Duke University Divinity School
One of the thirteen United Methodist schools of theology.
Duke is the school most people picture when they picture a United Methodist divinity school, and its ¶324.4 arrangement is more particular than its reputation suggests. Five of the nine areas are in the core every M.Div. student takes. The other four — United Methodist studies, worship, evangelism, and mission — Duke requires of United Methodist students specifically, in a section of its bulletin headed Ordination Requirements. You cannot graduate without them. But they sit outside the courses the school schedules for everyone, which means nobody will schedule them for you.
The Discipline's requirements, at this school.
¶324.4 asks for nine areas of basic graduate theological study, three semester hours each, with a minimum of six hours in United Methodist studies. Not pass/fail. ¶335.3(d) asks for them again at full connection, so they cannot be put off.
University Senate standing
Approved — a United Methodist school
One of the 13 United Methodist schools of theology.
As of July 2026 · source ↗
Do online classes count?
Yes — a fully online M.Div. here meets the requirement
GBHEM: all thirteen United Methodist schools of theology are approved to provide a fully online M.Div. that meets UM ordination requirements. Duke's own Hybrid M.Div. — online coursework plus in-person immersion weeks — is a separate, even more residential, delivery than the 'fully online' case this rule covers.
As of July 2026 · source ↗
Old Testament
OLDTEST 752 and 753, two of the nine required core courses.
New Testament
NEWTEST 754 is one of the nine required core courses.
Theology
XTIANTHE 755 (Christian Theology) is one of the nine required core courses.
Church history
CHURHST 750 and 751 are two of the nine required core courses; AMXTIAN 756 (American Christianity) is a third required course touching the same territory.
Preaching
PREACHNG 758 is one of the nine required core courses.
Worship / liturgy
Duke's bulletin, under its 'Ordination Requirements' heading — a section distinct from, and prior to, the separately-labelled 'Recommended Curricular Paradigms' that follow it — states as a flat obligation: 'United Methodist (UMC) students must fulfill educational requirements as set forth by the Book of Discipline by completing... one course in worship (LTS 730) or approved elective...' The 'or approved elective' clause allows a substitute, the way Phillips' 'normally fulfilled by taking PL 725' does — but the binding language ('must fulfill... by completing') and the named default course (LTS 730) both sit in the requirements section itself, not in the scheduling advice that comes after it. UMC-track students are held to this; students of other denominations are not.
Evangelism
The same 'Ordination Requirements' sentence that binds UM studies and worship also binds this one, in the same must-fulfill language: 'United Methodist (UMC) students must fulfill educational requirements as set forth by the Book of Discipline by completing... one course in evangelism.' That obligation is what required-umc-track tracks — not whether Duke names a course. It doesn't, here: unlike PARISH 777/778 for UM studies or LTS 730 for worship, no specific evangelism course is ever named in the bulletin. The curricular paradigm labels the slot only generically, as 'Elective (Mission or Evangelism),' and a footnote confirms evangelism and mission are two distinct required electives, not a shared bucket: 'UMC students are encouraged to consider the area in which they are most likely to desire further advanced coursework when deciding the order in which to take the mission of the church, worship, and evangelism required electives.' A UMC student cannot graduate without a course here, but has to identify one themselves from unrestricted electives and should confirm the specific course with their conference's Board of Ordained Ministry registrar.
Mission of the church in the world
Bound by the same sentence as evangelism above ('...and one course in mission'), and the same paradigm footnote confirms it is a separate, distinct requirement from evangelism, not an either/or. The obligation binds the same way UM studies and worship do — but as with evangelism, Duke never names a specific mission course anywhere in the bulletin, only the generic 'Elective (Mission or Evangelism)' slot in its scheduling paradigm. A UMC student is bound to take some course here and has to identify and choose it themselves, then confirm it with their conference's Board of Ordained Ministry registrar.
United Methodist studies (doctrine, polity, history)
The strongest-worded line in Duke's 'Ordination Requirements' section: 'United Methodist (UMC) students must fulfill educational requirements as set forth by the Book of Discipline by completing the year-long course on Methodist doctrine, history, and polity (PARISH 777 and 778)...' No substitute is offered, unlike worship's 'or approved elective' — PARISH 777 and 778 are the course, named by number, in a binding-requirements section that stands on its own independent of the separately-labelled 'Recommended Curricular Paradigms' that merely schedule when to take it. A United Methodist student cannot graduate from Duke's M.Div. without it.
As of August 2026 · source ↗
Every M.Div. student here takes the other 5. These 4 are required because you are a United Methodist on an ordination track, so they sit outside the courses the school schedules for everyone — which means nobody will schedule them for you. Name them early with your advisor, and confirm the choices with your board of ordained ministry registrar.
Confirm all of this with your conference’s Board of Ordained Ministry registrar before you enroll. They decide which courses satisfy which requirement — not the catalogue, and not us.
The faculty, by what they work on.
49 faculty, grouped by field rather than alphabetically — because the useful question is not who is here, it is who is here who works on the thing you care about.
Ethics & public theology
Sarah Jean Barton
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Theological Ethics
M.S. in Occupational Therapy (Boston University)
Recent work (2)
- Becoming the Baptized Body: Disability and the Practice of Christian Community (Baylor University Press)
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Peter Casarella
Professor of Theology
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Yale University)
Recent work (5)
- Chiara Lubich: Essential Teachings on Unity
- Pope Francis and the Search for God in América
- Reverberations of the Word: Wounded Beauty in Global Catholicism (2020)
- The Whole is Greater than its Parts: Ecumenism and Inter-religious Encounters in the Age of Pope Francis (2020)
- Word as Bread: Language and Theology in Nicholas of Cusa (2017)
Daniel Castelo
Associate Dean for Academic Formation, William Kellon Quick Professor of Theology and Methodist Studies
B.A., Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Second edition of Clark Pinnock's Flame of Love (InterVarsity, 2022)
- T & T Clark Handbook of Pneumatology (Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2020)
- The Marks of Scripture: Rethinking the Nature of the Bible (Baker Academic, 2019)
- The Usefulness of Scripture (Eisenbrauns, 2018)
- Embodying Wesley's Catholic Spirit (Pickwick, 2017)
Valerie Cooper
Associate Professor of Religion and Society and Black Church Studies
Th.D. (Harvard University)
Recent work (2)
- Segregated Sundays (in progress)
- Word, Like Fire: Maria Stewart, the Bible, and the Rights of African Americans (University of Virginia Press, 2012)
Farr Curlin
Josiah C. Trent Professor of Medical Humanities
BA and MD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Recent work (3)
- The Way of Medicine: Ethics and the Healing Profession
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
- Religion, Conscience and Controversial Clinical Practices, New England Journal of Medicine
Amy Laura Hall
Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies
Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (5)
- Torture, forthcoming in Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Religious Ethics
- Erecting the Pulpit: Muscular Christianity from Teddy Roosevelt to Donald Trump
- Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich
- Writing Home with Love: Politics for Neighbors and Naysayers
- Conceiving Parenthood: The Protestant Spirit of Biotechnological Reproduction
Zebulon M. Highben
Associate Professor of the Practice of Church Music
D.M.A. (Michigan State University)
Recent work (4)
- Sing Many Names: Scriptural Images for God in Hymnody
- Augsburg Motet Book (choral anthology)
- Augsburg Chorale Book (choral anthology)
- Festschrift in honor of composer Ronald A. Nelson (edited)
Xi Lian
David C. Steinmetz Distinguished Professor of World Christianity
D.A. (State University of New York at Albany)
Recent work (5)
- Cartas de sangre: La historia jamás contada de Lin Zhao, martir en la China de Mao (Madrid: Encuentro, 2020).
