The Wesley Faculty
Interim Director of the Luce Center for the Arts and Religion
Devon Abts is Assistant Director of the Luce Center and Visiting Assistant Professor in theology and the arts. She holds a PhD in Theology from King’s College London, and an MA in Arts and Religion from Yale Divinity School. Her research and teaching is situated at the intersections of theology, Christian ethics, and the arts, with a focus on literature. Dr. Abts has taught on both sides of the Atlantic, and her work is published in academic journals and edited volumes as well as in works of popular media. She is currently preparing a manuscript on theological trajectories in modern poetry for publication.
Education
PhD, Theology & Religious Studies, King’s College London.
MA (magna cum laude), Arts and Religion, Yale Divinity School.
BA (cum laude), English Language & Literature, Gordon College.
Research Interests
Theology and literature
Constructive Theology
Modern Christian doctrine
Poetry & Poetics
Theology and film
Religion and Trauma
Publications (selected)
“Visual Traditions of the Noli Me Tangere,” in Mary Magdalene: The Exhibition. Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, Netherlands, October 2020.
“Seeing through Idols: Art and Imagination at the Border,” Image Journal no. 106, September 2020.
“‘A Billion Times Told Lovelier’: Reclaiming G. M. Hopkins’s Theological Legacy through Geoffrey Hill’s Kenotic Lens.” The Fire that Breaks: Gerard Manley Hopkins’s Poetic Legacies. Clemson, SC: Clemson University Press, June 2020.
“Faithful Encounters: Toward a Christian Ethic of Reading.” Among Winter Cranes: The Quarterly of the Christian Poetics Initiative. Volume 2, Issue 2, Spring 2019.
Relevant Classes Taught
Scripture in Literature
Faith on Film
Visionary Poets
Theological Themes in Fiction
Creative Responses to Community Trauma
Assistant Professor of Ethics and Public Theology
As Assistant Professor of Ethics and Public Theology, Professor Crena will be a central resource for Wesley’s Center for Public Theology and Community Engagement Institute—in addition to teaching the National Capital Experience for Seminarians.
Professor Lucila Crena joins Wesley’s faculty from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, where she was the Managing Director of the “Theological Education between the Times” project and Instructor in Theology, Ethics, and Culture. Her commitment to innovation in theological education was honed as founding faculty for the new MA in Theology, Leadership, and Society program at Regent College (Vancouver, BC, Canada) and at Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI, in San José, Costa Rica), where she was faculty liaison during the course redesign of CETI’s MA program for its North American accreditation process.
Professor Crena has also previously served as an instructor at Wesley, and her areas of academic interest include Christian Theology & Ethics; Moral, Social, and Political Thought; Latin American and Latinx Theologies/Ethics; Environmental Ethics; and Prophecy and Theopolitics.
Professor Creana holds a BA in Economics with highest honors from Emory University, a MTS from Regent College (Vancouver, Canada) and will defend her Ph.D. in Theology, Ethics, and Culture dissertation at the University of Virginia this Fall.
Professor of Hebrew Bible
Paul K.-K. Cho is Professor of Hebrew Bible and the Director of the MTS program. He began teaching at Wesley Theological Seminary in 2013.
Cho teaches on a range of biblical books and topics and emphasizes the close reading of texts as well as the reading of texts in their historical and literary contexts.
Cho's research interests center on the literary and theological interpretation of the Hebrew Bible. He has published books on Myth, History, and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible (Cambridge University Press, 2019) and Willingness to Die and the Gift of Life: Suicide and Martyrdom in the Hebrew Bible (Eerdmans, 2022). His current research focuses on trauma and resilience, in particular as they relate to the book of Job read within the larger context of biblical and other ancient Near Eastern traditions.
Cho is Presbyterian and served local congregations in New Haven and Toronto. He maintains an active agenda of service to the church as preacher, speaker, and commentator.
Education
BA, Yale University
MDiv, Yale Divinity School
PhD, Harvard University
Publications (selected)
Books
Myth, History, and Metaphor in the Hebrew Bible. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019.
