Stephen Bennett Bevans, SVD (born July 14, 1944) is an American Catholic priest, theologian, and professor emeritus at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his book Models of Contextual Theology.[2]


Stephen B. Bevans,

Orders
OrdinationSeptember 5, 1971
Personal details
Born (1944-07-14) July 14, 1944 (age 80)
NationalityAmerican
DenominationRoman Catholic
ParentsBert Bennett and Bernadette (O'Grady) Bevans
OccupationCatholic priest
ProfessionProfessor, theologian, missiologist, systematic theologian
Alma mater
Stephen B. Bevans
SubjectContextual Theology, Missiology, Systematic Theology
Notable worksModels of Contextual Theology
Notable awardsAmerican Society of Missiology Lifetime Achievement Award[1]

Biography

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Bevans was born on July 14, 1944, in Baltimore, Maryland, and is the son of Bert Bennett and Bernadette (O'Grady) Bevans.

After attending a Society of the Divine Word high school seminary in Riverside, California,[3] he attended Divine Word College, graduating with his B.A. in 1967.[4] He then received his S.T.B. and S.T.L. at the Pontifical Gregorian University in 1970 and 1972, respectively.[5] After his priestly ordination in 1971, he spent 9 years as a missionary in the Philippines.[6] He obtained his M.A. and Ph.D. in Theology in 1984 and 1986, respectively, at the University of Notre Dame.[7] Upon the completion of his graduation study, he started teaching at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois, until his retirement in 2015.[8]

He is the past president of the American Society of Missiology[9] and now serves on the editorial board. He is also a member of the World Council of Churches' Commission on World Mission and Evangelism.[10]

His monograph, Models of Contextual Theology, argues that all theology is contextual, whether it is practical theology or systematic theology. On top of the two loci theologici, scripture and tradition, context, in other words, human experience, should be the third source for theological expression.[11]

A festschrift was published in his honor, entitled Christian Mission, Contextual Theology, Prophetic Dialogue (2018).[12]

Selected works

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  • Models of Contextual Theology (2002). Maryknoll, New York: Orbis. ISBN 9780883448144
  • Constants in Context: A Theology of Mission for Today (2004). Maryknoll, New York: Orbis (With Roger Schroeder). ISBN 9781608330287
  • An Introduction to Theology in Global Perspective (2009). Maryknoll, New York: Orbis. ISBN 9781570758522.
  • Mission and Culture: The Louis J. Luzbetak Lectures (2012). Maryknoll, New York: Orbis. ISBN 9781570759659
  • Essays in Contextual Theology (2018). Leiden: Brill. ISBN 9789004363083

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "World-renowned missiologist receives lifetime achievement award". divineword.org. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  2. ^ "Stephen Bevans, SVD". ctu.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  3. ^ Bevans, Stephen (2019). "My Pilgrimage in Mission". International Bulletin of Mission Research. 43: 82–91. doi:10.1177/2396939318790421. S2CID 158353076.
  4. ^ "RESUME and LIST OF PUBLICATIONS" (PDF). cmns.ro. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  5. ^ "RESUME and LIST OF PUBLICATIONS" (PDF). cmns.ro. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  6. ^ "Stephen B. Bevans". wipfandstock.com. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  7. ^ "Cafe Choice: Creative work by Notre Dame people". magazine.nd.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  8. ^ Bevans, Stephen B., 1944- (2018). Essays in contextual theology. Boston, M.A.: Brill. ISBN 9789004366718. OCLC 1028845886.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ Shenk, Wilbert R. (2014). History of the American Society of Missiology, 1973–2013. Elkhart, IN: Institute of Mennonite Studies. ISBN 978-0-936273-52-5.
  10. ^ "RESUME and LIST OF PUBLICATIONS" (PDF). cmns.ro. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  11. ^ Bevans, Stephen B., 1944- (1992). Models of contextual theology. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books. ISBN 0883448149. OCLC 26014584.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ Irvin, Dale; Phan, Peter C. (20 December 2018). Christian Mission, Contextual Theology, Prophetic Dialogue: Essays in Honor of Stephen B. Bevans, SVD. Orbis Books. ISBN 978-1-60833-765-1.