- Blood Letters: The Untold Story of Lin Zhao, a Martyr in Mao’s China (New York: Basic Books, March 2018).
- Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2010).
- Yuhuo dejiu: Xiandai Zhongguo minjian Jidujiao de xingqi 浴火得救---現代中國民間基督教的興起 (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2011).
- The Conversion of Missionaries: Liberalism in American Protestant Missions in China, 1907-1932 (University Park, Penn.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997).
Brett McCarty
Assistant Research Professor of Theological Ethics
Recent work (1)
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Ronald K. Rittgers
Duke Divinity School Professor of Reformation Studies, Professor of the History of Christianity
Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Recent work (5)
- A Widower's Lament: The "Pious Meditations" of Johann Christoph Oelhafen (Fortress, 2021)
- Protestants and Mysticism in Reformation Europe (Brill, 2019), co-edited
- The Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Hebrews and James (Intervarsity Press, 2017)
- The Reformation of Suffering: Pastoral Theology and Lay Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany (Oxford University Press, 2012)
- The Reformation of the Keys: Confession, Conscience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Germany (Harvard University Press, 2004)
C. Kavin Rowe
Vice Dean for Faculty
Ph.D. Duke University
Recent work (5)
- Studies in Luke, Acts, and Paul (Eerdmans, 2024)
- Method, Context, and Meaning in New Testament Studies (Eerdmans, 2024)
- Leading Christian Communities (Eerdmans, 2023)
- Christianity's Surprise: A Sure and Certain Hope (Abingdon, 2020)
- One True Life: the Stoics and Early Christians as Rival Traditions (Yale University Press, 2016)
Lester Ruth
Research Professor of Christian Worship
B.B.A. Stephen F. Austin State University
Recent work (5)
- A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship: Understanding the Ideas That Reshaped the Protestant Church, co-authored with Lim Swee Hong
- Lovin' On Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship, co-authored with Lim Swee Hong
- How Worship Became Music
- Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship (edited)
- Essays on the History of Contemporary Praise and Worship (edited)
J. Warren Smith
Professor of Historical Theology, Director of the Th.D. Program
M. Div., S.T.M., Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (4)
- Early Christian Theology: A History (Eerdmans, forthcoming)
- Ambrose, Augustine, and the Pursuit of Greatness (Cambridge, 2020)
- Christian Grace and Pagan Virtue: The Theological Foundation of Ambrose's Ethics (Oxford, 2010)
- Passion and Paradise: Human and Divine Emotion in the Thought of Gregory of Nyssa (Crossroad, 2004)
Patrick T. Smith
Associate Research Professor of Theological Ethics and Bioethics
Ph.D. in Philosophy, Wayne State University
David Toole
Associate Professor of the Practice of Theology, Ethics, and Global Health
Ph.D. (Duke University)
Recent work (3)
- Love Made Me an Inventor: The Story of Maggy Barankitse — Humanitarian, Genocide Survivor, Citizen without Borders
- The Morgue in the Garden of Eden: An Essay on Hope … in the Dark (forthcoming)
- Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo: Theological Reflections on Nihilism, Tragedy and Apocalypse
Jonathan Tran
Professor of Theological Ethics
B.A., University of California at Riverside
Matthew Philipp Whelan
Associate Research Professor of Theology
M.T.S., Duke Divinity School
Recent work (3)
- Christianity and Agroecology (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
- Blood in the Fields: Óscar Romero, Catholic Social Teaching, and Land Reform (Catholic University of America Press, 2020)
- Nuevas dimensiones políticas y geopolíticas del cristianismo y la derecha política en las Américas, co-edited with David Días Arias, Gema Santamaría, and Kevin Coleman
Brittany E. Wilson
Associate Professor of New Testament
B.A., The University of Texas at Austin
Recent work (2)
- The Embodied God: Seeing the Divine in Luke-Acts and the Early Church (Oxford University Press, 2021)
- Unmanly Men: Refigurations of Masculinity in Luke-Acts (Oxford University Press, 2015)
Wylin D. Wilson
Associate Professor of Theological Ethics
Ph.D. Religious Social Ethics (Emory University)
Recent work (3)
- Bioenhancement Technologies and the Vulnerable Body: A Theological Engagement
- Womanist Bioethics: Social Justice, Spirituality, and Black Women's Health
- Economic Ethics and the Black Church
Lauren Winner
Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality
Ph.D., Columbia University
Recent work (5)
- A Word to Live By: Church's Teachings for a Changing World, Volume 7
- The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin
- Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God
- Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis
- Girl Meets God
Norman Wirzba
Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor of Christian Theology
Recent work (5)
- Love's Braided Dance: Hope in a Time of Crisis
- Agrarian Spirit: Cultivating Faith, Community, and the Land
- This Sacred Life: Humanity's Place in a Wounded World
- The Paradise of God: Renewing Religion in an Ecological Age
- Food and Faith: A Theology of Eating (2nd Edition)
Systematic theology
Jeremy Begbie
Thomas A. Langford Distinguished Research Professor of Theology
F.R.S.C.M. (Royal School of Church Music)
Recent work (5)
- Theology, Music, and Modernity (OUP)
- Abundantly More: The Theological Promise of the Arts in a Reductionist World (Baker)
- The Art of New Creation: Trajectories in Theology and the Arts
- Resounding Truth: Christian Wisdom in the World of Music (Baker/SPCK)
- Theology, Music and Time (CUP)
Natalie Carnes
Professor of Theology
Ph.D. Duke University (2011), Christian Theological Studies
Recent work (4)
- Attunement: The Art and Politics of Feminist Theology (OUP 2024)
- Image and Presence: A Christological Reflection on Iconoclasm and Iconophilia (Stanford 2017)
- Motherhood: A Confession (Stanford 2017)
- Beauty: A Theological Engagement with Gregory of Nyssa (Cascade 2014)
Peter Casarella
Professor of Theology
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Yale University)
Recent work (5)
- Chiara Lubich: Essential Teachings on Unity
- Pope Francis and the Search for God in América
- Reverberations of the Word: Wounded Beauty in Global Catholicism (2020)
- The Whole is Greater than its Parts: Ecumenism and Inter-religious Encounters in the Age of Pope Francis (2020)
- Word as Bread: Language and Theology in Nicholas of Cusa (2017)
Daniel Castelo
Associate Dean for Academic Formation, William Kellon Quick Professor of Theology and Methodist Studies
B.A., Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Second edition of Clark Pinnock's Flame of Love (InterVarsity, 2022)
- T & T Clark Handbook of Pneumatology (Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2020)
- The Marks of Scripture: Rethinking the Nature of the Bible (Baker Academic, 2019)
- The Usefulness of Scripture (Eisenbrauns, 2018)
- Embodying Wesley's Catholic Spirit (Pickwick, 2017)
Edgardo Colón-Emeric
Dean of Duke Divinity School
Ph.D., Duke University (2007)
Recent work (3)
- The People Called Metodista: Renewing Doctrine, Worship, and Missions from the Margins (Abingdon Press)
- Óscar Romero's Theological Vision: Liberation and the Transfiguration of the Poor (University of Notre Dame Press)
- Wesley, Aquinas, and Christian Perfection: An Ecumenical Dialogue (Baylor University Press)
Curtis Freeman
Ruth D. Duncan Director of the Baptist House of Studies and Research Professor of Theology and Baptist Studies
M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