Willingness to Die and the Gift of Life: Suicide and Martyrdom in the Hebrew Bible. Eerdmans. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2022.
Articles
“Death and Feasting in the ‘Isaiah Apocalypse’ (Isaiah 25:6–8),” with Janling Fu. Pages 117–42 in Intertextuality and Formation of Isaiah 24–27. Edited by Todd Hibbard and Hyun Chul Paul Kim. SBLAIL 17. Atlanta: SBL, 2013.
“The Integrity of Job 1 and 42:11–17,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 76 (2014): 230–51.
“Job 2 and 42:7–10 as Narrative Bridge and Theological Pivot,” Journal of Biblical Literature 136 (2017): 857–77.
“‘I Have Become a Brother of Jackals’: Evolutionary Psychology and Suicide in the Book of Job,” Biblical Interpretation 27 (2019): 208–34.
“Job the Penitent: Whether and Why Job Repents (Job 42:6).” Pages 145–74 in Landscapes of Korean/Korean-American Biblical Interpretation. International Voices in Biblical Studies 10. Edited by John Ahn. Atlanta: SBL, 2019.
“The Sea as Everyday Space (Psalms 104:25–26 and 107:23–32),” Lexington Theological Quarterly 49 (2019, published in 2021): 79–106.
“The Work of Translation” (Review Essay of Edward L. Greenstein, Job: A New Translation), Harvard Theological Review 114 (2021): 288–303.
“A House of Her Own: The Tactical Deployment of Strategy in Esther,” Journal of Biblical Literature 140 (2021): 663–82.
“Biblical Samson, Milton’s Samson Agonistes, and Modern Terrorism.” Pages 141–55 in Studies in the History of Exegesis. Edited by Mark Elliott, Raleigh C. Heth, and Angela Zautcke. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2022.
Classes Taught
Introduction to the Hebrew Bible
OT Exegesis: Exodus
OT Exegesis: Exploration in Trauma and Bible
OT Exegesis: Isaiah
OT Exegesis: Job
OT Exegesis: Willingness to Die in the Hebrew Bible
PMM: Practice in Ministry and Mission Colloquy
The Bishop Sundo Kim Chair in World Christianity; Professor of Theology, Culture and Mission
Sathianathan “Sathi” Clarke is Professor of Theology, Culture, and Mission and holds the Bishop Sundo Kim Chair in World Christianity at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. An ordained Presbyter of the Church of South India (CSI), he also serves as Assisting Clergy at the Church of the Epiphany, Diocese of Washington, where for many years he facilitated a bible study among homeless friends. His vocation has been a unique blend of the joy of Church ministry, passion for working with communities of the poor and other religious faiths, and love of academic research and teaching.
Clarke has graduate degrees from Madras University (MA), United Theological College (BD), Yale Divinity School (STM), and Harvard Divinity School (Th. D). He has worked passionately for justice with the poor and oppressed and has travelled extensively to educate and encourage interreligious dialogue. He started his ministry in the Church of South India as a social worker and priest for the Diocese of Madras among Dalit communities in rural India. He is on the Religion and Violence Reference Group of the World Council of Churches (Geneva, Switzerland) and has been honorary adjunct professor at Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture (Canberra, Australia) from 2019.
Clarke bridges the world between establishment and the marginalized, the global and the local, and academy and the congregation. For the last twenty years, he has taught and lectured on contextual theology, World Christianity, postcolonial mission, competing fundamentalisms, and interreligious dialogue in various countries around the world. At Wesley, he teaches the following courses: Systematic Theology; Faces of Jesus in World Religions; Religion, Violence, and Peace; World Religions as Resource for Theology and Ministry; and M. K. Gandhi and M. L. King Jr.
