“To Know Jesus Is to Follow Jesus: Christology as Discipleship”

Terrence W. Tilley is the Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J. Professor of Catholic Theology at Fordham University . His A.B. is from the University of San Francisco and his Ph.D. is from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. He has taught previously at Georgetown University, St. Michael’s College (Vermont), Florida State University, and the University of Dayton. He was brought in to chair departments at Dayton and Fordham. He has worked as an external reviewer for theology and religious studies departments for nearly two decades.

He has published 13 books and scores of articles on topics in philosophical and systematic theology and philosophy of religion. His most recent books are Faith: What It Is and What It Isn't (Orbis, 2010) and The Disciples' Jesus: Christology as Reconciling Practice (Orbis, 2008). He is currently working on a book on The Brothers Karamazov and some shorter articles.

He is a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the Society for the Philosophy of Religion, and the College Theology Society.

On June 9, 2012, Dr. Tilley received the John Courtney Murray Award for Distinguished Achievement in Theology from the Catholic Theological Society of America. In recognizing Dr. Tilley, the Society said, "Our honoree has shown himself to be a most imaginative Catholic thinker, especially concerned to highlight the pragmatic dimensions of belief and practice often overlooked by theologians who approach the Catholic tradition philosophically only by appeal to metaphysics or through the history of ideas. [. . .] Ever concerned about the theological encounter between the epistemological question of how reason knows and the ecclesial question of how faith believes and acts, his career-long work continues to make an important contribution to theology’s traditional task of faith seeking understanding."​

His students have collected some of the mottos which guide Dr. Tilley’s work: “Theology is a team sport.” “Always particularize (in the face of universal claims).” “Always historicize (in the face of absolute claims).” “Always pluralize (in the face of dichotomous claims).” “All religion is popular.” “All theology is local.”