Professor Antus is a Catholic theologian. She researches the theological dimensions of sexual violence, mental health, suicidality, and disability. Her work has appeared in Theological Studies, Journal of Religious Ethics, Journal of Political Theology, Concilium, and Journal of Religion, Disability, & Health. Her fundamental question as a theologian is as follows: How can Christians speak rightly of God, namely, in a way that emphasizes God's love in a world that is suffused with suffering and oppression? Relatedly, how can Christians credibly articulate the love that God has for those who suffer?
She is currently completing a book entitled The Tender Gift of Self-Love: A Feminist Theological Engagement with Augustine. In this book, she revisits the work of Augustine of Hippo, the main figure in the Christian tradition who is most often associated with the idea that self-love is sinful. To the contrary, Professor Antus thinks that Augustine has a more complex view of self-love, one that acknowledges its positive dimensions. Ultimately, she offers a critical retrieval of Augustine's notion of self-love for our contemporary moment, which is one in which so many people struggle with self-hatred and shame about their bodies and their perceived shortcomings. At the same time, she argues that the individualism that is so central to U.S. culture prevents us from connecting self-love to work for the common good. Any Christian account of self-love most address this problem, because loving ourselves in a healthy way requires working for justice and the freedom of all.
Otherwise, she enjoys hanging out with her husband and dog, walking around, rewatching Gilmore Girls as a response to stress, machinating with friends, and listening to music (especially David Bowie, Beck, Sleater-Kinney, Janelle Monáe, Blondie, Sparks, Kesha, and Prince).
Email: ea840@georgetown.edu
Academic Appointment(s)
- Primary
- Assistant Professor, College - Department of Theology and Religious Studies