In this episode of the Daily Theology Podcast, Stephen Okey speaks with Maria Poggi Johnson of the University of Scranton. Dr. Johnson was visiting Saint Leo University at the invitation of the Center for Catholic and Jewish Studies, and she graciously found time to speak with us. We talk about her spiritual journey towards Catholicism and how that intersected with her study of theology, the spontaneous and unplanned practice of hospitality towards her students, and what kind of writing project she hopes to pursue next.
Dr. Johnson is a professor of Theology at the University of Scranton, which is a Jesuit Catholic university in Scranton, PA. Her background is in historical theology, although on the podcast she preferred to describe herself as a “sloppy generalist.” She is the author of two books, Strangers and Neighbors: What I Have Learned About Christianity by Living Among Orthodox Jews (2006) and Making a Welcome: Christian Life and the Practice of Hospitality (2011). You can also read about her experience of being Catholic and living in an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood (“Us and Them,” First Things) and about her family’s practice of hospitality towards the students who live nearby (“Late Nights at the Professor’s House,” Dallas Morning News)
#2 - Maria Poggi Johnson