Chris Haw (born 1981) is a Catholic theologian and professor in the United States.

Chris Haw
A photograph of a man with facial hair
Haw in 2008
Born1981 (age 42–43)
Chicago metropolitan area
OccupationWriter
LanguageEnglish
NationalityAmerican
Alma materVillanova University
GenreChristian devotional literature
SubjectsNew Monasticism
Self-denial
Social justice
Years active2008–present
Notable worksJesus for President
From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart
SpouseCassie Haw
ChildrenSimon Haw
Website
www.chris-haw.com

Biography

edit

Haw was baptized into the Catholic Church[1] and attended Catholic churches as a child until his mother started attending Willow Creek Community Church, after which he began attending there as well.[2][3]

In 2004, Haw founded Camden Community House,[4] a Christian intentional community in Camden, New Jersey, composed of people who seek to emulate early Christians by being actively involved in their community and by sharing their wealth among the community.[5]

He then studied theology at Villanova University[6] and spent a semester in Belize, studying Christian views on environmentalism.[7]

In 2008, he co-wrote Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals with Shane Claiborne,[8] whom he met at Willow Creek.[5]

Haw graduated from Villanova in 2009 with an MA in theology and later studied for a PhD at Notre Dame.

Book on reversion to Catholicism

edit
From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart
AuthorChris Haw
LanguageEnglish
SubjectCatholicism
Evangelicalism
Religious conversion
Willow Creek Community Church
GenreAutobiography
Christian apologetics
Christian devotional literature
Published2012 (Ave Maria Press)
Publication placeUnited States
Pages234
ISBN978-1-59471-292-0
248.2/42092 B
LC ClassBX4705.H3337A3 2012

From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart: Rekindling My Love for Catholicism is a book of Christian apologetics by Haw that documents his transitions from Catholicism to evangelicalism and back again.[9] The book was published by Ave Maria Press in 2012.[10] The first half of the book is autobiographical, while the second half is a defense against evangelical criticisms of Catholicism.[1]

William T. Cavanaugh, who teaches Catholic studies at DePaul University, wrote the afterword for the book.[3] In a National Catholic Reporter review, Tom Roberts compares From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart to Kaya Oakes' Radical Reinvention: An Unlikely Return to the Catholic Church, calling them both "very smart books".[2] Fox News Channel interviewed Haw about From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart.[11] In his book Reborn on the Fourth of July: The Challenge of Faith, Patriotism & Conscience, Logan Mehl-Laituri writes about From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart, saying that he "cannot recommend it highly enough".[12] A Publishers Weekly reviewer suggests that the book will interest Protestants and Catholics alike because it provides an opportunity for both groups to learn and reflect on their spiritual lives.[13] LaVonne Neff, in The Christian Century, says that "Haw does an exceptionally fine job of uniting theology, personal narrative and contemporary social realities".[14]

Teaching

edit

In 2018, Haw was hired as a theology professor at the University of Scranton.

Personal life

edit

Haw and his wife, Cassie, have a son and a daughter.[15]

Citations

edit
  1. ^ a b "Writers Recount Their Own Faith Stories in New Books". Catholic Sentinel. December 25, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Roberts, Tom (July 20, 2013). "Swimming Against a Demographic Tide". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved May 23, 2015.
  3. ^ a b Brachear, Manya A. (November 24, 2012). "A Catholic Homecoming: Chris Haw Explores His Journey from Evangelicalism Back to Catholicism". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 25, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2015.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ Jones 2010, p. 32.
  5. ^ a b Campell, Susan (June 22, 2008). "The Case for Jesus as President". Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  6. ^ Westerlund, George (April 15, 2008). "Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals". Library Journal. 133 (7): 89.
  7. ^ Samson 2014, p. 97.
  8. ^ Swanson, David (March 28, 2008). "Book Review: Jesus for President (Part 1)". Christianity Today. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  9. ^ Braune, Joan (March 23, 2015). "The New Young Catholics". America. Vol. 212, no. 10. p. 36. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  10. ^ Claiborne & Campolo 2012, p. 270.
  11. ^ "Why I Went Back to the Catholic Church". Fox News Channel. November 9, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  12. ^ Mehl-Laituri 2012, p. 232.
  13. ^ "From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart: Rekindling My Love for Catholicism". Publishers Weekly. October 8, 2012. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  14. ^ LaVonne Neff (January 10, 2013). "From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart, by Chris Haw". The Christian Century. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  15. ^ "Catholic Again, After Living in Camden". Catholic Star Herald. October 25, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2015.

References

edit

Official website

edit

http://www.chris-haw.com/