Chris Haw (born 1981) is a Catholic theologian and professor in the United States who was an important figure in

New Monasticism New Monasticism is a diverse movement, not limited to a specific religious denomination or church and including varying expressions of contemplative life. These include evangelical Christian communities such as " Simple Way Community" and Jonathan ...

Biography

Haw was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

into the Catholic Church and attended Catholic churches as a child until his mother started attending Willow Creek Community Church, after which he began attending there as well. In 2004, Haw founded Camden Community House, a Christian

intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork from the start. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, ...

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

, composed of people who seek to emulate

early Christians Early Christianity (up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325) spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and beyond. Originally, this progression was closely connected to already established Jewish centers in the Holy Land and the Jewish d ...

by being actively involved in their community and by sharing their wealth among the community. He then studied theology at Villanova University and spent a semester in Belize studying

Christian views on environmentalism Christian views on environmentalism vary among different Christians and Christian denominations. Major Christian denominations endorse the Biblical calling of our stewardship of God's creation and our responsibility for its care. Some of this ...

. In 2008, he co-wrote '' Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals'' with Shane Claiborne, whom he met at Willow Creek. He graduated from Villanova in 2009 with an MA in Theology, and later studied for a PhD at

Notre Dame Notre Dame, French for "Our Lady", a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, most commonly refers to: * Notre-Dame de Paris, a cathedral in Paris, France * University of Notre Dame, a university in Indiana, United States ** Notre Dame Fighting Irish, th ...

. Haw eventually returned to Catholicism.

Book on reversion to Catholicism

''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 Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exper ...

and back again. The book was published by

Ave Maria Press Ave Maria Press is a Catholic publishing company which was founded on May 1, 1865 by Father Edward Sorin, a Holy Cross priest who had founded the University of Notre Dame."About." ''Ave Maria Press.'' August 17, 2007. Ave Maria Press. August 24, ...

in 2012. The first half of the book is autobiographical while the second half is a defense against evangelical criticisms of Catholicism.

William T. Cavanaugh William T. Cavanaugh (born 1962) is an American Roman Catholic theologian, known for his work in political theology and Christian ethics. Biography Cavanaugh received his Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from the University of Notre Dame in ...

, who teaches Catholic studies at DePaul University, wrote the afterword for the book. In a '' National Catholic Reporter'' review, Tom Roberts compares ''From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart'' to

Kaya Oakes Kaya Oakes is an American nonfiction writer and journalist from the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Biography She was born in Oakland, California, Oakland and earned an MFA in creative writing at Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga ...

' ''Radical Reinvention: An Unlikely Return to the Catholic Church'', calling them both "very smart books".

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

interviewed Haw about ''From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart''. 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". A '' Publishers Weekly'' reviewer suggests that the book will interest

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

and Catholics alike because the book provides opportunity for both groups to learn and reflect on their spiritual lives. LaVonne Neff, in '' The Christian Century'', says that "Haw does an exceptionally fine job of uniting theology, personal narrative and contemporary social realities".

Teaching

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

Personal life

Haw is married to Cassie and they have a son and a daughter.

Citations

References

* * * *

Official website

http://www.chris-haw.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Haw, Chris 1981 births 21st-century American Roman Catholic theologians 21st-century Protestant theologians American autobiographers American Christian pacifists American economics writers American evangelicals American male non-fiction writers American non-fiction environmental writers Christian monasticism Liberation theologians Living people People from the Chicago metropolitan area Writers about activism and social change Writers from Camden, New Jersey Writers from Illinois 21st-century American non-fiction writers Catholics from New Jersey 21st-century American male writers