Does theology shape the person and their place in society, or does the personality of the individual and their place in society shape their theology? Discuss with reference to ONE of the figures listed below.
Dorothy Day
When looking at the relationship between an individual and their theology, the main question that comes to mind is whether their theology influences who they are or who they are influences their theology. One may gain insight into this question when examining the life and accomplishments of Dorothy Day. Her life and its influence illustrate the significant role a person’s personality and place in society on the development of their theology. Day was a journalist and one of the founders of the Catholic Worker Movement, and its subsequent journal (Britannica Academic-“Dorothy Day,” np). Her many unique life experiences and her bohemian lifestyle differentiate her from other Christian leaders of the time. A working woman in America during the early twentieth century, Day had a unique perspective of the world. Her personal struggles, and the many fascinating people she came in contact with shaped this perspective. As described by Pope Francis in his address to the United States Senate in 2015, “…he said that ‘in these times, when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed were inspired by the gospel, her faith….” (Cook, 2018, np). This illustrates the importance of Day’s life on her religious beliefs. However, her perspective, based on what she had experienced, helped her formulate a theology that was unique. Without these circumstances, Day would have never had the background to formulate her views surrounding theology. Her personality, social activism, and personal relationships are all key factors that shaped her relationship with God and her theological ideology.
Dorothy Day was a dynamic and vivacious woman. She was someone who was always pushing the envelope of what could be changed in society. Her personality is one factor that influenced her theology. Before and after her conversion to Catholicism, Day possessed many strong personality traits. From a young age, Day was an individual that looked at the world with a unique perspective. She was someone who had a strong sense of what was right throughout her life, “very early, we had a sense of right and wrong, good and evil. My conscious was very active” (Day, 1952, p.17). As described by Day herself, she was an individual with a strong moral compass that was formulated in her childhood. This important part of her personality is something that had a direct influence on her theology. In his biography of Dorothy Day, Robert Coles emphasizes how her theology was centered around caring for the world, “her interest and involvement were based less on theory and ideology than on observation of the world around her and a passionate sense of justice” (Coles, 1997, pp.2-3). Her strong sense of justice is something that influenced her theology but also her actions before her conversion. The journey to becoming who she was meant to be was essential to her conversion. While imprisoned for marching for social justice, Day came to the realization of God because of her empathy for the poor (O’Connor, 1990, p.161). Without her justice-minded, empathetic personality, one might argue that Day would not have had as strong of a relationship with God. Therefore, her theology is directly a result of her personality.
In addition, Day’s strong personality was essential to her theology because of her need for a role model for other women like herself. Without her justice-based personality, Day would never have seen a need, “Day found no contemporary female role models to guide an unconventional woman like herself. On her own, she would create her unique way of being an observant Catholic single parent and a radical activist, a model for a later generation” (Klejment, 2017, np). Consequently, this unique perspective on the world was not an outcome of her relationship with God, but instead was a strong basis for the characteristics of the theology she would develop. Furthermore, Day was able to impact Catholicism in the United States based in part on her personality and the way she looked at the world. She had a critical eye that was in tune with the realities of the world and able to analyze the true intentions of Catholicism in America and change it for the better (O’Connor, 1990, p.167). This is a defining characteristic of her theology and an outcome of her personality.
Additionally, the strong personality of Day showcases her unique perspective in the Christian faith of the time. Robert Ellsberg describes her actions in his article, “A Saint of our Times,” “I have supported this cause, above all because I believe she embodied the type of holiness most necessary for our time—a holiness that is not concerned with its own purity, but empties itself to confront the burning issues of our time: poverty, violence, the desecration of nature, the meaning of work, the yearning for community, freedom, and peace” (Ellsberg, 2016, np). This again illustrates how Day’s personality was central to the formulation of her theology and to the evolution of Catholicism in the United States.
