Tough Mind Tender Heart II. Anthony Egan SJ. Is the Universe Friendly?
Channel: John G I Clarke
Date: 2020-04-13

Fr Anthony Egan SJ entered the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1990 and was ordained a Jesuit priest in 2002. 

In this conversation he explains how a seed of curiosity for the Jesuit order had been sown by watching the 1973 horror thriller "The Exorcist" in the seventies, which has been dubbed "the scariest movie ever made".  It relates how a Jesuit priest is called upon to exorcise a young demon possessed boy, such as the faith of the priest is tested to the limit.   

So far as I know he has not been called upon to perform any exorcisms, but his clarity of thought and preaching has challenged the "ghosts" of superstition and fear at bay by rigorous probing of political and social ethics. 

He explains that his tough mind was shaped firstly by his interest in history which led him to complete a Master degree at UCT, then another Master degree in theology from the Weston Jesuit school of Theology at Cambridge Massachusetts and a PhD in Politics from Wits University further equipped him to be a popular teacher and theologian. 

He has written extensively and his most recent book "God's Universe, Our Responsibility" offers "40 Days of Ecological Reflection" for the Liturgical Season of Lent. 

This formidable intellectual background uniquely qualifies him to offer wisdom in the midst of the Covid 19 Corana Virus Pandemic.  

As a student of history and theology he explains how Science and Faith are far better aligned today than was the case in previous health crises in the 12th, 14th and 20th Centuries. 

He is also a published poet, and his poetry manifests an empathic and tender heart.  

He is a member of the community of the Jesuit Institute in Johannesburg.