Robert A. Cathey

Robert Andrew Cathey is an American theologian and professor emeritus of theology at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois.[1]

He is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church and has worked in the areas of ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, Christian theological education, and the academic study of postliberal and interreligious theology.[2]

His scholarly work has appeared in academic and theological journals, including Studies in Christian-Jewish Relation, Modern Theology, The Review of Metaphysics, Interpretation, Ars Disputandi, Currents in Theology and Mission, Ecumenical Trends and McCormick Notes.[3]

Biography

Cathey earned a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary before enrolling in the graduate theology program at Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 1981.[4] His studies at Union focused on theology within the broader context of contemporary theological movements. In 1983 he transferred to Duke University to continue his studies with Geoffrey Wainwright, where he completed his Ph.D. in Religion in 1989.[5][6][1]

He has taught at institutions, including the Near East School of Theology in Beirut, Lebanon; Monmouth College in Illinois, where he also served as Chaplain and Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies; Davidson College; and William Paterson University in New Jersey.[7]

In 1998, Cathey joined the faculty of McCormick Theological Seminary and was named Professor of Theology in 2008. He retired as Professor Emeritus in the early 2020s.[8]

Cathey is a past president of the American Theological Society Midwest and a member of the Center of Theological Inquiry.[9]

He was also the first convener of the Society for Scriptural Reasoning from 1996 to 1999, which fosters interreligious engagement among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars through shared scriptural interpretation.[8]

Academic work and research

Cathey's academic focus includes classical Christian doctrines[9] interpreted through modern and postmodern perspectives,[10] religious pluralism,[11] and ecumenical theology.[12] His work also emphasizes the intersection of spirituality and theological formation, especially within Christian-Jewish and Christian-Muslim dialogue.[13][14]

He is the author of God in Postliberal Perspective: Between Realism and Non-Realism and has contributed chapters to various edited volumes and theological commentaries, including the Feasting on the Word lectionary series.[15] His essays and reviews have appeared in The Christian Century[16], Modern Theology, The Review of Metaphysics, Interpretation, Currents in Theology and Mission, Theological Education, and Pro Ecclesia.[8]

Cathey has been involved in interreligious work, including participation in the Parliament of the World's Religions since 2001.[1]

He served on the Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Work Group of the Presbytery of Chicago and is a member of the Christian Leadership Initiative sponsored by the American Jewish Committee and the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

He was a co-author of the 2015 document, "…in our time…," which addressed Presbyterian–Jewish relations in Chicago on the fiftieth anniversary of the Vatican II declaration, Nostra Aetate.[17] The document emerged partly in response to the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s divestment debates involving corporations operating in Israel and the Palestinian territories.[18]

He appeared in the Presbyterian Church (USA)'s video series, "Everyday God-talk," where he discussed the role of silence, meditation, and prayer in shaping theological identity.[19]

Cathey has drawn influence from both Christian mystics and contemporary interfaith dialogue.[20] He has reflected publicly on the importance of spiritual formation in theological education and has likened aspects of his contemplative retirement to the rhythms of Henry David Thoreau's nature-based spiritual practice.[1]

He has co-edited academic volumes, including Righting Relations after the Holocaust and Vatican II: Essays in Honor of John T. Pawlikowski (Paulist Press, 2018).[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Waltemath, Beth. "Former McCormick Theological Seminary professor defines what it means to be a theologian in retirement | Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)". Presbyterian News Service. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  2. ↑ "Dr. Robert Cathey Inducted into Morehouse's King Collegium of Scholars". McCormick Theological Seminary. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  3. ↑ CCJR. "Current Members of the Christian Scholars Group". ccjr.us. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  4. ↑ "Robert Cathey". The Christian Century. 2024-03-19. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  5. ↑ "The Calling". The New York Times. 1986-06-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  6. ↑ Cathey, Robert A (2000-01-06), "Christ and culture revisited:niebuhr's typology in wainwright's "orthodoxology"", Ecumenical Theology In Worship, Doctrine, And Life, Oxford University PressNew York, NY, pp. 164–174, doi:10.1093/oso/9780195131369.003.0015, ISBN 978-0-19-513136-9, retrieved 2025-07-21
  7. ↑ "John Pawlikowski and Robert A. Cathey - "Righting Relations" | Seminary Co-op Bookstores". www.semcoop.com. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  8. 1 2 3 "Robert Cathey to Retire from McCormick Faculty After 22 Years of Service". McCormick Theological Seminary. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  9. 1 2 "January PoWR Member Spotlight: Robert Cathey". parliamentofreligions.org. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  10. ↑ Smith, James K. A. (2010-06-02). "Micro Review: "God in Postliberal Perspective"". The Other Journal. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  11. ↑ Moses, Jay (2019-06-12). "Elena Procario-Foley and Robert Cathey, Eds. Righting Relations After the Holocaust and Vatican II". Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations. 14 (1). doi:10.6017/scjr.v14i1.11243. ISSN 1930-3777.
  12. ↑ Van Marter, Jerry L. (2009-04-13). "Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - Seminary news". old.pcusa.org. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  13. 1 2 Catholicism, Profiles in (2018-08-22). "Righting Relations after the Holocaust and Vatican II: Essays in Honor of John T. Pawlikowski, OSM". Catholic Profiles. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  14. ↑ Fisher, Eugene J. (2018-10-07). "Essays honor work of Servite priest in Catholic-Jewish relations - The Central Minnesota Catholic". Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  15. ↑ Moore, Andrew (2010). "God in Postliberal Perspective: Between Realism and Non-Realism by Robert Andrew Cathey (Ashgate, Farnham and Burlington, VT, 2009) Pp. 233 + xii, £55.00 hbk". New Blackfriars. 91 (1034): 486–487. doi:10.1111/j.1741-2005.2010.01378_4.x. ISSN 0028-4289.
  16. ↑ "What does it mean to be a modern mystic?". The Christian Century. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  17. ↑ https://chicagopresbytery.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/48/2023/08/In-Our-Time.pdf In our Time....
  18. ↑ "Dabru Emet as a Model for 'Reflective Believing' Across Traditions". American Religion. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  19. ↑ Waltemath, Beth. "The PC(USA)'s Everyday God-talk launches a fourth season | Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)". pcusa.org. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
  20. ↑ Waxman, Sabra (1900-01-01). "Interreligious Dialogue in Jerusalem". Shalom Hartman Institute. Retrieved 2025-07-10.
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