what makes a saint?

Added on by Matthew Sutton.

The NYC Catholic News Show Currents featured me in a story on what makes a saint. Here’s the story

Currents: What Makes a Saint?

I am speaking in the St. Thomas More Chapel on the campus of St. John’s University, my institution of higher (holier) education. My presentation was on the universal call to live a life of holiness, to live a life in a confessional attitude toward God. I’ve spoken about this idea before.

My thanks to the all the staff of Currents Web, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. You do great work for the Catholic Church in New York City.

i submitted my book manuscript today

Added on by Matthew Sutton.

I submitted my book manuscript today. It is a comprehensive interpretation of Adrienne von Speyr’s vision of the Trinity. I focused instensely on the one critical thing in Adrienne’s thought. This one critical thing, her trinitarian mysticism, must be at the center of receiving what is true, good, and beautiful about her writings.

I will let you know the progress of the book manuscript as it advances through the publishing stages. You will know first when the book is available. Like you, I hope it will be published soon, but so many factors and the hard work of good people go into the process. It can take some time. Still, I will be waiting in hope.

And as I wait, please look for more frequent postings here.

woody allen, you inspired me today

Added on by Matthew Sutton.

“That’s the whole secret, is if you hire great people and you don’t mess them up with a lot of analysis and conversation and speculation and nonsense—if you just get out of their way and shut up, they give you the performance that has made them the great performer that they are.” From Woody Allen: A Documentary.

a compelling trinitarian theology

Added on by Matthew Sutton.

Happily my article “A Compelling Trinitarian Theology: Hans Urs von Balthasar’s Theology of the Trinitarian Inversion and Reversion” has just been published by the International Journal of Systematic Theology. If your institution gives you access to the journal’s articles, you can find it here.

The abstract of the article:

In trinitarian theology, the problematic place of the Holy Spirit in the taxonomy of the immanent Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) does not seem to correspond to what is revealed in the economy (Father, Holy Spirit and Son). Because of this pneumatological problem, some theologians have abandoned the traditional trinitarian taxonomy. This approach, however, does not provide a finally convincing answer that is consistent with both the biblical witness and the theological tradition. In this article, I argue that Hans Urs von Balthasar’s theology of the trinitarian inversion and reversion does provide a convincing answer to the trinitarian taxonomy problem. After supporting my thesis by first referencing the traditional trinitarian taxonomy offered in Augustine’s de Trinitate and then examining the possibility of abandoning the taxonomy given by Jürgen Moltmann and Leonardo Boff, I will offer von Balthasar’s solution as the most compelling trinitarian taxonomy, especially in light of the ecumenical dialogue between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

adrienne vonspeyr.net

Added on by Matthew Sutton.

Hello, faithful reader,

I host two websites. This one: doctorsutton.net. I know, the title is a little “vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, and all is vanity” - Eccl. 1:2, but it’s all lowercase so that makes up for it, no?

And I also host this one: vonspeyr.net. This one is all about Adrienne von Speyr (the other one is all about somebody else). I hope you will come to know Adrienne.

welcome to doctorsutton.net

Added on by Matthew Sutton.

Dr. Matthew Lewis Sutton

is a ninjustu-style professor of trinitarian theology at st. john’s university, ny, loving husband, and happy father of four girls—truly blessed among women.

If you are a student of mine at St. John’s University, please see your class page: