Thomas M Elbourn
Doctoral Student
Biography
Tom was enchanted by the study of Theology and Religion in childhood, finding in it the most fascinating ultimate questions about human life. This led him to become a student and educator in Theology, Religion, and Philosophy, especially interested in political theology, with a concern for the modern state and democracy, personhood and agency, the intersections of capitalism, nationalism, and the common good. Tom’s study of ethics spans from issues of just war and peace to virtue ethics and the comparative study of world religions, with a special concern for Buddhism, Anabaptism, Catholic social thought, and ‘secular’ religiosity. He spends much of his time in conversation with Balthasar, Moltmann, Aquinas, Levinas, King, Marx, Butler, and Nietzsche. Tom’s greatest hope is to bring himself and others into deeper critical reasoning around Ultimate Reality and Truth, into a more penetrating capacity to act on their absolute interdependency with everything and Goodness, and into a more Beautiful experience of Being. When not thinking about Theology and Religion, Tom enjoys spending time with his wife Alisha and two children, Tommy and Sylvie, going on long road trips, hearing beautiful stories, and doing genealogical investigation… while still thinking about Theology and Religion.