Recent work (5)
- Pilgrim Journey: Instruction in the Mystery of the Gospel (Fortress Press, 2023)
- Pilgrim Letters: Instruction in the Basic Teaching of Christ (Fortress Press, 2021)
- Undomesticated Dissent: Democracy and the Public Virtue of Religious Nonconformity (Baylor University Press, 2017)
- Contesting Catholicity: Theology for Other Baptists (Baylor University Press, 2014)
- A Company of Women Preachers: Baptist Prophetesses in Seventeenth-Century England (Baylor University Press, 2011)
Matthew Philipp Whelan
Associate Research Professor of Theology
M.T.S., Duke Divinity School
Recent work (3)
- Christianity and Agroecology (Cambridge University Press, 2025)
- Blood in the Fields: Óscar Romero, Catholic Social Teaching, and Land Reform (Catholic University of America Press, 2020)
- Nuevas dimensiones políticas y geopolíticas del cristianismo y la derecha política en las Américas, co-edited with David Días Arias, Gema Santamaría, and Kevin Coleman
Eric Lewis Williams
Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies
B.A. (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Recent work (1)
- More Than Tongues Can Tell: Theological Generosity in Black Pentecostal Thought
Congregational leadership
Nina Balmaceda
Irene and William McCutchen Associate Professor of the Practice of Reconciliation
Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Notre Dame du Lac
Mark Chaves
Anne Firor Scott Distinguished Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., Harvard University
Recent work (3)
- American Religion: Contemporary Trends (2nd ed., Princeton, 2017)
- Congregations in America (Harvard, 2004)
- Ordaining Women: Culture and Conflict in Religious Organizations (Harvard, 1997)
Frederick Edie
Associate Professor of the Practice of Christian Education
Ph.D., Emory University
Recent work (1)
- Book, Bath, Table and Time
Warren Kinghorn
Esther Colliflower Professor of the Practice of Pastoral and Moral Theology
Recent work (5)
- The Limits of Burnout and the Work of Health Care, Church Life Journal (2026)
- Do Not Harm Yourself, for We Are All Here, Christianity Today (2025)
- Wayfaring: A Christian Approach to Mental Health Care
- Prescribing Together: A Relational Guide to Psychopharmacology
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Laceye Warner
Professor of the Practice of Church Ministry and Methodist Studies
Ph.D., Trinity College, University of Bristol
Recent work (5)
- Methodist Book of Daily Prayer (projected 2024)
- All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas (2021), editor and contributor
- From Relief to Empowerment: How Your Church Can Cultivate Sustainable Mission (2018), co-authored with Gaston Warner
- The Method of Our Mission: United Methodist Polity and Organization (2014, rev. 2017)
- Grace to Lead: Practicing Leadership in the Wesleyan Tradition (2010, 2nd ed. 2017), co-authored with Bishop Kenneth Carder
Eric Lewis Williams
Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies
B.A. (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Recent work (1)
- More Than Tongues Can Tell: Theological Generosity in Black Pentecostal Thought
William Willimon
Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry
S.T.D., Emory University
Recent work (5)
- The Church We Carry: Loss, Leadership, and the Future of Our Church
- The Last Supper: Conversations That Led to the Cross
- Changing My Mind: The Overlooked Virtue for Faithful Ministry
- Pastor: the Theology and Practice of Ordained Leadership
- Worship as Pastoral Care (1979)
Liturgy & worship
Sarah Jean Barton
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Theological Ethics
M.S. in Occupational Therapy (Boston University)
Recent work (2)
- Becoming the Baptized Body: Disability and the Practice of Christian Community (Baylor University Press)
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Frederick Edie
Associate Professor of the Practice of Christian Education
Ph.D., Emory University
Recent work (1)
- Book, Bath, Table and Time
Zebulon M. Highben
Associate Professor of the Practice of Church Music
D.M.A. (Michigan State University)
Recent work (4)
- Sing Many Names: Scriptural Images for God in Hymnody
- Augsburg Motet Book (choral anthology)
- Augsburg Chorale Book (choral anthology)
- Festschrift in honor of composer Ronald A. Nelson (edited)
Timothy Kimbrough
Director of AEHS
Certificate of Anglican Studies (The General Theological Seminary)
Recent work (5)
- A House Divided? Ways Forward for North American Anglicans
- Psalms for Praise and Worship: A Complete Psalter (Abingdon Press)
- Sweet Singer: The Hymns of Charles Wesley (Hinshaw)
- A Theology of the Sacraments Interpreted by John and Charles Wesley
- Translator, Theology in Hymns? by Teresa Berger (Kingswood Imprint of Abingdon Press)
Luke Powery
Professor of Homiletics
Recent work (5)
- Getting to God: Preaching Good News in a Troubled World, with John Rottman and Joni Sancken
- Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the Rhetoric of Race
- Living the Questions of the Bible
- Ways of the Word: Learning to Preach for Your Time and Place, with Sally Brown
- Dem Dry Bones: Preaching, Death, and Hope
Lester Ruth
Research Professor of Christian Worship
B.B.A. Stephen F. Austin State University
Recent work (5)
- A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship: Understanding the Ideas That Reshaped the Protestant Church, co-authored with Lim Swee Hong
- Lovin' On Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship, co-authored with Lim Swee Hong
- How Worship Became Music
- Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship (edited)
- Essays on the History of Contemporary Praise and Worship (edited)
William Willimon
Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry
S.T.D., Emory University
Recent work (5)
- The Church We Carry: Loss, Leadership, and the Future of Our Church
- The Last Supper: Conversations That Led to the Cross
- Changing My Mind: The Overlooked Virtue for Faithful Ministry
- Pastor: the Theology and Practice of Ordained Leadership
- Worship as Pastoral Care (1979)
Church history
Kate Bowler
Associate Professor of American Religious History
B.A., Macalester College
Recent work (5)
- The Lives We Actually Have
- Have a Beautiful, Terrible Day!: Daily Meditations for the Ups, Downs & In-Betweens
- Joyful, Anyway
- The Preacher's Wife: Women and Power in American Megaministry (Princeton University Press, 2019)
- Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I've loved) (Random House, 2018)
Quinton Dixie
Associate Research Professor of the History of Christianity in the United States and Black Church Studies
M.A. and Ph.D. (Union Theological Seminary)
Recent work (5)
- Witness: Two Hundred Years of Faith and Practice at the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem, New York, co-authored with Genna Rae McNeil, Houston Roberson, and Kevin McGruder
- Visions of a Better World: Howard Thurman's Pilgrimage to India and the Origins of African American Nonviolence, co-authored with Peter Eisenstadt
- This Far By Faith, co-authored with Juan Williams
- The Courage to Hope, co-edited with Cornel West
- Conversations With God (edited)
Aaron Griffith
Assistant Professor of American Church History
Th.D., Duke Divinity School)
Recent work (1)
- God's Law and Order: The Politics of Punishment in Evangelical America (Harvard University Press, 2020)
Polly Ha
Associate Professor of the History of Christianity
Ph.D. (University of Cambridge)
Recent work (5)
- The Future of Freedom (Yale University Press, forthcoming)
- Remapping British Protestant Thought in the Long Reformation, Journal of Medieval and Early Modern History (2023)
