Thomas M. King

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This article is about the theologian. For other people with a similar name, see Tom King (disambiguation).

Thomas Mulvihill King, S.J. (born May 9, 1929 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a professor of theology at Georgetown University. King entered the Society of Jesus in 1951 after completing undergraduate studies in English at the University of Pittsburgh. As a Jesuit, he undertook further studies at Fordham University and Woodstock College and was ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1964. After completing a doctorate in theology at the University of Strasbourg in 1968, King began teaching at Georgetown. A member of the American Teilhard Association, he has written or edited several books on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, including Teilhard's Mysticism of Knowing (1981), Teilhard and the Unity of Knowledge (1983) Teilhard de Chardin (1988), The Letters of Teilhard de Chardin and Lucile Swan (1993) and Teilhard's Mass (2005). His other works include Sartre and the Sacred (1974), Enchantments: Religion and the Power of the Word (1989), Merton: Mystic at the Center of America (1992) and Jung's Four and Some Philosophers (1999). King helped to co-found an annual gathering of scientists interested in religion known as "Cosmos and Creation." Regarding Teilhard, King has said, "as a priest and a thinker there is a life and vitality in [Teilhard de Chardin] that has moved me very much. His interest in science has echoes in myself; he had a passion about him that speaks to me.".[1] In addition to Teilhard, King is particularly interested in the work of Thomas Merton and Jean-Paul Sartre.

In 1993, King recorded a series of lectures for The Teaching Company, "Can the Modern World Believe in God?"

Father King is also well-known among Georgetown students and alumni for offering Mass at 11:15 p.m. each night from Sunday to Friday in Dahlgren Chapel on Georgetown's main campus, a tradition he started in 1969. In 1999, The Hoya, Georgetown's student newspaper, declared King "Georgetown's Man of the Century", noting that "no one has had a more significant presence on campus and effect on students than Father King.".[2] In addition, Father King was presented as third in a series of cover stories regarding Jesuit identity in the Georgetown Voice on September 27, 2001.[3]

Beyond his intellectual dimension, Father King loves to meet new people. He has been described as being "quiet and unassuming, but also friendly and disarming.".[4] In line with Catholic moral teaching, he takes a strong stance against abortion and euthanasia and is the co-founder of the University Faculty of Life, a group that seeks to create dialogue on life issues in the academic community. King is also a member of Pax Christi and opposes war and capital punishment, though he stresses the peaceful prevention of conflict over strict pacifism.[5]

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[edit] References

  1. ^ "Features: A Life Dedicated to Learning", The Georgetown Voice, Thursday, September 27, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  2. ^ "Editorial: King of the Century", The Hoya, Tuesday, December 7, 1999. Retrieved on 2006-10-23.
  3. ^ "Features: A Life Dedicated to Learning", The Georgetown Voice, Thursday, September 27, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  4. ^ "Features: A Life Dedicated to Learning", The Georgetown Voice, Thursday, September 27, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
  5. ^ "Features: A Life Dedicated to Learning", The Georgetown Voice, Thursday, September 27, 2001. Retrieved on 2007-09-25.