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Preface

I have been teaching for forty­five years. That is what I understand myself to be — a teacher. I suspect that is not how those external to Notre Dame and Duke think of me. I suspect I am thought of as a person who “writes a lot” and/or holds views about what it means to be a Christian that are not widely shared. Given my track record, that I am so regarded by many is quite understandable, but I hope that is not who I am. I hope I am first and foremost a teacher.

I am soon to retire. If I have any regret about retirement it is that I will miss interaction with graduate students. I am not sure how many dissertations I have directed. I am sure I do not want to know how many dissertations I have directed. To know how many would only make me tired. What I do know is that the trust students have put in me has been a gift. I have learned from every dissertation I have directed. It would, I suspect, be a fascinating investigation to show the difference students have made for how I think and what I have written over time.

To teach means you must be taught. I have never liked sentiments that suggest teachers learn more from their students than students learn from their teachers. Of course, everything depends on what you think you are “learning.” I think teachers should know more than students about the subject they are teaching. The “more” they should know is not necessarily “information,” but rather judgments that depend on years of close reading. Teachers can and certainly do learn from students, but that does not mean they cease being teachers.

That I will soon retire, moreover, does not mean I will stop being a teacher. As I think my students will testify, I have never limited my teaching to giving lectures, leading seminars, or directing dissertations. A teacher understands that every interaction with students in one way or another involves exchanges that are formative. This is particularly true when the interactions are about baseball. After all, baseball is a game with clear eschatological significance because it is a game that is never “over.”

All of this is but an attempt to say “thank you” to all the good people who have made me a teacher. I am particularly grateful to those who have entrusted me to direct their dissertations. To all who claim me to be their teacher I dedicate this book.