Henry C. Antony Karlson III, a seasoned scholar in philosophy, theology, and inter-religious dialogue, has taught at Georgetown University and the Catholic University of America. A Byzantine Catholic, Karlson draws insights from Orthodox and Catholic thinkers and engages with a diverse range of religious traditions. Influenced by patristic, scholastic, and Renaissance theology, as well as the mythological perspectives of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, his work reflects a commitment to faith in practice, often addressing social justice within a theological framework. Karlson has contributed to various publications, including Vox Nova, Where Peter Is, and The Interfaith Observer. His book, The Eschatological Judgment of Christ, is published by Wipf and Stock.
When asked about contributing to Patheos, Henry said, “I enjoy the opportunity to not only share my thoughts but to see how they change over time. I enjoy the ability to both deal with contemporary news topics and also to engage some of my own more personal theological and spiritual interests, finding a way to bring them together, helping me become more holistic in my approach to the world (even as I encourage others to do so as well). I enjoy reading the comments that people leave, either on my column or elsewhere, especially from those who tell me what I have written has inspired them and helped them in their lives in some way.”
He offers up this advice to fellow Patheos contributors; “Consider writing here to be an opportunity for you to do some self-reflection. Write the things you want to write about, but make sure when you do so, you direct what you write towards yourself as well as to other people. Engage those issues you like but try to have them develop over time. One way I like to do that is to use whatever I am currently reading as a source of ideas for some of my writings, trying to see how what I am reading now can suggest changes or developments to those beliefs and practices I already have or follow.
If you want to have a positive impact on others, make sure you are having one on yourself. The more you consider your writing a kind of self-reflection and a demonstration of your personal spiritual development, the less likely your writing will appear preachy and turn off potential readers. The other thing you should do is determine the kind of style you want for your blog, test it out, and go with it if you like it, but also be willing to change things up over time. Try new styles. If you don’t do that, you might eventually get so stuck in a routine, and then become bored writing. When you are bored, your readers will also become bored.
Finally, I suggest, if you feel like you have much to say at a particular time, write many articles in advance, so that you can use them at times when you are too busy to write.”
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