RLR Interview with David Deavel - Solzhenitsyn and American Culture: The Russian Soul in the West

"If you don't know what you're talking about, you won't be able to convince anyone to take you seriously, no matter how pious you seem or how good your works are. If people can see that you lack understanding, they won't listen," asserts David Paul Deavel, an Associate Professor of Theology at the University of St. Thomas-Houston. Prof. Deavel is a prolific and widely published writer.

In addition to his book Solzhenitsyn and American Culture: The Russian Soul in the West, his academic work has appeared in journals such as Chesterton Review, Chicago Studies, and Faith and Reason. In his new article, which he discusses with Deacon Geoff, "Theology is Not Trivial Pursuit," Deavel argues that "Simply knowing doctrines is not the same as living them. Even believing them to be true isn’t enough. 'You believe that God is one,' St. James writes in his Epistle; 'you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder' (James 2:19). But knowing that 'God is one' is not a mere obscure factoid for a trivia game."

Deavel was recently named Chair of the Theology Department. He assumes this leadership role at a time when the department is pioneering a new curriculum for its M.A. program in Historical Theology and continues its collaboration with St. Mary’s Seminary to form priests, deacons, and laypeople equipped to serve Christ and His Church with both head and heart.

Read his latest article at https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/08/01/theology-is-not-a-trivial-pursuit/