- Reformed Government (Oxford University Press, 2021), chief editor
- The Puritans on Independence (Oxford University Press, 2017), chief editor
- English Presbyterianism, 1590-1640 (Stanford University Press, 2011)
Ronald K. Rittgers
Duke Divinity School Professor of Reformation Studies, Professor of the History of Christianity
Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Recent work (5)
- A Widower's Lament: The "Pious Meditations" of Johann Christoph Oelhafen (Fortress, 2021)
- Protestants and Mysticism in Reformation Europe (Brill, 2019), co-edited
- The Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Hebrews and James (Intervarsity Press, 2017)
- The Reformation of Suffering: Pastoral Theology and Lay Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany (Oxford University Press, 2012)
- The Reformation of the Keys: Confession, Conscience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Germany (Harvard University Press, 2004)
J. Warren Smith
Professor of Historical Theology, Director of the Th.D. Program
M. Div., S.T.M., Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (4)
- Early Christian Theology: A History (Eerdmans, forthcoming)
- Ambrose, Augustine, and the Pursuit of Greatness (Cambridge, 2020)
- Christian Grace and Pagan Virtue: The Theological Foundation of Ambrose's Ethics (Oxford, 2010)
- Passion and Paradise: Human and Divine Emotion in the Thought of Gregory of Nyssa (Crossroad, 2004)
Lauren Winner
Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality
Ph.D., Columbia University
Recent work (5)
- A Word to Live By: Church's Teachings for a Changing World, Volume 7
- The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin
- Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God
- Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis
- Girl Meets God
Spiritual formation
Peter Casarella
Professor of Theology
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Yale University)
Recent work (5)
- Chiara Lubich: Essential Teachings on Unity
- Pope Francis and the Search for God in América
- Reverberations of the Word: Wounded Beauty in Global Catholicism (2020)
- The Whole is Greater than its Parts: Ecumenism and Inter-religious Encounters in the Age of Pope Francis (2020)
- Word as Bread: Language and Theology in Nicholas of Cusa (2017)
Daniel Castelo
Associate Dean for Academic Formation, William Kellon Quick Professor of Theology and Methodist Studies
B.A., Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Second edition of Clark Pinnock's Flame of Love (InterVarsity, 2022)
- T & T Clark Handbook of Pneumatology (Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2020)
- The Marks of Scripture: Rethinking the Nature of the Bible (Baker Academic, 2019)
- The Usefulness of Scripture (Eisenbrauns, 2018)
- Embodying Wesley's Catholic Spirit (Pickwick, 2017)
Kevin Hart
Jo Rae Wright University Distinguished Professor
Ph.D. University of Melbourne, 1986
Recent work (5)
- Contemplation: The Movements of the Soul (Columbia UP, 2024)
- Dark-Land: Memoir of a Secret Childhood (Paul Dry Books, 2024)
- The Bible and Western Christian Literature, vol. 5 (T. and T. Clark, 2024)
- Lands of Likeness: For a Poetics of Contemplation (Chicago UP, 2023)
- Maurice Blanchot on Poetry and Narrative (Bloomsbury, 2023)
Brett McCarty
Assistant Research Professor of Theological Ethics
Recent work (1)
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Ronald K. Rittgers
Duke Divinity School Professor of Reformation Studies, Professor of the History of Christianity
Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Recent work (5)
- A Widower's Lament: The "Pious Meditations" of Johann Christoph Oelhafen (Fortress, 2021)
- Protestants and Mysticism in Reformation Europe (Brill, 2019), co-edited
- The Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Hebrews and James (Intervarsity Press, 2017)
- The Reformation of Suffering: Pastoral Theology and Lay Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany (Oxford University Press, 2012)
- The Reformation of the Keys: Confession, Conscience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Germany (Harvard University Press, 2004)
Patrick T. Smith
Associate Research Professor of Theological Ethics and Bioethics
Ph.D. in Philosophy, Wayne State University
Lauren Winner
Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality
Ph.D., Columbia University
Recent work (5)
- A Word to Live By: Church's Teachings for a Changing World, Volume 7
- The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin
- Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God
- Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis
- Girl Meets God
Preaching
Ellen Davis
Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology
Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (5)
- Preaching the Luminous Word, Eerdmans, 2016
- Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship and Ministry , Westminster John Knox, 2014
- Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible , Cambridge University Press, 2009
- Wondrous Depth: Old Testament Preaching, Westminster John Knox, 2005
- “Who Are You, My Daughter?”: Reading Ruth through Image and Text , my translation and commentary, with woodcuts by Margaret Adams Parker, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
Jerusha Matsen Neal
Associate Professor of Homiletics
Ph.D. (Princeton Theological Seminary)
Recent work (3)
- Holy Ground: Climate Change, Preaching, and the Apocalypse of Place (Baylor University, 2024)
- The Overshadowed Preacher: Mary, the Spirit, and the Labor of Proclamation (Eerdmans, 2020)
- Blessed: Monologues for Mary (2012)
Anathea Portier-Young
Professor of Old Testament
Ph.D., Duke University
Recent work (3)
- The Prophetic Body: Embodiment and Mediation in Biblical Prophetic Literature (Oxford University Press, 2024)
- Scripture and Justice: Catholic and Ecumenical Essays (Lexington Press, 2018), co-edited with Gregory Sterling
- Apocalypse Against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism (Eerdmans, 2011)
Luke Powery
Professor of Homiletics
Recent work (5)
- Getting to God: Preaching Good News in a Troubled World, with John Rottman and Joni Sancken
- Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the Rhetoric of Race
- Living the Questions of the Bible
- Ways of the Word: Learning to Preach for Your Time and Place, with Sally Brown
- Dem Dry Bones: Preaching, Death, and Hope
Brent A. Strawn
D. Moody Smith Distinguished Professor of Old Testament
Ph.D. (Princeton Theological Seminary), 2001
Recent work (5)
- The Westminster Study Bible (Westminster, 2024)
- Honest to God Preaching: Talking Sin, Suffering, and Violence (Fortress Press, 2021)
- Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament (Westminster John Knox, 2021)
- The Old Testament: A Concise Introduction (Routledge, 2019)
- The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment (Baker Academic, 2017)
Alma Tinoco Ruiz
Royce and Jane Reynolds Assistant Professor of the Practice of Homiletics and Evangelism, Director of the Hispanic House of Studies, and Foundation For Evangelism Fellow
Th.D. (Duke Divinity School)
Eric Lewis Williams
Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies
B.A. (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Recent work (1)
- More Than Tongues Can Tell: Theological Generosity in Black Pentecostal Thought
Religion & science
Amy Laura Hall
Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies
Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (5)
- Torture, forthcoming in Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Religious Ethics
- Erecting the Pulpit: Muscular Christianity from Teddy Roosevelt to Donald Trump
- Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich
- Writing Home with Love: Politics for Neighbors and Naysayers
- Conceiving Parenthood: The Protestant Spirit of Biotechnological Reproduction
Warren Kinghorn
Esther Colliflower Professor of the Practice of Pastoral and Moral Theology
Recent work (5)
- The Limits of Burnout and the Work of Health Care, Church Life Journal (2026)
- Do Not Harm Yourself, for We Are All Here, Christianity Today (2025)
- Wayfaring: A Christian Approach to Mental Health Care
- Prescribing Together: A Relational Guide to Psychopharmacology
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Brett McCarty
Assistant Research Professor of Theological Ethics
Recent work (1)
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Luke Powery
Professor of Homiletics
Recent work (5)
- Getting to God: Preaching Good News in a Troubled World, with John Rottman and Joni Sancken
- Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the Rhetoric of Race
- Living the Questions of the Bible
- Ways of the Word: Learning to Preach for Your Time and Place, with Sally Brown
- Dem Dry Bones: Preaching, Death, and Hope
Patrick T. Smith
Associate Research Professor of Theological Ethics and Bioethics
Ph.D. in Philosophy, Wayne State University
Brent A. Strawn
D. Moody Smith Distinguished Professor of Old Testament
Ph.D. (Princeton Theological Seminary), 2001
Recent work (5)
- The Westminster Study Bible (Westminster, 2024)
- Honest to God Preaching: Talking Sin, Suffering, and Violence (Fortress Press, 2021)
- Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament (Westminster John Knox, 2021)
- The Old Testament: A Concise Introduction (Routledge, 2019)
- The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment (Baker Academic, 2017)
Wylin D. Wilson
Associate Professor of Theological Ethics
Ph.D. Religious Social Ethics (Emory University)
Recent work (3)
- Bioenhancement Technologies and the Vulnerable Body: A Theological Engagement
- Womanist Bioethics: Social Justice, Spirituality, and Black Women's Health
- Economic Ethics and the Black Church
Pastoral care & counseling
Sarah Jean Barton
Assistant Professor of Occupational Therapy and Theological Ethics
M.S. in Occupational Therapy (Boston University)
Recent work (2)
- Becoming the Baptized Body: Disability and the Practice of Christian Community (Baylor University Press)
- Spirituality and Religion Within the Culture of Medicine: From Evidence to Practice
Jan Holton
Associate Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Theology and Care
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Recent work (3)
- Reframing Trauma: A Psychospiritual Theory and Theology (Fortress, 2025), co-editor
- Longing for Home (Yale University Press)
- Building the Resilient Community: Lessons from the Lost Boys of Sudan (Cascade Press)
Ronald K. Rittgers
Duke Divinity School Professor of Reformation Studies, Professor of the History of Christianity
Ph.D. (Harvard University)
Recent work (5)
- A Widower's Lament: The "Pious Meditations" of Johann Christoph Oelhafen (Fortress, 2021)
- Protestants and Mysticism in Reformation Europe (Brill, 2019), co-edited
- The Reformation Commentary on Scripture: Hebrews and James (Intervarsity Press, 2017)
- The Reformation of Suffering: Pastoral Theology and Lay Piety in Late Medieval and Early Modern Germany (Oxford University Press, 2012)
- The Reformation of the Keys: Confession, Conscience, and Authority in Sixteenth-Century Germany (Harvard University Press, 2004)
Alma Tinoco Ruiz
Royce and Jane Reynolds Assistant Professor of the Practice of Homiletics and Evangelism, Director of the Hispanic House of Studies, and Foundation For Evangelism Fellow
Th.D. (Duke Divinity School)
William Willimon
Professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry
S.T.D., Emory University
Recent work (5)
- The Church We Carry: Loss, Leadership, and the Future of Our Church
- The Last Supper: Conversations That Led to the Cross
- Changing My Mind: The Overlooked Virtue for Faithful Ministry
- Pastor: the Theology and Practice of Ordained Leadership
- Worship as Pastoral Care (1979)
Wylin D. Wilson
Associate Professor of Theological Ethics
Ph.D. Religious Social Ethics (Emory University)
Recent work (3)
- Bioenhancement Technologies and the Vulnerable Body: A Theological Engagement
- Womanist Bioethics: Social Justice, Spirituality, and Black Women's Health
- Economic Ethics and the Black Church
Black church studies
Valerie Cooper
Associate Professor of Religion and Society and Black Church Studies
Th.D. (Harvard University)
Recent work (2)
- Segregated Sundays (in progress)
- Word, Like Fire: Maria Stewart, the Bible, and the Rights of African Americans (University of Virginia Press, 2012)
Quinton Dixie
Associate Research Professor of the History of Christianity in the United States and Black Church Studies
M.A. and Ph.D. (Union Theological Seminary)
Recent work (5)
- Witness: Two Hundred Years of Faith and Practice at the Abyssinian Baptist Church of Harlem, New York, co-authored with Genna Rae McNeil, Houston Roberson, and Kevin McGruder
- Visions of a Better World: Howard Thurman's Pilgrimage to India and the Origins of African American Nonviolence, co-authored with Peter Eisenstadt
- This Far By Faith, co-authored with Juan Williams
- The Courage to Hope, co-edited with Cornel West
- Conversations With God (edited)
Amy Laura Hall
Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies
Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (5)
- Torture, forthcoming in Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Religious Ethics
- Erecting the Pulpit: Muscular Christianity from Teddy Roosevelt to Donald Trump
- Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich
- Writing Home with Love: Politics for Neighbors and Naysayers
- Conceiving Parenthood: The Protestant Spirit of Biotechnological Reproduction
Luke Powery
Professor of Homiletics
Recent work (5)
- Getting to God: Preaching Good News in a Troubled World, with John Rottman and Joni Sancken
- Becoming Human: The Holy Spirit and the Rhetoric of Race
- Living the Questions of the Bible
- Ways of the Word: Learning to Preach for Your Time and Place, with Sally Brown
- Dem Dry Bones: Preaching, Death, and Hope
Eric Lewis Williams
Assistant Professor of Theology and Black Church Studies
B.A. (University of Illinois at Chicago)
Recent work (1)
- More Than Tongues Can Tell: Theological Generosity in Black Pentecostal Thought
Wylin D. Wilson
Associate Professor of Theological Ethics
Ph.D. Religious Social Ethics (Emory University)
Recent work (3)
- Bioenhancement Technologies and the Vulnerable Body: A Theological Engagement
- Womanist Bioethics: Social Justice, Spirituality, and Black Women's Health
- Economic Ethics and the Black Church
New Testament
Douglas Campbell
Professor of New Testament
Recent work (5)
- Beyond Justification: Liberating Paul's Gospel
- Pauline Dogmatics: The Triumph of God's Love (Eerdmans, 2020)
- Paul: An Apostle's Journey (Eerdmans, 2018)
- Framing Paul: An Epistolary Biography (Eerdmans, 2014)
- The Deliverance of God: An Apocalyptic Rereading of Justification in Paul (Eerdmans, 2009)
C. Kavin Rowe
Vice Dean for Faculty
Ph.D. Duke University
Recent work (5)
- Studies in Luke, Acts, and Paul (Eerdmans, 2024)
- Method, Context, and Meaning in New Testament Studies (Eerdmans, 2024)
- Leading Christian Communities (Eerdmans, 2023)
- Christianity's Surprise: A Sure and Certain Hope (Abingdon, 2020)
- One True Life: the Stoics and Early Christians as Rival Traditions (Yale University Press, 2016)
J. Ross Wagner
Associate Professor of New Testament
Ph.D. (Duke University)
Recent work (5)
- Being Christian After the Desolation of Gaza
- What Did Jesus Ask?
