Stephen B. Bevans

Stephen Bennett Bevans, SVD (born July 14, 1944) is an American Roman Catholic, priest, theologian, and the Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD Professor of Mission and Culture, Emeritus at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Illinois, United States. He is known for his work Models of Contextual Theology.

Biography

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

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

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.

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

Selected works

• 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

• A Video by Divine Word Theologate Chicago

References

1. Models of Contextual Theology
2. Contextual theology
3. Catholic Theological Union
4. Bibliography of Christianity in China
5. Emerging church
6. Cathy Ross (missiologist)
7. Haemophilia B
8. R. B. Braithwaite
9. Steven Gerrard
10. Robert Bevan
11. Press (Paul McCartney song)
12. Potsdam Conference
13. Steven Spielberg
14. Siamese–American Treaty of Amity and Commerce
15. List of Petticoat Junction episodes
16. Working Title Films
17. William Dufty
18. Jack Stephens (footballer)
19. 2024 United States presidential debates
20. Trans woman