Joseph Lorenz
Primary Area: Moral Theology/Christian Ethics
Biography
Joseph Lorenz is pursuing a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science on the Theology track. His particular interests are in the Christian bioethics of psychedelic medicine and the history of the Catholic Church and drugs.
He is also a Jesuit Catholic priest. Prior to Notre Dame, he completed a masters in social philosophy at Loyola University Chicago and a masters in Catholic theology at the Facultés Loyola Paris, both as a part of Jesuit training. The Jesuits also sent him to teach high school for two years at Fordham Preparatory School in the Bronx and for one year at Collège Notre Dame de Jamhour in Lebanon.
Research Interests
- role of metaphysics in theology
- theology of science
- reception and development of the Greek philosophical heritage beyond Europe
- integration of experiential, experimental, and metaphysical psychologies
- propositional and relational forms of knowledge in theology
- conceptions of human flourishing
Representative Publications
“Comment on McCarthy and Priest: ‘Psychedelic Christianity: From evangelical hippies and Roman Catholic intellectuals in the sixties to clergy in a Johns Hopkins clinical trial.’” Journal of Psychedelic Studies. July 19, 2024, https://akjournals.com/view/journals/2054/8/2/article-p153.xml
Lorenz, Joseph, S.J., et al. "Griffiths et al.'s Study of Psilocybin with Religious Professionals: A Theological Response from a Christian Perspective." Psychedelic Medicine, vol. 00, no. 00, December 4, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/28314425251406251
Education
- BA Arabic, Williams College
- MTS Harvard Divinity School
- MA Philosophy, Loyola University Chicago
- MA Theology, Facultes Loyola Paris