- Heralds of the Good News: Paul and Isaiah in Concert in the Letter to the Romans
- Reading the Sealed Book: Old Greek Isaiah and the Problem of Septuagint Hermeneutics
- Between Gospel and Election: Explorations in the Interpretation of Romans 9–11, co-edited with Florian Wilk
Brittany E. Wilson
Associate Professor of New Testament
B.A., The University of Texas at Austin
Recent work (2)
- The Embodied God: Seeing the Divine in Luke-Acts and the Early Church (Oxford University Press, 2021)
- Unmanly Men: Refigurations of Masculinity in Luke-Acts (Oxford University Press, 2015)
World Christianity
Peter Casarella
Professor of Theology
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Yale University)
Recent work (5)
- Chiara Lubich: Essential Teachings on Unity
- Pope Francis and the Search for God in América
- Reverberations of the Word: Wounded Beauty in Global Catholicism (2020)
- The Whole is Greater than its Parts: Ecumenism and Inter-religious Encounters in the Age of Pope Francis (2020)
- Word as Bread: Language and Theology in Nicholas of Cusa (2017)
Jan Holton
Associate Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Theology and Care
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Recent work (3)
- Reframing Trauma: A Psychospiritual Theory and Theology (Fortress, 2025), co-editor
- Longing for Home (Yale University Press)
- Building the Resilient Community: Lessons from the Lost Boys of Sudan (Cascade Press)
Xi Lian
David C. Steinmetz Distinguished Professor of World Christianity
D.A. (State University of New York at Albany)
Recent work (5)
- Cartas de sangre: La historia jamás contada de Lin Zhao, martir en la China de Mao (Madrid: Encuentro, 2020).
- Blood Letters: The Untold Story of Lin Zhao, a Martyr in Mao’s China (New York: Basic Books, March 2018).
- Redeemed by Fire: The Rise of Popular Christianity in Modern China (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2010).
- Yuhuo dejiu: Xiandai Zhongguo minjian Jidujiao de xingqi 浴火得救---現代中國民間基督教的興起 (Hong Kong: Chinese University Press, 2011).
- The Conversion of Missionaries: Liberalism in American Protestant Missions in China, 1907-1932 (University Park, Penn.: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997).
David Toole
Associate Professor of the Practice of Theology, Ethics, and Global Health
Ph.D. (Duke University)
Recent work (3)
- Love Made Me an Inventor: The Story of Maggy Barankitse — Humanitarian, Genocide Survivor, Citizen without Borders
- The Morgue in the Garden of Eden: An Essay on Hope … in the Dark (forthcoming)
- Waiting for Godot in Sarajevo: Theological Reflections on Nihilism, Tragedy and Apocalypse
Wesleyan & Methodist studies
Daniel Castelo
Associate Dean for Academic Formation, William Kellon Quick Professor of Theology and Methodist Studies
B.A., Lee University
Recent work (5)
- Second edition of Clark Pinnock's Flame of Love (InterVarsity, 2022)
- T & T Clark Handbook of Pneumatology (Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2020)
- The Marks of Scripture: Rethinking the Nature of the Bible (Baker Academic, 2019)
- The Usefulness of Scripture (Eisenbrauns, 2018)
- Embodying Wesley's Catholic Spirit (Pickwick, 2017)
Timothy Kimbrough
Director of AEHS
Certificate of Anglican Studies (The General Theological Seminary)
Recent work (5)
- A House Divided? Ways Forward for North American Anglicans
- Psalms for Praise and Worship: A Complete Psalter (Abingdon Press)
- Sweet Singer: The Hymns of Charles Wesley (Hinshaw)
- A Theology of the Sacraments Interpreted by John and Charles Wesley
- Translator, Theology in Hymns? by Teresa Berger (Kingswood Imprint of Abingdon Press)
Lester Ruth
Research Professor of Christian Worship
B.B.A. Stephen F. Austin State University
Recent work (5)
- A History of Contemporary Praise & Worship: Understanding the Ideas That Reshaped the Protestant Church, co-authored with Lim Swee Hong
- Lovin' On Jesus: A Concise History of Contemporary Worship, co-authored with Lim Swee Hong
- How Worship Became Music
- Flow: The Ancient Way to Do Contemporary Worship (edited)
- Essays on the History of Contemporary Praise and Worship (edited)
Laceye Warner
Professor of the Practice of Church Ministry and Methodist Studies
Ph.D., Trinity College, University of Bristol
Recent work (5)
- Methodist Book of Daily Prayer (projected 2024)
- All the Good: A Wesleyan Way of Christmas (2021), editor and contributor
- From Relief to Empowerment: How Your Church Can Cultivate Sustainable Mission (2018), co-authored with Gaston Warner
- The Method of Our Mission: United Methodist Polity and Organization (2014, rev. 2017)
- Grace to Lead: Practicing Leadership in the Wesleyan Tradition (2010, 2nd ed. 2017), co-authored with Bishop Kenneth Carder
Hebrew Bible / Old Testament
Stephen B. Chapman
Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Interpretation
Ph.D. 1998 (Yale)
Recent work (5)
- The Lord Bless You
- The Law and the Prophets (2nd ed. 2020; orig. 2000)
- 1 Samuel as Christian Scripture (2016)
- The Cambridge Companion to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (2016), co-edited
- Biblischer Text und theologische Theoriebildung (2001), co-edited
Ellen Davis
Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology
Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (5)
- Preaching the Luminous Word, Eerdmans, 2016
- Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship and Ministry , Westminster John Knox, 2014
- Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible , Cambridge University Press, 2009
- Wondrous Depth: Old Testament Preaching, Westminster John Knox, 2005
- “Who Are You, My Daughter?”: Reading Ruth through Image and Text , my translation and commentary, with woodcuts by Margaret Adams Parker, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
Anathea Portier-Young
Professor of Old Testament
Ph.D., Duke University
Recent work (3)
- The Prophetic Body: Embodiment and Mediation in Biblical Prophetic Literature (Oxford University Press, 2024)
- Scripture and Justice: Catholic and Ecumenical Essays (Lexington Press, 2018), co-edited with Gregory Sterling
- Apocalypse Against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism (Eerdmans, 2011)
Brent A. Strawn
D. Moody Smith Distinguished Professor of Old Testament
Ph.D. (Princeton Theological Seminary), 2001
Recent work (5)
- The Westminster Study Bible (Westminster, 2024)
- Honest to God Preaching: Talking Sin, Suffering, and Violence (Fortress Press, 2021)
- Lies My Preacher Told Me: An Honest Look at the Old Testament (Westminster John Knox, 2021)
- The Old Testament: A Concise Introduction (Routledge, 2019)
- The Old Testament Is Dying: A Diagnosis and Recommended Treatment (Baker Academic, 2017)
Mission & social justice
Nina Balmaceda
Irene and William McCutchen Associate Professor of the Practice of Reconciliation
Ph.D. in Political Science, University of Notre Dame du Lac
Anathea Portier-Young
Professor of Old Testament