Sathianathan Clarke is the author of Competing Fundamentalisms: Violent Extremism in Christianity, Islam, and Hinduism (Westminster John Knox, 2017) and Dalits and Christianity: Subaltern Religion and Liberation Theology in India (Oxford University Press, 1998). He has published numerous academic articles in international journals and has co-edited four books: Gandhi’s Truths in an Age of Fundamentalism and Nationalism (Fortress Press, 2022) The Oxford Handbook of Anglican Studies (Oxford University Press, 2015); Dalit Theology in the Twenty-first Century: Discordant Voices, Discerning Pathways (Oxford University Press, 2010); and Religious Conversion in India: Modes, Motivations, and Meanings. (Oxford University Press, 2003). He is presently working on a book titled Theology for World Christianity in Post-postcolonial Times (Oxford University Press, 2023).
The Martha Ashby Carr Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology
Dr. Elgendy teaches public theology and ethics and administers Wesley’s academic programs in public theology. His research interests are animated by asking questions of subjectivity, spirituality, and politics at the intersection of political theology, systematic theology, and critical theory. His first book, Life Among the Powers: A Political Spirituality of Resistance, is currently in preparation. In addition to WTS, he has taught at Lake Forest College and the University of Chicago.
Education
Ph.D, University of Chicago
M.A., University of Chicago
B.A., Georgetown University
Research Interests
Public Theology
Political Theology
Critical Theory
Social and Political Ethics
Systematic Theology
Theologies of Love and Desire
Speculative Fiction
Publications
Renegotiating Power, Theology, and Politics, edited volume (with Joshua Daniel) of conference proceedings, including introduction and chapter, “Revelation without Authority” (October, 2015, from Palgrave MacMillan)
“Hope, Cynicism, and Complicity: Worldly Resistance in Barth,” Political Theology 17:2, 182-198.
“Practices of the Self and (Spiritually) Disciplined Resistance: What Michel Foucault Could Have Said about Gregory of Nyssa,” Studia Patristica LXII, 103-113.
“Reconsidering Resurrection, Incarnation, and Nature in Schleiermacher’s Glaubenslehre,” International Journal of Systematic Theology 15:3, 301-323.
Relevant Classes Taught
Foundations of Public Theology
Paradigms and Practices of Public Theology
Salvation, Redemption, and Atonement
Church, State, and Citizenship
Formative Influences in the Christian Moral Tradition
Love, Desire, and God
Howard Chandler Robbins Professor of Pastoral Theology and Congregational Care, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
A native of California, Michael Koppel is an ordained teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has served as pastor, campus minister, hospital clinical care supervisor, hospice chaplain, and youth minister in California, Ohio, and New York. He teaches and researches in the field of pastoral theology and care ministries. Michael served a four-year term on the Society for Pastoral Theology Steering Committee (2011-2015) and a six-year term (with Denise Dombkowski Hopkins) as co-convener of SBL Section, The Bible and Practical Theology (2008-2014). He currently advises PCUSA students at Wesley. He has been awarded: a Pulpit and Pew Pastoral Leadership Dissertation Fellowship, Duke University (2001); a Wabash Center Faculty Fellowship (2005); and with Denise Dombkowski Hopkins: a Theological Education Renewal Award from the Yale Center for Faith and Culture (2006); the Association of Theological Schools Research Grant (2007); and a Wabash Center Project Grant, sponsored by the Lilly Endowment (2012). Michael enjoys swimming, bicycling, and hiking.
