coordinator
George A. Kilcourse, Ph.D (email)
Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty, Ph.D (email) (Full Profile)
Gregory K. Hillis, Ph.D (email) (Full Profile)
Deborah Prince, Ph.D (email)
Justin Klassen, Ph.D (email)
Brief Faculty Profiles
Study Abroad
Bellarmine offers a wide variety of study abroad options on 6 continents in over 50 countries and at over 150 partner campuses around the globe.
Contact Us
Theology Department
Bellarmine University
2001 Newburg Road
Louisville, KY 40205
502.272.8188