Another defining factor of her theology is the strong connections to social justice. Throughout her young adulthood, and before her conversion, Day was active in many social justice movements including the Suffragette Movement for which she was at one time imprisoned for (Coles, 1997, p.3). Prior to her conversion, Day has described in her autobiography that she saw religion as something that would only get in the way of her passion for social justice (Day, 1952, p.43). However, after Day’s conversion, she was able to formulate an agenda that was unique in that it perfectly blended her socially conscious attitude with her newfound Catholic identity. Day was able to find middle ground and revolutionize the church to fit with her agenda, “in effect, Dorothy’s vocation took form around this challenge. Her conversion to Catholicism and her work in founding the Catholic Worker movement would come many years later. But the great underlying mission of her life was to join the practice of charity with the struggle for justice—thereby inventing a model of holiness that didn’t really exist before” (Ellsberg, 2016, np). Therefore, Day’s social justice minded work is central to her theology because of her early unwillingness to have a relationship with God because of a worry that it would impact her abilities to work towards her goals for the good of the world.
Moreover, soon after her conversion, Day created The Catholic Worker, a Catholic newspaper surrounding social justice. This was a bold undertaking for a young woman of the early twentieth century, attempting to highlight the many social issues plaguing the word, “for Dorothy this meant launching her newspaper with no money; calling it The Catholic Worker without seeking prior permission from the bishop or any other authority, daring to offer a “Catholic” perspective on social issues of the day that was far in advance of contemporary social teaching (Ellsberg, 2016, np). This approach to social issues is a true testament to the theology of Day, but it is also an example of how important social justice was before and after her conversion. Without her background with different movements, she would never have had such a passion once converted and her theology would have a whole different basis.
Furthermore, another defining factor that was essential to her theology was her relationships with diverse people. Throughout her young adulthood, Day was involved in circles of progressive minded individuals with socialist ideals, “Day knew socialist traditions well. Before becoming a Catholic in 1927, she had found fellowship among hardline Communists, mostly atheists who regarded religion as a tool of obdurate oppression. She wrote exposes on labor conditions and political persecution for The Call and The Masses” (Cook, 2018, np). This meant she was being exposed to people with unique experiences. The ideologies she came into contact with when involved with the Socialist circles were part of the defining of her theology because she believed the catholic church was at odds with the working class. Day saw the church as an instrument of the rich instead of a place for all people (Ellsberg, 2016, np). However, this social-minded circle contributed to her discovery of the Catholic church and her eventual conversion and creation of her theology. Without this socialist circle, Day would never have had the ideas that would back the creation of her theology. Furthermore, her relationship with Forster, her lover and partner and an atheist, directly influenced her theology. Without Forster, she would never have had her daughter. Her family is a major contributing factor to conversion that would lead to her theology “the turning point in Day’s conversion process was affected by her love for Forster and the birth of Tamar” (O’Connor, 1990, p.167). This illustrates the importance of her familial unit to the formulation of her theological ideology.
Dorothy Day is a unique character in the twentieth century story of American Catholicism. From a background of a progressive woman to a progressive convert, Day formulated a theology based on the importance of social movements. Seen as one of the defining voices of the time with her work with the Catholic Worker Movement, she was a voice for the downcast of the time, and she fought for those who most needed the support of the church. Day’s personality, social justice minded work, and relationship with unique people all directly contributed to her theology. Without all the experiences that defined who she was, the world would be without a beacon of hope and an inspiration for all those who are on their own journey to finding their theology and a relationship with God.
Bibliography:
- Britannica Academic, s.v. “Dorothy Day,” accessed February 12, 2019, https://academic-eb-com.ezproxy.lib.gla.ac.uk/levels/collegiate/article/Dorothy-Day/125456.
- Coles, Robert. Dorothy Day: A Radical Devotion. Reading, MA: Perseus Books, 1999.
- Cook, Vanessa. “The Unaffiliated Revolution of Dorothy Day.” 2018. Accessed February 10, 2019.https://literature-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.gla.ac.uk/searchFulltext.do?id=R05671045&divLevel=0&queryId=3096310991782&trailId=167DAC35D28&area=criticism&forward=critref_ft
- Day, Dorothy. Long Loneliness. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1952.
- Ellsberg, Robert. “Dorothy Day: A Saint for Our Time.” Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality 16, no. 1 (2016): 1-20. https://muse.jhu.edu/ (accessed February 12, 2019).
- Klejment, Anne. “Dorothy Day’s Fictionalized Family.” U.S. Catholic Historian 35, no. 2 (2017): 103-123. https://muse.jhu.edu/ (accessed February 12, 2019).
- O’Connor, June. “Dorothy Day’s Christian Conversion.” The Journal of Religious Ethics 18, no. 1 (1990): 159-80. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40017832.
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