Education
Ph.D., Claremont School of Theology, with President's Award for Excellence
M.Div., Yale University Divinity School, cum laude
B.A., University of California, Davis, Phi Beta Kappa, cum laude
Selected Publications
Coming Home: The Body in Pastoral and Spiritual Care (forthcoming)
Co-editor (with Denise Dombkowski Hopkins), Bridge Work: Conversations between the Bible and Pastoral Theology (forthcoming, Cambridge Scholars, 2017)
"The Prophets and Pastoral Care," The Oxford Handbook of the Prophets, ed. Carolyn Sharp (forthcoming, 2016)
"The Contemplative Bow in Teaching and Learning Pastoral Care," Teaching Theology & Religion 16,1 (Jan. 2013): 76-88
"'Let Them Be Like the Snail that Dissolves into Slime': Pastoral and Theological Perspectives on Divine and Human Violence in the Bible" (with Denise Dombkowski Hopkins), Journal of Pastoral Theology 23,2 (2013): 2.1-2.18
Co-editor (with Janet E. Schaller) and author, Graceful Eldercare: Essays in Honor of William M. Clements, Pastoral Psychology 60,1 (February 2011)
Co-author (with Denise Dombkowski Hopkins), Grounded in the Living Word: The Old Testament and Pastoral Care Practices (Eerdmans, 2010)
Open-Hearted Ministry: Play as Key to Pastoral Leadership (Fortress, 2008)
Relevant Classes Taught
Pastoral Care and Counseling in Contexts
Spirituality of Pastoral Care and Counseling; Counseling Skills for Ministry
Death, Dying, and Bereavement
The Hebrew Bible and Pastoral Care (with Denise Dombkowski Hopkins)
Inter-cultural Care and Counseling; Pastoral Care with Young Adults
The Tone of Church Leadership
Professor, Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce Professor of Preaching .
Rev. Dr. Veronice Miles serves as the Mary Elizabeth McGehee Joyce Professor of Preaching at Wesley Theological Seminary. She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Education and Homiletics from Emory University’s Graduate Division of Religion and an M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University with certificates in Religious Education and Black Church Studies. Prior degrees include the B.A., M.Ed., and Ed.S., all from the University of Florida. Her research explores the intersection of preaching and persistently threatening challenges that pervade U.S. culture, including racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism, and materialistic consumerism. Preaching, she believes, neither ignores nor concedes defeat to the despairing realities of life. Rather, preaching emboldens individuals and communities of faith to live with Hope and respond in the affirmative to God’s “yes” for creation and for our lives. Her publication, Embodied Hope: A Homiletical Theology Reflection (CASCADE Books), explores the human capacity to live with Hope and the power and potential of preaching to amplify Hope’s resonance in our lives and embolden purposeful Hope-filled action. She is in the beginning stages of a second publication, Sisters Who Talk Back (working title), that amplifies Black women’s wisdom and the necessity of their voices for the Christian church and society at large. Veronice has been an ordained Baptist minister since 1999.
Education
Ph.D. Graduate Division of Religion, Emory University, 2009
M.Div. Candler School of Theology, Emory University, 1999
Ed.S. Counseling and Student Personnel Services, University of Florida, 1981
M.Ed. Counselor Education, University of Florida, 1981
B.A. Psychology, University of Florida, 1978
Research Interest
Preaching Practice
Homiletical Theology
African American Preaching
Womanist Preaching, Thought, and Epistemology
Sermon Studies
Cultural Analysis and Critical Pedagogy
Selected Publications
Embodied Hope: A Homiletical Theology Reflection, CASCADE Books, (2021).
“Twentieth Century Women Preachers and Their Sermons” in eds. Robert Ellison & Keith A. Francis A Companion to Preaching and the Seron, Brill Publishers (anticipated 2023).
“Disciple, Will You Let Me Wash Your Feet?” in eds. Lynn R. Huber, Susan E. Hylen, William M. Wright IV, Narrative Mode and Theological Claim in Johannine Literature: Essays in Honor of Gail R. O’Day, SBL Press (2021, 163–168).
“Hope Flows from the Inside Out,” The Thread, Princeton Theological Seminary, June 2019, Accessible at https://thethread.ptsem.edu/culture/hope-flows-from-the-inside-out.
“Help Wanted: Harvesters for God’s Vineyard (Luke10:1-12, 17-20),” The World is Waiting for You, Pamela R. Durso and LeAnn Gunter Johns, ed., Smith & Helwys Publishing (2014).
“Journey to the Well of Reconciliation (John 4:1-30, 39-42),” The World is Waiting for You, Pamela R. Durso and LeAnn Gunter Johns, ed., Smith & Helwys Publishing (2014).
