Rebecca Rhodes Blackburn talks to Rev. Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres about his recent book Wonder as a New Starting Point for Theological Anthropology
In this episode of OP Talks, Rebecca Rhodes Blackburn, a PhD student at Chicago Theological Seminary, talks to Rev. Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres, Assistant Professor of Latino Studies at the Chicago Theological Seminary, about his recent book Wonder as a New Starting Point for Theological Anthropology: Opened by the World (Lexington Books, 2023), in which he creates “a new theological anthropology that begins with wonder.”
In a capitalistic world, says Rev. Dr. Morales, “everything and everyone becomes a commodity.” He goes on to describe his line of thinking: ”And so what I debated is, in fact, [that] we become so much [of] a commodity that it flattens what it means to be human. And so I talk about not just humans as commodities but also [about] humans as being kind of valued by what they can produce for profit—and usually for somebody else's profit. So really, that was kind of the overarching problem.” According to Rev. Dr. Morales, this has “affected the way we talk about God and the way people who say they talk about God—i.e., churches, religious communities—the way they talk about God. And so I said, there needs to be another way to address this issue.” At its core, the book aims “to reignite mysteries in terms of mystery, what it means to be human.”
“In this book, Professor José Francisco Morales Torres offers a systematic account of ‘wonder’ as a philosophical and theological theme. Here ‘wonder’ becomes a key to understanding human existence and human aspiration for transcendence. This quest for wonder is developed in dialogue with the 20th century phenomenology and the metaphysical traditions going back to the Middle Ages. This book, however, is meant to be a contribution to the contemporary study of theological anthropology. This is accomplished wonderfully in a way that makes significant contributions to the contemporary philosophical and constructive theology.”
—Bo-Myung Seo, Chicago Theological Seminary
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Rebecca Rhodes Blackburn is a PhD student in Biblical Hermeneutics at Chicago Theological Seminary. Her research centers contemporary hermeneutical strategies in biblical studies, including womanist, queer, mujerista, and feminist approaches. Blackburn cultivates tools for self-critical engagement of the biblical text in historically centered Christian communities. In addition to her research, she is involved in various projects related to interreligious dialogue and cooperation. She currently serves as a fellow for the Tri-Faith Initiative’s inaugural Emerging Clergy Seminar. Before her PhD work, Blackburn worked in higher education, promoting student success and community thriving. She has experience teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Blackburn holds a Bachelor’s in social work and a Master’s in spiritual formation and leadership; these degrees work together to keep her attuned to strategies that support the material, social, and spiritual conditions of the communities to which she belongs.Blackburn is a member of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and is Program Operations Manager at Interfaith America. Outside of her studies, she enjoys exploring Chicago on foot and getting lost in good stories.
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Rev. Dr. José Francisco Morales Torres is Associate Professor of Comparative Theology & Philosophy at Chicago Theological Seminary. As a historical and comparative theologian, he places historical voices into conversation with historically marginalized voices, within and beyond the Christian tradition, offering radical re-articulations of the affirmations of faith for today’s realities. His research interests include: comparative and contextual approaches to historical theology; the development of Christian doctrines; Jewish-Muslim-Christian encounters in medieval philosophy and theology; liberation theologies; and the history of Latin American and Caribbean philosophy. Thoroughly interdisciplinary in his approach, Rev. Dr. Morales weaves together comparative theology, history of thought, and philosophy (especially existentialism and phenomenology). His most recent book is Wonder as a New Starting Point for Theological Anthropology: Opened by the World (Lexington Books, 2023), which proposes a new theological anthropology informed by the experience of wonder. Rev. Dr. Morales is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). His ministry experience is broad, including congregational pastorate, advocacy, community organizing, wider denominational leadership, and education. He holds a BA from Judson University, an MDiv from McCormick Theological Seminary, and a PhD from the Claremont School of Theology. Rev. Dr. Morales is married to Rev. Daphne M. Gascot Arias, also an ordained Disciples of Christ minister, who is currently working on her PhD in Hebrew Bible. They share life and laughs with their daughters Daphne Magnolia and Yael Marie.
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