Brian J. Himes, Ph.D.
Manresa Fellow
Center for Ignatian Service
Courses Taught
SERV 1000
Education
- Ph.D., 2022, Boston College, Systematic Theology, Minor Area: Theological Ethics
- M.T.S., 2012, Boston College School of Theology & Ministry, Concentration: Systematic Theology
- B.A., 2010, Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, MI, summa cum laude, Majors: Theology & Psychology
Research Interests
- Ignatian Spirituality (whole person formation, reflection-in-action, value/vocation discernment)
- Balancing/Integrating the Mind and the Heart, Philosophically and Ethically (in connection with the neuroscience of right/left brain functional asymmetry, and trauma studies)
- Spirituality as a Practical, Inclusive Quest for Meaning (equally open to theists and non-theists)
Other ongoing projects include articles on the phenomenology of racism, philosophy
of mind, C.L. Stevenson on emotive and cognitive meaning, and the theology of grace.
My scholarly research began with the theology of grace in Thomas Aquinas and Bernard
Lonergan (with the question of how we can understand God’s action in human beings
to not conflict with reason). This research extended to the intersection of metaphysics
and hermeneutics (how the ancient/medieval question of ‘being’ connects with the modern
questions of meaning, empirical culture, and authenticity). I then focused in on the
phenomenology of feelings, value, and love, especially in Max Scheler — I followed
philosophical clues to identify and propose solutions to major problems/hurdles in
the theology of love (e.g., the phenomenological vagueness of the theology/philosophy
of love, and the lack of resources with which to articulate an account of love-as-knowledge
that is coherent theoretically and functions in concrete interpersonal and intercultural
contexts). A major current goal is to integrate the clarity and explanatory power
of Lonergan’s philosophy of cognition, Scheler’s attentive and profound value personalism,
and the communicative efficacy of Ignatian spirituality.
This scholarly research has enabled a teaching focus that operates from the depth
of my Christian, Catholic tradition, is genuinely dialogical with persons of other
faiths and Nones in a journey of mutual learning, and adopts/transposes theological/spiritual
content so that it is as practical as possible for everyday living.
Dissertation Title: “Max Scheler on Love and Human Dignity: The Wertkern [Core of
Value] as Resolving the Aporia of Dialogical and Metaphysical Personalism on the Knowledge
of Persons”
Publications and Media Placements
Invited Book Chapter: “Transcending Kantian Intuition Through Value-ception and Cognition:
The Complementary Legacies of Max Scheler and Bernard Lonergan,” in Legacies of Max
Scheler, ed. Eric J. Mohr and J. Edward Hackett (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University
Press, 2025), 23–57.
Upcoming Presentation: “Ignatian Spirituality for Service as Meeting the Post-Pandemic Need for Meaningful Connection through a Reflective Praxis Balancing Mind and Heart,” College Theology Society, University of Dayton, May-June 2025
Upcoming Presentation: “Ignatian Spirituality for Service as Meeting the Post-Pandemic Need for Meaningful Connection through a Reflective Praxis Balancing Mind and Heart,” College Theology Society, University of Dayton, May-June 2025
Presentation: “Lonergan’s Notion of History as Refined by Scheler’s Value Personalism,”
at the West Coast Methods Institute (a Lonergan studies conference), Gonzaga University,
April 2024
Invited Book Chapter: “Transcending Kantian Intuition Through Value-ception & Cognition:
The Complementary Legacies of Scheler and Bernard Lonergan,” in The Legacy of Max
Scheler, ed. Eric Mohr, St. Vincent’s College, PA, & J. Edward Hackett, Southern University
and A&M College, LA (Milwaukee, WI: Marquette University Press, expected publication
2025).
Invited Book Review of The Three Dynamisms of Faith: Searching for Meaning, Fulfillment
& Truth, by Louis Roy, OP, in The Lonergan Review, Vol. 10 (2019), pp. 154–157.
Peer-Reviewed Journal Article: “Lonergan’s Position on the Natural Desire to See God
and Aquinas’ Metaphysical Theology of Creation and Participation,” in The Heythrop
Journal 54, no. 5 (September 2013): pp. 767–783.
Honors and Awards
Saint Louis University Core Curricular Innovation Fellow (Project: develop existing course into writing intensive course)
Professional Organizations and Associations
College Theology Society
Boston College Lonergan Workshop (Conference)
West Coast Methods Institute (WCMI—a Lonergan studies conference, previously hosted
by
Loyola Marymount University; since 2023 through Gonzaga University)
Max Scheler Society of North America