"Defining Moments and Transformative Possibilities," Ecumenical Trends, special edition, (January 2011).
“Pastoral Perspective on John 11:1-45,” “Pastoral Perspective on Matthew 21:1-11,” “Pastoral Perspective on Matthew 27:11-54,” Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary, Year A, Vol. 2, David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, ed., Westminster John Knox, (2010).
Relevant Classes Taught
Foundations of Preaching
In Times Like These: Hope and The Power of Proclamation
Preaching and Worship in the African American Church
Women and the Preaching Life
Professor of Systematic Theology and Church History, C.C. Goen and Douglas R. Chandler Church History Chair
Beverly Eileen Mitchell is a Professor of Historical Theology. Her teaching and research interests include: Systematic Theology, Church History, human dignity, genocide, global poverty, the African American struggle for justice, Holocaust studies, and the challenge of white supremacy in church and society. She serves as a consultant for churches that wish to commit to being antiracist. She is a board member of Bread for the World and the Bread for the World Institute.
Education
Ph.D., Boston College-Andover Newton Theological School, Systematic Theology
M.T.S., Wesley Theological Seminary
B.A., Temple University, Sociology
Research Interests
The intersection between racism, antisemitism, anti-Muslim sentiment, and anti-immigration as reflections of white supremacy
The scope of human dignity and human flourishing
The African American struggle for justice: Black Abolitionism and the Modern Civil Rights Movement
Holocaust Studies
Global Poverty
Publications
Black Abolitionism: The Quest of Human Dignity
Plantations and Death Camps: Religion, Ideology, and Human Dignity
Relevant Classes Taught
Systematic Theology
Church History II
Theology and the Global Poor
Radical Discipleship
Prophetic Literature in the African American Tradition
Jesus Christ in African American Christianity
Search for a Theology of Human Rights (Genocide)
Assistant Professor of Worship, Media and Culture and Chapel Elder of Oxnam Chapel at Wesley Theological Seminary
Hyemin Na is Assistant Professor of Worship, Media and Culture and Chapel Elder of Oxnam Chapel at Wesley Theological Seminary. Professor Na takes decolonial approaches to the study of worship, with research interests in exploring how liturgical practices intersect with media cultures.Her scholarship has been supported by major grants and fellowships from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, the Korea Foundation, the Louisville Institute, and Forum for Theological Exploration, among others. Before entering the academy, Professor Na served in various ministries as an ordained Elder in the Northern-Illinois Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Associate Professor of Urban Ministries, Director of the Institute for Community Engagement and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy
Lorena M. Parrish, Ph.D. was the Dirk Romeyn Professor of Metro-Urban Ministry at New Brunswick Theological Seminary, New Brunswick, New Jersey prior to joining Wesley. Dr. Parrish earned her Ph.D., M. Phil. and M.Div. at Union Theological Seminary in New York. She also holds a M.S.S.W. from the Columbia University School of Social Work. An ordained Baptist minister, Dr.Parrish’s academic specializations include Urban Ministry; Womanist Theology; Theology, Ethics and Popular Culture; Theology and the Black Church and Practical Theology. Her upcoming book is Forsaking the Lowly Jesus for Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, or How Shall We Be Saved?: A Theological Reflection on the Legacy of Christian Attitudes toward Wealth and Poverty and Its Impact upon the Black Church.
Visiting Professor of Christian Formation and Young Adult Ministry and Co-Director of the Certificate in Children and Youth Ministry and Advocacy
Rev. Dr. Emily A. Peck teaches in the area Christian Formation and works as the theological educator for the Wesley Innovation Hub, part of a Lilly Endowment Initiative for young adult ministry. Peck is a United Methodist elder from the New York Annual Conference. Her ministry background is concentrated on ministry with young people and urban ministry. She is confident that the Holy Spirit works in and through communities to form and transform Christians for work in the world to help build the kin-dom of God. She is passionate about the church's challenges and possibilities in this present age. Peck is the mother of three children.
