James V. Schall, SJ, a native of Iowa, obtained an M.A. in philosophy from Gonzaga University in 1955, an M.A. in theology from the University of Santa Clara in 1964, and a Ph.D. in political philosophy from Georgetown University in 1960. Ordained as a Roman Catholic priest and a member of the Society of Jesus, Father Schall is a professor in the Department of Government at Georgetown University. He was a member of the Pontifical Commission on Justice and Peace in Rome, 1977-82, and formerly taught at Gregorian University, Rome, and the University of San Francisco. He is on the board of the National Council on the Humanities of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Father Schall is a regular columnist for Crisis magazine and has contributed to scholarly, political, and theological journals in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. He is the author of no less than 17 books, including The Politics of Heaven and Hell: Christian Themes from Classical, Medieval and Modern Political Philosophy; Reason, Revelation and the Foundations of Political Philosophy; Liberation Theology; The Distinctiveness of Christianity; Another Sort of Learning; Redeeming the Time; and Christianity and Politics . In addition, he has edited books on John Paul II, on G.K. Chesterton, and on the Pastorals of War of the German and French bishops.