And Hope Does Not Disappoint

Why a study on Bernard Lonergan's understanding of love? While the Canadian Jesuit's groundbreaking analysis of knowing, development, history, and the evolution of the universe was constructed within the context of love, controversy surrounded scholars' interpretations of his conception of love. After his death in 1984, students of Lonergan's work have rooted their interpretations in disconnected and partial quotes and comments, leading to the disagreements and a theological impasse.

“And Hope Does Not Disappoint” takes its title from a frequent biblical reference of Lonergan's, Romans 5:5: “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Drawing from archival research, this book details the historical development of Lonergan's understanding of love, and offers a synthesis of his position, in an effort to overcome the impasse in Lonergan studies and shed new light on the nature of love. The book engages major Lonergan scholars' positions, negotiating their strengths and weaknesses in light of Lonergan's whole development, and it advances a hypothesis about the place of Lonergan's understanding of love in relation to other theological loci.