Education
Th.D., Duke University Divinity School
M.Div., Union Theological Seminary
B.A., Washington and Lee University
Research Interests
Liberation Theology and Critical Pedagogy
Feminist Theology
Children, Youth, and Young Adult Ministry
Worship
Pauline Theology
Language and Formation
Adolescent Identity Formation
Education and Formation in the Church
Theological Education
Urban Ministry
Pauline Anthropology
Publications
Speaking Truth: Women Raising Their Voices in Prayer (Abingdon, 2020)
“Let’s Talk About Sex: Meeting Curiosity with Honesty” in When Kids Ask Hard Questions: Faith-Filled Responses to Tough Topics eds. Bromleigh McClenaghan and Karen Ware Jackson (Chalice, 2019)
Arm in Arm with Adolescent Girls: Educating into the New Creation (Pickwick, 2018)
We Pray With Her: Encouragement for All Women Who Lead (Abingdon, 2018)
Relevant Courses Taught
Spiritual Formation for the Practice of Ministry I & II
Theological Foundations of Youth Ministry
Young Adult Ministry I & II
Innovative Ministry by Design I & II
Paul and Practical Theology
Teaching and Learning in Christian Education
Intercultural Immersion Pilgrimage to the Community at Taizé
Director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership and James C. Logan Professor of Evangelism (E. Stanley Jones Chair)
The Rev. Dr. F. Douglas Powe, Jr. is an ordained elder in the Baltimore/Washington Annual Conference. He is committed to living out the mission of the Lewis Center by helping students, pastors, laity, and other leaders think more deeply about congregational vitality. He does this by researching and sharing how congregations can reach more people, more diverse people and younger people. He is a forerunner in African American evangelism impacting the field with his research of African American congregations. He is often asked to speak and do workshops on leadership and congregational vitality across denominational lines.
Education
Ph.D., Emory University, Systematic Theology
M.DIV. Candler School of Theology, Emory University, summa cum laude
B.A. Ohio Wesleyan University, Economic-Management, magna cum laude
Fall Textbooks as of July 27 2020
Research Interests
Congregational Leadership and Vitality
Wesleyan Theology
African American Congregational Vitality
Publications
The Adept Church: Navigating Between A Rock and a Hard Place (Nashville: Abingdon Press, coming in spring 2019)
E. Stanley Jones and The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society, co-edited with Jack Jackson (Nashville: GBHEM, 2018)
Transforming Community: The Wesleyan Way to Missional Congregations, co-authored with Henry H. Knight, III (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 2016)
New Wine, New Wineskins: How African American Congregations Can Reach New Generations (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2012)
Relevant Classes Taught
Wesleyan and Methodist Evangelism
Leadership in the African American Church
Hip Hop in the City
Professor of the Practice of Spiritual Formation
Dr. Kyunglim Shin Lee serves as Vice President for International Relations at Wesley Theological Seminary. She teaches courses in the study of Spiritual Formation, Global Mission, and Korean Immigrant Church and Theology for both in the Master and Doctor of Ministry Global Asian Track programs. In her 30 years of service to Wesley, Dr. Shin Lee has traveled around the world, to teach and to establish and support theological education and pastoral leadership development programs in partnership with the local leaders and missionaries. A published author, Dr. Shin Lee recently released “Missionary Power, Urgent Inspection of Korean Missionary” (Seoul, Korea: Hongsungsa Press, 2017). She is also a noted lecturer on the topics of Leadership, Spiritual Formation and Global Mission.
Born in Korea, Dr. Shin Lee holds an undergraduate degree from Methodist Theological University (Seoul), a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Doctor of Ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary.
신경림 박사는 웨슬리 신학대학원 부총장으로, 본교 석사과정 및 글로벌 아시안 트랙 박사과정에서 세계 선교 및 영성 형성, 한인 이민교회 신학을 가르치고 있습니다. 웨슬리에서 지난 30년 동안, 신경림 부총장은 전 세계 선교지를 다니며, 신학 강의는 물론 각국의 지도자들, 선교사들과 협력하여 현지 신학교 설립과 목회자 신학교육, 지도자 영성계발에 매진하고 있습니다. 신경림 부총장은 세계선교 및 영성형성, 리더십 분야에서 그 능력을 인정받는 교수이자 저자로, 최근 저서로는 <선교강국, 한국 선교 긴급 점검> (홍성사, 2017) 가 있습니다.
