Jonathan Heaps

A bit of autobiographical reflection on how I didn't, but then later did, become Catholic: commonwealmagazine.org/conversion-pos…

Don't forget to sign up for summer camp* y'all *reading group

@philipgporter One serious weakness: ice storms. We lost power for 10 days when lived in Austin bc those stupid leaves stay on all winter

What is the greatest tree and why is it the live oak?

@David_Mahfood I walk onto every flight ready to go to federal prison if someone messes with a parent traveling with their children.

Here’s a giveaway for Christological Dogmatics! To enter: Retweet and comment below or in quote with something that interests you from the book. I will randomly select one winner at the end of the day Wednesday to receive a free copy! (US mainland 48 states only - sorry!)

The Center for Catholic Studies invites the University community and friends of Seton Hall to the Spring 2026 Toth–Lonergan Lecture on April 16, delivered by Visiting Toth–Lonergan Professor Jonathan Heaps, Ph.D. For details: setonhall.edu/475daEp

Reposting for the weekend crowd

Almost exactly ten years after I had first considered becoming Catholic for intellectual reasons, I became one for interpersonal reasons. Jonathan Heaps reflects on liberal and postliberal conversion: commonwealmagazine.org/conversion-pos…

@philipgporter Once again asking people how they tell the difference between intelligent and merely intelligible processes

This came up because some of my students were convinced we know more about where life comes from than Nyssa did. I pointed out that his argument is specifically about the rational life, and that they should let me know if they’ve got a clear description of how it comes about.

I still think that our ability to think immaterial concepts is very good evidence that our minds are immaterial. Aristotle did some good work here.

@LukeTogni Thanks! And thanks for reading!

@JonathanRHeaps Beautiful, Jon!

A bit of autobiographical reflection on how I didn't, but then later did, become Catholic: commonwealmagazine.org/conversion-pos…

@philipgporter Such a Stimmung

Time to get serious about Dasein’s Befindlichkeit.

Halfway through Being and Time, and I have to say, Heidegger is making a lot of sense. Not pleased that this equipment ready-to-hand in the manifold of Dasein's being-in-the-world (i.e., this book on my bookshelf) has not received my concernful circumspection until now.

@glennbutner (Lonergan has no patience for the idea of "pure nature" either; he calls it a "marginal idea.," but Hart throws the baby out with the bath water on this one.)

@glennbutner "...the supernatural character of grace, for that was already known and acknowledged, but the validity of a line of reference termed nature. (...) The whole problem lies in the abstract, in human thinking." 2/

Mulling this one over from David Bently Hart: “There is no abiding difference within the one gift of both creation and deification; there is only grace all the way down and nature all the way up, and ‘pure nature’... is a remainder concept of the most vacuous kind"

If you're in the Milwaukee area, the International Institute for Method in Theology at Marquette University is hosting its annual Spring Colloquium on March 6 & 7. Come join us if you can!

The Winter 2026 issue of the Seton Hall Lonergan Institute Newsletter is going out tomorrow AM (2/20). Sign up at the link below if you want to make sure you receive it: shu.edu/lonergan/join-…

The latest episode of the Lonergan Institute Podcast is here! Boyd Taylor Coolman and Jeremy Wilkins joined me to discuss their friendship and its impact on their teaching and thinking: podbean.com/eas/pb-va62h-1…

Today is release day for Christological Dogmatics! This volume explains the person & work of Christ, defends evangelical convictions, explores the theological contributions of the church universal across time & space, & bridges the gap between systematic & moral theology.

@ProfDanRober @BobbyMixa @GrantAKaplan As I sometimes say, the 19th Century is still here, it's just not very evenly distributed

@BobbyMixa @GrantAKaplan Yes the retreat to the Thomistic commentary tradition as a substitute for taking modern thought seriously on its own terms is a real problem in these circles. It betrays a lack of intellectual confidence rather than the opposite as they would lead you to believe.

The concept of a podcast episode trying to explain Hegel is daunting. Non-Hegelians like these guys gonna get caught not knowing what they’re talking about, and if Hegelian podcasting is anything like Hegelian prose…

"Lonergan’s philosophy of history anticipates that, in situations like ours, things will get better before they get worse." @JonathanRHeaps on how Bernard Lonergan can help us make sense of our chaotic present: commonwealmagazine.org/heaps-jonathan…