Bauerschmidt, Frederick Christian 1961–

PERSONAL: Born September 21, 1961; married Maureen Sweeney (an immigration lawyer); children: Thomas, Sophia, Denis. Education: University of the South, B.A., 1984; Yale Divinity School, M.A.R., 1989; Duke University, Ph.D., 1996. Religion: Catholic.

ADDRESSES: Office—Department of Theology, Loyola College in Maryland, 4501 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21210; fax: 410-617-2628. E-mail—fbauerschmidt@loyola.edu.

CAREER: Educator and writer. Duke University, Durham, NC, lecturer in religion, 1993; Loyola College, Baltimore, MD, assistant professor of theology, 1994–2000, associate professor, 2000–; Loyola International Nachbahr Huis, Leuven, Belgium, director, 2001–03. Katholieke Universiteit, Leuven, Belgium, visiting professor, 2001–03; Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, MI, editorial board member.

MEMBER: American Academy of Religion; Society for Catholic Liturgy.

AWARDS, HONORS: Departmental fellowship, Duke University, 1989; grants from Loyola College, 1995, 1999, 2004, 2005.

WRITINGS:

NONFICTION

Julian of Norwich and the Mystical Body Politic of Christ, University of Notre Dame Press (South Bend, IN), 1999.

Why the Mystics Matter Now, Sorin Books (Notre Dame, IN), 2003.

(Editor, with Jim Fodor) Aquinas in Dialogue: Thomas for the Twenty-first Century, Blackwell Publishers (Malden, MA), 2004.

Holy Teaching: Introducing the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas, Brazos Press (Grand Rapids, MI), 2005.

Coeditor of Modern Theology; member of editorial board for The Sign of Peace: Journal of the Catholic Peace Fellowship. Contributor to books, including American Catholic Traditions: Resources for Renewal, edited by Sandra Yocum Mize and William L. Portier, Orbis Books (Maryknoll, NY), 1997; Radical Orthodoxy: A New Theology, edited by John Milbank, Catherine Pickstock and Graham Ward, Routledge (London, England), 1999; The Blackwell Companion to Christian Ethics, edited by Stanley Hauerwas and Sam Wells, Basil Blackwell (Oxford, England), 2003; and Reading John with St. Thomas Aquinas, edited by Matthew Levering and Michael Dauphinais, Catholic University of America Press (Washington, DC), 2005.

Also contributor to scholarly journals, including Nova et Vetera, Communio: International Catholic Review, Theology Today, New Blackfriars, South Atlantic Quarterly, Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Theology & Philosophy, and St. Luke's Journal of Theology.

WORK IN PROGRESS: Thomas Aquinas: Faith, Reason and Following Christ, for Oxford University Press; The Blackwell Introduction to Catholic Theology and The Blackwell Companion to Catholicism, both for Blackwell.

SIDELIGHTS: Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt, an author and professor, has spent his career researching and writing on the topic of religion and theology. A contributor to numerous books and journals, Bauer-schmidt authored his first book, Julian of Norwich and the Mystical Body Politic of Christ, in 1999. Julian lived in religious confinement at the St. Julian Church in Norwich during the fourteenth century. A religious vision said to be sent to her from God inspired her work and legacy, A Revelation of Love. Bauer-schmidt's book analyzes significant images contained in Julian's vision and relates them to current politics and community, affirming the value of her work in today's world. Bauerschmidt "reads Julian's text as a resource for dialogue between theology and social theory and practice … a startling claim to make about [the work of] a medieval female recluse," Joan M. Nuth stated in Theological Studies. Nuth went on to note that Bauerschmidt "succeeds admirably in supporting his thesis," and then commented: "I have nothing but praise for this uniformly excellent book."

Bauerschmidt's second book, Why the Mystics Matter Now, is a guide to the work of seven of the great Christian mystics, including Catherine of Sienna, Hildegard of Bingen, Ignatius of Loyola, Julian of Norwich, Meister Eckhart, Therese of Lisieux, and Thomas Merton. The volume introduces readers to the topic of mysticism and familiarizes them with its importance in both the past and present. Mary Bartholomew, reviewing the book for the Good Book Stall Web site, complemented the author's "deep understanding of his subject," calling the book "excellent."

Kevin Axe also praised the book in a review posted on the Living Church Foundation Web site: "Even if some of the seven [mystics] 'matter now' to some readers more than others, getting to know the topic and all seven is well worth the read."

In 2005 Bauerschmidt published Holy Teaching: Introducing the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the famous Summa Theologiae, or summary of theology, in order to create an overview of Christianity's teachings. Bauer-schmidt's book explains the essential ideas of the Summa Theologiae in an attempt to improve its accessibility to all readers. Graham Christian pointed out in Library Journal that Bauerschmidt "approach[es] both Aquinas and the reader with respect." Although Timothy Renick, writing in the Christian Century, felt that "Bauerschmidt's presentation takes some getting used to," he concluded that "the reward is a lucid commentary."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Directory of American Scholars, 10th edition, Thomson Gale (Detroit, MI), 2002.

PERIODICALS

Christian Century, August 23, 2005, Timothy Renick, "Aquinas for Protestants: Second Chance for Thomas," p. 22.

Library Journal, July 1, 2005, Graham Christian, review of Holy Teaching: Introducing the Summa Theologiae of St. Thomas Aquinas, p. 88.

National Catholic Reporter, February 1, 2001, Arthur Jones, "Can Mystics Matter? Frederick Bauer-schmidt Investigates Intersection of Christianity and Modernity—The Word Made Fresh: New Thinkers," p. 12.

Theological Studies, March, 2000, Joan M. Nuth, review of Julian of Norwich and the Mystical Body Politic of Christ, p. 153.

ONLINE

Loyola College in Maryland Web site, http://www.loyola.edu/ (March 15, 2006), author's curriculum vitae.

Good Book Stall, http://www.thegoodbookstall.org.uk/ (March 15, 2006), Mary Bartholomew, review of Why the Mystics Matter Now.

Living Church Foundation Web site, http://www.livingchurch.org/ (November 2, 2003), Kevin Axe, "Mystics: A Breed Apart, Yet Just Like Us."