Chris Haw (born 1981) is a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

theologian and professor in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Biography

Haw was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

into the Catholic Church and attended Catholic churches as a child until his mother started attending

Willow Creek Community Church Willow Creek Community Church is an Evangelical nondenominational multisite megachurch based in the northwestern Chicago suburb of South Barrington, Illinois. It was founded on October 12, 1975 by Dave Holmbo and Bill Hybels, who was its longtim ...

, 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 designed to foster a high degree of group cohesiveness, social cohesion and teamwork. Such communities typically promote shared values or beliefs, or pursue a common vision, wh ...

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

, composed of people who seek to emulate

early Christians Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and bey ...

by being actively involved in their community and by sharing their wealth among the community. He then studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Villanova University Villanova University is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in Villanova, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded by the Order of Saint Augustine in 1842 and named after Thomas of Villanova, Saint Thom ...

and spent a semester in

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

, studying Christian views on environmentalism. In 2008, he co-wrote '' Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals'' with

Shane Claiborne Shane Claiborne (born July 11, 1975) is an American evangelical Christian and founder, an author and organizational leader. He is one of the founders of the non-profit organization, The Simple Way, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, cofounder of t ...

, whom he met at Willow Creek. 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

''From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart: Rekindling My Love for Catholicism'' is a book of

Christian apologetics Christian apologetics (, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Pa ...

by Haw that documents his transitions from Catholicism to

evangelicalism Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

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 An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

, while the second half is a defense against evangelical criticisms of Catholicism. William T. Cavanaugh, who teaches Catholic studies at

DePaul University DePaul University is a private university, private Catholic higher education, Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Congregation of the Mission, Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from ...

, wrote the

afterword An afterword is a literary device that is often found at the end of a piece of literature. It generally covers the story of how the book came into being, or of how the idea for the book was developed. An afterword may be written by someone oth ...

for the book. In a ''

National Catholic Reporter The ''National Catholic Reporter'' (''NCR'') is a national newspaper in the United States that reports on issues related to the Catholic Church. Based in Kansas City, Missouri, ''NCR'' was founded by Robert Hoyt in 1964. Hoyt wanted to bring t ...

'' 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".

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

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 ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' reviewer suggests that the book will interest

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and Catholics alike because it provides an opportunity for both groups to learn and reflect on their spiritual lives. LaVonne Neff, in ''

The Christian Century ''The Christian Century'' is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of US mainline Protestantism, the monthly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and reviews ...

'', 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 The University of Scranton is a private Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was elevated to university status and took ...

Personal life

Haw and his wife, Cassie, have a son and a daughter.

Citations

References

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Official website

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