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Duke University Dissertation Template i v Copyright Page Copyright by Trevor James Thompson 2017 Abstract Pope Francis’ 2015 social encyclical Laudato si’ provides a challenging, helpful, and timely lens through which to view this cultural moment. By analyzing the reception of this encyclical, its structure and sources, and its resonances among others, this thesis argues that Pope Francis’ target of his critique of the current state of our world is what he calls “the technocratic paradigm.” This paradigm, with its historical antecedents and metaphysical underpinnings, is incongruous with the way of seeing and acting that is more rooted in our Christian tradition. Pope Francis entices the Church to live out its distinct tradition with a renewed rigor. With the guidance of this encyclical, this thesis wrestles with the power and ubiquity of the technological paradigm and the saturation of our everyday lives with its products, procedures, and practices. Neither option of blessing the technocratic paradigm as a gift from God nor rejecting it as pure evil is plausible, but providing a constructive lens to think through the current cultural moment is necessary. Many of the faithful remain distracted and abstracted from the places where they live and the people with whom they interact, and as a consequence, many express a hunger for a deeper and more meaningful engagement with life. Through dialogue with a number of contemporary authors, this project will point to some specific practices that might comprise a new spirituality for today. iv Dedication To my children, Sophia, Corwin, Gisella, and Xavier. May your lives always be totally immersed in and responsive to God’s mysterious and loving presence. v God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and all the living things that crawl on the earth. God also said: See, I give you every seed-bearing plant on all the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food; and to all the wild animals, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the all the green plants for food. And so it happened. God looked at everything he had made, and found it very good. ---Genesis 1:27-31 Be still, and know that I am God. ---Psalm 46:11 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross. ---St. Paul to the Colossians 1:15-20 vi Contents Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... ix INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER ONE: THE RECEPTION OF LAUDATO SI’ ....................................................... 32 CHAPTER TWO: LAUDATO SI’ AND THE TECHNOCRATIC PARADIGM ................. 81 CHAPTER THREE: CONTEXTUALIZING THE TECHNOCRATIC PARADIGM ........ 118 CHAPTER FOUR: A CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRITUALITY IN TECHNOCRATIC AGE 165 BIBLIOGRAPHY ....................................................................................................................... 238 vii Abbreviations Col Colossians Jas James Jn John NABRE New American Bible Revised Edition Rom Romans viii Acknowledgements This thesis is not the one I intended to write when I started my doctoral studies in 2012. The game-changer was the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’ in 2015. I could not shake the feeling that what God had given the Church in this work was a gift, and, like all gifts, it needed to be unwrapped, looked at, savored, and shared. I sensed that for my own peace, and the peace of my family and those around me, I needed to immerse myself in this body of work and study its questions and proposals. Through this immersion, I was offered a portal into many philosophical and theological questions that matter for our time. This immersive study certainly challenged me intellectually, but more importantly, through it I came to see more clearly God’s gracious presence in my life – in all of life. Although I dragged my feet through much of this journey and struggled at times to finish, I find myself at the end overwhelmed by the grace I have received. One of the points this thesis argues is that we receive our lives more than we make them. This receptivity to the manifold gifts God gives us calls forth a posture of awe, humility, and gratitude. In that vein, I want to offer here a word of awesome humble thanks to God for my life and the many family members, friends, conversation partners, and mentors who have been so formative to this doctoral study and thesis. I first want to name the formative influence of Msgr. Frank Lane, Sr. Margaret Carney, O.S.F., and the late Rev. John Moriarty, S.J. who not only cultivated in me a love of history and the importance of philosophical ideas but more importantly a deep love of Jesus Christ and the Church. My short but seminal time with these three holy people was such a gift, one that I continue to acknowledge and further unpack as my life unfolds. It is with these mentors that I am often in silent dialogue, and although they might not agree with everything proposed here, I hope to make them proud in this work. I am blessed by the presence of many soulful brothers over the last twenty-five years: Joshua Benson, Michael Williams, Bob Donius, Dan McKee, Jean-François Godet- Calogeras, Dan Riley, O.F.M.; Joseph Kotula, O.F.M.; Patrick Connolly, Zachary Rodriguez, Zach Domes, Mark Printz, Michael Tuccillo, Jeff Turner, Joseph Schmidt, and Jason Lillis. This thesis in so many ways is the fruit of our years reading and working together, heartfelt conversations, shared meals and libations, laughter and tears, and joys and struggles. While we each walk our own path haunted by our particular questions and histories, we nevertheless share a common yearning for what ix is true, good, and beautiful. This life would be far lonelier and of less value without these companions. I am incredibly thankful for the gift of their friendship. This academic journey has hinged on the kind assistance and encouragement of many family members, friends, and co-workers: my parents, Paulette and Joseph Padua, and Marc Thompson; the late John Cournoyer; Nathalie Worthington; Sharon Cournoyer; Sarah and Jeff Shepherd; Dominic Padua; Monika Padua; Eric Kunz; Katherine Kunz and Eric Anderson; Ellen Ferrone; Bill Laxton; Leon Cooke; Kathleen Owen; Becky Cawley; Jackie Adamo; Marianne Williams; Bonnie Angel; Mark Reamer, O.F.M.; Steve Kluge, O.F.M., and Steve Patti, O.F.M. They each in their own way made me believe I could complete this project, that it was an important thing to do for the sake of my family, my community, the Church, and the world. These people also in a variety of ways underwrote the many costs of this project, picked up the slack where I could not hold it all together, and supported my wife and family when I was absent. I am so grateful for their nurture, generosity, cheerleading, witness, and patience during what seemed like an interminable period of time. This time at Duke Divinity School has been a godsend, one that I had not anticipated when moving to North Carolina but took shape in my life at exactly the right time. My doctoral coursework was spent largely thinking theologically about pastoral ministry and leadership, particularly the ecclesial context of my work at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Raleigh, North Carolina. I am extremely grateful for the companionship and wisdom I gleaned from my cohort and the many professors with whom I had the gift of studying. I want to particularly thank both Dr. Craig Hill and Dr. Warren Smith for their vision and leadership for this doctoral program, and my advisors Dr. Paul Griffiths and Dr. Norman Wirzba for the time they dedicated to mentoring this project to completion. Their gracious presence, probing questions, and reflective connections made this thesis a better body of work. There is part of me that wishes I had more time to study with them. Above all, I name my wife, Elizabeth, the love of my life, my partner, for whom I am so deeply appreciative. She is many endearing things to me. She is the soulful, brave, and patient mother of my children. She is our family’s head chef, doctor, herbalist, organizer and planner, farmer, seamstress, teacher, mediator, and most importantly, chief-snuggler. Over the course of these years of study, Elizabeth listened patiently to my musings, questions, uncertainties, and fears. She read the entire thesis and offered valuable edits and insights that led to its final form. Surely she wished often that this endeavor would finally be over, and it finally is, but all the while, she gives x and gives, and gives more. Lord knows that I leaned on that sacrificial love in so many ways in order to complete this journey. Twenty years ago, Elizabeth and I met and began a journey of trusting our lives to God. We had no idea what would unfold, or what is yet to come.
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