Ph.D., Duke University
Recent work (3)
- The Prophetic Body: Embodiment and Mediation in Biblical Prophetic Literature (Oxford University Press, 2024)
- Scripture and Justice: Catholic and Ecumenical Essays (Lexington Press, 2018), co-edited with Gregory Sterling
- Apocalypse Against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism (Eerdmans, 2011)
Norbert L. W. Wilson
Professor of Food, Economics, and Community
Ph.D. in Agricultural and Resource Economics (University of California, Davis)
Interreligious engagement
Peter Casarella
Professor of Theology
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Yale University)
Recent work (5)
- Chiara Lubich: Essential Teachings on Unity
- Pope Francis and the Search for God in América
- Reverberations of the Word: Wounded Beauty in Global Catholicism (2020)
- The Whole is Greater than its Parts: Ecumenism and Inter-religious Encounters in the Age of Pope Francis (2020)
- Word as Bread: Language and Theology in Nicholas of Cusa (2017)
Ellen Davis
Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology
Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (5)
- Preaching the Luminous Word, Eerdmans, 2016
- Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship and Ministry , Westminster John Knox, 2014
- Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible , Cambridge University Press, 2009
- Wondrous Depth: Old Testament Preaching, Westminster John Knox, 2005
- “Who Are You, My Daughter?”: Reading Ruth through Image and Text , my translation and commentary, with woodcuts by Margaret Adams Parker, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
Wylin D. Wilson
Associate Professor of Theological Ethics
Ph.D. Religious Social Ethics (Emory University)
Recent work (3)
- Bioenhancement Technologies and the Vulnerable Body: A Theological Engagement
- Womanist Bioethics: Social Justice, Spirituality, and Black Women's Health
- Economic Ethics and the Black Church
Womanist & feminist theology
Natalie Carnes
Professor of Theology
Ph.D. Duke University (2011), Christian Theological Studies
Recent work (4)
- Attunement: The Art and Politics of Feminist Theology (OUP 2024)
- Image and Presence: A Christological Reflection on Iconoclasm and Iconophilia (Stanford 2017)
- Motherhood: A Confession (Stanford 2017)
- Beauty: A Theological Engagement with Gregory of Nyssa (Cascade 2014)
Amy Laura Hall
Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies
Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (5)
- Torture, forthcoming in Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Religious Ethics
- Erecting the Pulpit: Muscular Christianity from Teddy Roosevelt to Donald Trump
- Laughing at the Devil: Seeing the World with Julian of Norwich
- Writing Home with Love: Politics for Neighbors and Naysayers
- Conceiving Parenthood: The Protestant Spirit of Biotechnological Reproduction
Latino/Hispanic ministry
Peter Casarella
Professor of Theology
B.A., M.A., Ph.D. (Yale University)
Recent work (5)
- Chiara Lubich: Essential Teachings on Unity
- Pope Francis and the Search for God in América
- Reverberations of the Word: Wounded Beauty in Global Catholicism (2020)
- The Whole is Greater than its Parts: Ecumenism and Inter-religious Encounters in the Age of Pope Francis (2020)
- Word as Bread: Language and Theology in Nicholas of Cusa (2017)
Alma Tinoco Ruiz
Royce and Jane Reynolds Assistant Professor of the Practice of Homiletics and Evangelism, Director of the Hispanic House of Studies, and Foundation For Evangelism Fellow
Th.D. (Duke Divinity School)
Practical theology
Ellen Davis
Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology
Ph.D., Yale University
Recent work (5)
- Preaching the Luminous Word, Eerdmans, 2016
- Biblical Prophecy: Perspectives for Christian Theology, Discipleship and Ministry , Westminster John Knox, 2014
- Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible , Cambridge University Press, 2009
- Wondrous Depth: Old Testament Preaching, Westminster John Knox, 2005
- “Who Are You, My Daughter?”: Reading Ruth through Image and Text , my translation and commentary, with woodcuts by Margaret Adams Parker, Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.
Frederick Edie
Associate Professor of the Practice of Christian Education
Ph.D., Emory University
Recent work (1)
- Book, Bath, Table and Time
Church music
Zebulon M. Highben
Associate Professor of the Practice of Church Music
D.M.A. (Michigan State University)
Recent work (4)
- Sing Many Names: Scriptural Images for God in Hymnody
- Augsburg Motet Book (choral anthology)
- Augsburg Chorale Book (choral anthology)
- Festschrift in honor of composer Ronald A. Nelson (edited)
Lauren Winner
Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality
Ph.D., Columbia University
Recent work (5)
- A Word to Live By: Church's Teachings for a Changing World, Volume 7
- The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin
- Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire, and Other Overlooked Ways of Meeting God
- Still: Notes on a Mid-Faith Crisis
- Girl Meets God
Christian education & formation
Frederick Edie
Associate Professor of the Practice of Christian Education
Ph.D., Emory University
Recent work (1)
- Book, Bath, Table and Time
Youth ministry
Frederick Edie
Associate Professor of the Practice of Christian Education
Ph.D., Emory University
Recent work (1)
- Book, Bath, Table and Time
Chaplaincy
Jan Holton
Associate Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Theology and Care
Ph.D., Vanderbilt University
Recent work (3)
- Reframing Trauma: A Psychospiritual Theory and Theology (Fortress, 2025), co-editor
- Longing for Home (Yale University Press)
- Building the Resilient Community: Lessons from the Lost Boys of Sudan (Cascade Press)
Evangelism & church planting
Alma Tinoco Ruiz
Royce and Jane Reynolds Assistant Professor of the Practice of Homiletics and Evangelism, Director of the Hispanic House of Studies, and Foundation For Evangelism Fellow
Th.D. (Duke Divinity School)
Filtered to Duke's own 'Regular Rank Faculty' category in its directory (49 people) — this excludes Adjunct/Visiting, Administrative, Consulting, and Emeritus faculty, all of which Duke lists separately. A few Regular Rank titles (e.g., 'Professor of Food, Economics, and Community') sit outside this site's field vocabulary; where a title alone gave the area normalizer nothing to match, the area below was read from that person's own Duke bio rather than left blank or guessed from outside knowledge. Publications: only 2 of 49 bio pages carry the literal 'Selected Publications → Books' heading this harvest's parser looks for; a full hand read of the other 47 pages (2026-08-07) found real, sourced titles in prose bio paragraphs or a 'Recent Books' widget for 42 more — only 5 (Balmaceda, Patrick T. Smith, Tinoco Ruiz, Tran, Norbert Wilson) genuinely have nothing beyond a journal-name list or an untitled work-in-progress.
