Theology

"It's simple," said Ray Lewis, quoting Romans 8:31 after his team's Super Bowl win: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Yet even though I am pleased by the Ravens' victory, doesn't God love the 49ers just as much? Weren't some of their players also praying for victory? Can we imagine that the Lord of the universe stoops to manipulating the fortunes of NFL teams? Can He possibly care about football at all? No one's theology should be judged by a handful of "newsworthy" sound bites.

Georg H.B. Luck, whose career teaching the classics at the Johns Hopkins University spanned two decades and included studying the role magic and witchcraft played in the theology and world of the ancient Greeks and Romans, died Sunday from complications of cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 87 and a longtime resident of the city's Poplar Hill neighborhood. "Georg was a modest man who had great gusto for the things that interested him," said Richard A. Macksey, a noted Baltimore bibliophile and professor of humanities at Hopkins.

At first, it seemed as if Rick Santorum was questioning President Barack Obama's religious faith. Now, it appears that what he meant was to question the faith of all Americans who believe clean water, air and land is in the public interest. For someone running for secular office, the former Pennsylvania senator has expressed a lot of thoughts about Catholicism, Christianity and religion in general, but even his supporters must have been surprised when he denounced President Obama as embracing a "phony theology" during a recent campaign appearance in Ohio.

"It's simple," said Ray Lewis, quoting Romans 8:31 after his team's Super Bowl win: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Yet even though I am pleased by the Ravens' victory, doesn't God love the 49ers just as much? Weren't some of their players also praying for victory? Can we imagine that the Lord of the universe stoops to manipulating the fortunes of NFL teams? Can He possibly care about football at all? No one's theology should be judged by a handful of "newsworthy" sound bites.

In response to the letter "Theology deflects from facts in debate over gay marriage" (Oct. 18): Be careful how we define theology. In the writer's letter, the impression is given that the theological argument against gay marriage is obscure and contestable. That may be so if the theology we follow is one developed by humans or self. However, nothing could be farther from the truth when our theology is based on the Biblical view as presented by the God of the Scriptures. It is neither obscure nor contestable but extremely clear.

The Rev. Walter John Paulits, a long-time Baltimore-area priest and theology scholar, died June 4 from natural causes at an assisted living residence in the Pasadena area. He was 88. In a career that spanned decades as an educator, religious scholar and priest, he founded and served as pastor of Our Lady of the Chesapeake Roman Catholic Church in Pasadena in 1980 and, although he retired in 1991, was still heavily involved with the church until about a year ago. Both his academic pursuits and a practical sense informed his priesthood, according to those who worked with him. He invited experts in seminary, liturgy and ecumenical outreach to visit and share knowledge, while at the same time empowering his flock with a you-can-do-it attitude.

Georg H.B. Luck, whose career teaching the classics at the Johns Hopkins University spanned two decades and included studying the role magic and witchcraft played in the theology and world of the ancient Greeks and Romans, died Sunday from complications of cancer at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. He was 87 and a longtime resident of the city's Poplar Hill neighborhood. "Georg was a modest man who had great gusto for the things that interested him," said Richard A. Macksey, a noted Baltimore bibliophile and professor of humanities at Hopkins.

Kathleen Feeley enters the classroom smiling. And why not? It's a new term at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and Sister Kathleen is about to spend the next 14 weeks immersed in a melange of three abiding passions: theology, literature and teaching.She walks into Room 18 in the Fine Arts building smiling, and smiles through much of the 75-minute honors English class, through questions and responses and group readings. At 69, after a two-year stint as Baltimore City special-education administrator, the former college president has returned to the work that called her to the School Sisters of Notre Dame 52 years ago."

The Rev. Frederick A. Homann, a Jesuit priest and educator who had been chairman of the mathematics department at what is now Loyola University Maryland, died Aug. 24 of a heart attack at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. He was 82. Father Homann was born and raised in Philadelphia, was a graduate of St. Joseph Preparatory School and attended Villanova University for a year before entering the Society of Jesus in 1947. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy in 1951 from St. Louis University, which was followed in 1954 by a licentiate in philosophy.

The Rev. William Martin Davish, S.J., whose career as associate academic dean, professor of theology and special assistant to two presidents of Loyola College spanned nearly 50 years, died of pneumonia Sunday at St. Joseph University's Jesuit residence in Lower Merion, Pa. He was 89. Until retiring to St. Joseph University in 1999, Father Davish had lived with his fellow priests and brothers of the Society of Jesus at Ignatius House on the grounds of...

