KEENAN, James F. 1953-

PERSONAL:

Born February 15, 1953, in Brooklyn, NY; son of Francis (a police officer and state investigator) and Dolores (an administrative assistant; maiden name, Goodwin) Keenan. Ethnicity: "Irish." Education: Fordham University, B.A. (English, philosophy), 1976; Weston School of Theology, M.Div., 1982; Gregorian University (Rome, Italy), S.T.L, S.T.D., 1988. Religion: Roman Catholic.

ADDRESSES:

Home—10 Martin St., Cambridge, MA 02138. Office—Weston Jesuit School of Theology, 3 Phillips Place, Cambridge, MA 02138. E-mail—JFKWeston@aol.com.

CAREER:

Educator, theologian, and author. Entered Society of Jesus, 1970; worked as high school teacher, c. late 1970s; consultant to the National Council of Catholic Bishops for the revision of Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare Institutions, 1988-95; Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA, professor, 1991—; United States Surgeon General Task Force for Responsible Sexual Conduct, group leader, 2000-02. Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Edinburgh, 1994, and at the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, NJ, 1995-96.

MEMBER:

Society of Christian Ethics, Catholic Theology Society of America.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Alpha Sigma Nu National Jesuit Book Award, 2001, for Catholic Ethicists on HIV/AIDS Prevention.

WRITINGS:

Goodness and Rightness in Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, Georgetown University Press (Washington, DC), 1992.

(Editor, with Thomas A. Shannon) The Context of Casuistry, Georgetown University Press (Washington, DC), 1995.

Virtues for Ordinary Christians, Sheed & Ward (Kansas City, MO), 1996.

Commandments of Compassion, Sheed & Ward (Franklin, WI), 1999.

(Editor, with Joseph J. Kotva) Practice What You Preach: Virtues, Ethics, and Power in the Lives of Pastoral Ministers and Their Congregations, Sheed & Ward (Franklin WI), 1999.

(Editor) Catholic Ethicists on HIV/AIDS Prevention, Continuum (New York, NY), 2000.

(Editor) Klaus Demmer, Shaping the Moral Life: An Approach to Moral Theology, translated from the Italian by Roberto dell'Oro, Georgetown University Press (Washington, DC), 2000.

(With Daniel J. Harrington) Jesus and Virtue Ethics: Building Bridges between New Testament Studies and Moral Theology, Sheed & Ward (Franklin, WI), 2002.

General editor, "Moral Tradition" series for Georgetown University Press. Contributor to periodicals, including America, Furrow, Tablet and Theological Studies.

WORK IN PROGRESS:

The Works of Mercy, Moral Wisdom; Paul and Virtue Ethics; research on ethics in the Church.

SIDELIGHTS:

James F. Keenan, S.J., is a Jesuit scholar, an ethicist, a popular educator, and a prolific author, as well as something of an social activist in theological circles. Noting that the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Keenan often traverses the "the bumpy, thorny territory of ethical issues," National Catholic Reporter contributor Chuck Colbert explained: "His views are … widely known on hot-button social issues, such as condom use and clean needle exchange in the prevention of HIV/AIDS.… Keenan's outspokenness on homosexuality and the church crisis has drawn fire from conservatives." Among Keenan's books are Jesus and Virtue Ethics: Building Bridges between New Testament Studies and Moral Theology, which he wrote with teaching colleague Daniel J. Harrington, and the 1996 volume Virtues for Ordinary Christians.

Keenan's editorship of Catholic Ethicists on HIV/AIDS Prevention reflects both his literal attitude towards social issues and his desire to create a dialogue within the worldwide Catholic community. Including contributing theologians from around the world, Keenan presents what Ecumenical Review contributor Christoph Benn described as a "balanced discussion of the educational and preventive interventions that have been proven to work" against one of the most devastating plagues of modern time. Not only is the book informative, Benn added; it also "has the potential to facilitate a joint effort of major faith traditions in the fight against the greatest challenge to human health and well-being" at the turn of the twenty-first century. Theological Studies reviewer Charles E. Curran also recognized the book's value, calling it "an important step in recognizing the universality of Catholic moral theology," despite the volume's "progressive or liberal" slant.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Ecumenical Review, October, 2002, Christoph Benn, review of Catholic Ethicists on HIV/AIDS Prevention, p. 531.

National Catholic Reporter, September 29, 2000, William F. McInerny, review of Catholic Ethicists on HIV/AIDS Prevention, p. 27; October, 2002, Chuck Colbert, "Jesuit Brings Moral Theology up Front and Personal," p. 42.

Review of Metaphysics, September, 1994, Kevin M. Staley, review of Goodness and Rightness in Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae, p. 141.

Theological Studies, June, 2001, Charles E. Curran, review of Catholic Ethicists on HIV/AIDS Prevention, p. 403.