Titles and fields are the school’s own; the grouping is ours. Where Duke University Divinity Schoolpublishes a page for someone, it’s linked above as “Profile.” Professors answer email from prospective students more often than you would guess. Publication lists come from the school’s own annual listing ↗, are a selection rather than a full CV, and are only shown for people currently on the directory.
The degrees.
Master of Divinity
24 hrs24 courses: nine required core courses, five limited electives (one each from Church Ministry, Black Church Studies, World Christianity, New Testament Exegesis, and Practicing Theology in Ministry), ten electives, two units of Field Education, spiritual formation, and two portfolio reviews.
3 years full-time (six semesters); up to 6 years allowed
Master of Divinity (Four-Year and Student Pastor pacing)
The same 24-course degree spread over four years, including a track built for licensed student pastors serving a church while in school.
Hybrid Master of Divinity
Online coursework combined with in-person immersion weeks, for students who need to stay in their current appointment or job while in seminary.
Master of Theological Studies
Not an ordination degree — for doctoral preparation, nonprofit work, lay ministry, teaching, or research.
Master of Arts in Christian Practice
Built for working professionals who need to keep their job while studying — vocational discernment, spiritual disciplines, and a Duke master's degree without relocating.
Master of Theology
An advanced theological degree for specialized ministerial or academic preparation, often a step toward a Th.D. or Ph.D.
Doctor of Ministry
Charged as a flat term rate rather than per course; recent cohorts split into Traditional Leadership and Missional Innovation tracks.
Money, plainly.
Tuition
$30,600/year ($15,300 per semester) for the two-year-pace residential M.Div.; $22,950/year ($11,475/semester) for the four-year-pace residential M.Div.; $22,950/year ($7,650/term) for the Hybrid M.Div.
2026–2027 rates, full-time enrollment. Duke prices its M.Div. by pace and delivery mode rather than a flat per-credit rate — the 'per-credit' figure moves depending which of the three tracks you're on.
As of August 2026 · source ↗
Who gets aid
All students admitted to the M.Div., M.T.S., M.A. in Christian Practice, D.Min., and Th.D. programs receive institutional scholarship support
Duke's own wording, not a rounded percentage it publishes. The school reports awarding more than $11 million in scholarship support a year, plus roughly $1.5 million more in external scholarships.
As of August 2026 · source ↗
Typical award
Divinity Dean's Scholarship: 50%–100% of tuition (M.Div./M.T.S.); Divinity Tuition Award: 25% of tuition for M.Div./M.T.S. entrants not awarded a Dean's Scholarship, and for M.A. in Christian Practice and D.Min. students
As of August 2026 · source ↗
- Student Health Fee — $524.00 per term (residential)
- Transcript Fee — $120.00 one-time
- Student Life Ministry / Graduate Activity / Graduate Services / Divinity Government Dues — $86.50 per term (residential)
- Recreational Facilities Fee — $204.00 per term (residential)
- Mandatory health insurance (SMIP) — $4,290.00/year, residential students only; hybrid students must show proof of existing coverage instead
- Rural Ministry Fellowships — Full merit-based scholarships, funded through The Duke Endowment and administered by Duke's Thriving Rural Communities initiative, specifically for Duke Divinity students from North Carolina's two United Methodist conferences who show a calling to ordained leadership in rural UMC churches in the state. Geographically narrow, but a direct, named link between UMC ordination and full funding.
- Black Church Studies and Latinx Studies Fellowships — Full-tuition scholarships tied to the Office of Black Church Studies and the Hispanic House of Studies, with mentoring and professional-formation programming attached.
Duke's headline scholarship promise is real but not automatically full-ride: the Dean's Scholarship band runs 50%–100% based on the strength of your application, and most M.Div./M.T.S. entrants who don't land it get a flat 25% Tuition Award instead. Compare that against Candler's stated policy of covering 100% of tuition for certified UMC candidacy applicants who hit the priority deadline — Duke has no published equivalent blanket commitment tied specifically to candidacy status, only the narrower, rural-and-NC-specific Rural Ministry Fellowship. If you are a certified UMC candidate weighing Duke against a school with that kind of guarantee, ask Duke's Office of Financial Aid directly whether candidacy status affects your award; the public pages don't say either way.
Place, and what else is within reach.
Duke University
Duke Divinity School sits on Duke's Durham campus, with dual-degree routes into Duke's Sanford School of Public Policy, Nicholas School of the Environment, and Fuqua/Law/Medicine programs.
UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work
The M.Div./M.S.W. dual degree shares four courses between the two schools and can be started from either campus, reducing the M.Div. side to 20 (or 19 with advanced standing) required courses.
Houses of Study
Duke runs denominational Houses of Study inside a UMC-founded school — Anglican Episcopal, Asian, Baptist, Hispanic, Methodist, and Presbyterian/Reformed — each with its own scholarships and certificate program, alongside a standalone Office of Black Church Studies.
Who this fits, and what to weigh.
- People who want the ordination requirements stated plainly by the school rather than left to the Discipline and the board.
- People who will use a major research university's library and departments.
- Candidates from North Carolina's two conferences headed toward rural ministry, for whom the Rural Ministry Fellowships are a full-tuition route.
- Four of the nine are outside the universal core. Plan them in your first year with an advisor, not your last.
- For evangelism and mission, Duke names no course. Confirm your specific choices with your board's registrar before you register, not after.
- Aid is not a full ride by default: the Dean's Scholarship runs 50–100% by application strength, and most who miss it receive a flat 25% award instead.
- Duke names PARISH 777 and 778 for the year-long Methodist doctrine, history, and polity sequence, and LTS 730 for worship — no guessing on those two.
- For evangelism and mission it names nothing at all. The obligation is just as binding; the course is yours to find.
- Duke publishes individual faculty pages — most schools in this project do not, and Perkins publishes none.
- Tuition is priced by pace rather than by credit: a two-year pace and a four-year pace cost different amounts per year.
Send one email this week.
Not an application — an email. Pick the professor above whose field is closest to what you cannot stop thinking about, and ask them what they are working on. Then ask admissions to sit in on one class. Both are free, and both tell you more than a brochure will.
Everything on this page was checked against the school’s own published material on August 7, 2026. Costs and curricula change every year — the source link beside each fact is the one that stays current.