The Rev. Eric W. Gritsch, a prominent Lutheran theologian, educator and author whose teaching career at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Gettysburg, Pa., spanned more than three decades, died Dec. 29 at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center of complications from an infection. The longtime Canton resident was 81. Michael Cooper-White, president of the Lutheran Theological Seminary called Dr. Gritsch, "one of the giants in 20th-century Lutheranism. " "I am among hundreds of women and men privileged to have sat at his feet during his third of a century as a professor here at Gettysburg Seminary," he said.

"I would say that those who are callous about babies and callous about life ought to be brought to bear the callousness of their indifference. " - Newt Gingrich "It's about some phony ideal, some phony theology. " - Rick Santorum, on environmental stewardship What's it been like as a pro-lifer, during this year's big-money campaign? It's been an experience of split personality, I would say as a pro-life conservationist. Most conservationists I know tend to be pro-life.

In response to the letter "Theology deflects from facts in debate over gay marriage" (Oct. 18): Be careful how we define theology. In the writer's letter, the impression is given that the theological argument against gay marriage is obscure and contestable. That may be so if the theology we follow is one developed by humans or self. However, nothing could be farther from the truth when our theology is based on the Biblical view as presented by the God of the Scriptures. It is neither obscure nor contestable but extremely clear.

The Rev. Gerald "Gerry" Vincent Lardner, a Sulpician priest who taught preaching and later served as a missionary in Africa, died of cancer June 18 at Mercy Medical Center. He was 70 and lived in North Baltimore. Born in Baltimore and raised on Malbrook Road in the Westown section of Catonsville, he attended St. Agnes School. He followed an uncle, the leader of the Sulpician Fathers, in pursuing a religious life. He entered the old St. Charles Seminary in Catonsville as a 13-year-old high school student.

Dr. Richard T. Koritzer Sr., who practiced dentistry in Glen Burnie for 50 years and whose thirst for knowledge resulted in his earning a master's degree when he was 84, died Thursday from blood clots at Baltimore Washington Medical Center. The Glen Burnie resident was 85. The son of a dental technician and a homemaker, he was born in Baltimore and raised on Eutaw Place and later in the city's Pimlico neighborhood. He was 14 when he began working for his father, who owned Southern Dental Laboratory.

Rick Santorum, who appears to have taken this week's lead in the race for the Republican nomination for the presidency, accused President Obama the other day of following a "phony theology," elevating earth above humankind. On Face the Nation yesterday, he clarified those remarks , saying that he had in no way intended to suggest that the president is not a Christian. Here's a little reminder for Presidents Day. What Mr. Santorum appears not to understand is how tricky it is in our polity to discuss whether, or what kind of, Christian the president is, or what constitutes his theology.

The Rev. Allen Novotny, a Jesuit priest who held posts at Loyola Blakefield and Loyola University Maryland before becoming the president of Washington's Gonzaga College High School, was found dead at his order's District of Columbia residence Wednesday. He was 58. The Rev. Thomas Clifford, a fellow Jesuit and pastor of St. Aloysius Church in Washington, said Father Novotny had complained of flulike symptoms Monday and spent Tuesday in his room. An autopsy is being performed. Born in Baltimore and raised on Dean Street in Highlandtown, Father Novotny attended Sacred Heart of Jesus School and was a 1970 graduate of Loyola High School, now Loyola Blakefield.

At first, it seemed as if Rick Santorum was questioning President Barack Obama's religious faith. Now, it appears that what he meant was to question the faith of all Americans who believe clean water, air and land is in the public interest. For someone running for secular office, the former Pennsylvania senator has expressed a lot of thoughts about Catholicism, Christianity and religion in general, but even his supporters must have been surprised when he denounced President Obama as embracing a "phony theology" during a recent campaign appearance in Ohio.

Rick Santorum's assertion that President Barack Obama's agenda is not about the quality of life or jobs but "some phony ideal. Some phony theology" may not be an appropriate characterization of his religious views. However, it is an accurate description of what is wrong with the hard left in American politics - and the thinking that drives domestic policy in the Obama administration. Too often liberal policies are based more on faith than reason - they are often premised on assertions having little foundation in facts or modern economics.