한국에서 태어나 서울 감리교 신학대학교에서 수학하였으며, 미국 시카고 게렛 신학대학원 석사학위를, 웨슬리 신학대학원에서 박사학위를 받았습니다.
Associate Dean for Community Life
The Rev. W. Antoni Sinkfield, Ph.D., serves as Associate Dean for Community Life at Wesley Theological Seminary. In this capacity, he is responsible for the programmatic, academic and spiritual life of seminary students. Dr. Sinkfield is an ordained Itinerate Elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME) and has served as Dean of Students for Allen University, a historically Black College (HBCU) in Columbia, SC.
He has completed post-graduate work at United Theological Seminary, Oral Roberts University, and Asbury Theological Seminary as a Beeson Pastor Scholar, where he engaged in intense immersion ministry experiences in Seoul, South Korea, Nairobi, Kenya, and the Masai Mara. Dr. Sinkfield has also ministered in Zimbabwe, Malawi, South Africa, Mozambique, and Zambia on the continent of Africa.
A recognized pastoral and community leader, he has served as Presiding Elder of the North Nashville District of the Tennessee Annual Conference of the AME Church, and is a founding member of Nashville Organized for Action and Hope (NOAH), a city-wide social action organization fighting for justice for the underserved.
Dr. Sinkfield is also husband to Kristy, and they are proud parents of Joshua (Michelle) DuBois, Anah, and Antoni, Jr.—and grandparents of August, Adelaide and Auden.
Education
Ph.D. in Ethical and Creative Leadership (specialization: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.),Union Institute and University
M.Div., Vanderbilt Divinity School
B.Sc. in Marketing, Tennessee Technological University
Professor of New Testament
Dr. Laura Holmes serves as Professor of New Testament at Wesley Theological Seminary. She holds a B.A. (Religious Studies and History) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an M.Div. and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Her research interests include investigating how the New Testament Gospels talk about God and how their manner of speech might be instructive and challenging for theology and discipleship in the church today. Her first book, The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark (Bloomsbury, 2013), explored this idea. She has also completed a commentary on John 1-12 for the New Beacon Bible Commentary Series. A lifelong United Methodist, she is called to and fulfilled by teaching Scripture to and for the church.
Education
B.A. in Religious Studies and History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.Div. Princeton Theological Seminary
Ph.D. Princeton Theological Seminary
Research Interests
Theological readings of the Gospels
Characterization in the Gospels
Women in Scripture
Lament and hope in the Gospels
Apocalyptic Literature
Select Publications
John 1-12: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition (introduction and concluding section by George Lyons). New Beacon Bible Commentaries. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2020.
The Theological Role of Paradox in the Gospel of Mark. Library of New Testament Studies 492. London: T. & T. Clark, 2013.
“Transformed Discipleship: A Canonical Reading of Martha and Mary.” Pages 154-177 in The Usefulness of Scripture: Essays in Honor of Robert W. Wall. Edited by Daniel Castelo, Sara M. Koenig, and David R. Nienhuis. University Park, Penn.: Eisenbrauns, 2018.
“The Gospel of John—A Reading Guide.” Eleven section commentary for SPU’s Center for Biblical and Theological Education. Published online, winter 2014 (http://blog.spu.edu/lectio/readings/readings/john/).
Relevant Classes Taught
Introduction to the New Testament
Four Gospels, One Jesus
Biblical Texts: The Gospel of John
Women in Scripture
Death and Resurrection in Scripture
Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study Programs and Associate Professor of Church History, Mission, and Methodist Studies
The Rev. Dr. Douglas D. Tzan is the Director of the Doctor of Ministry and Course of Study programs at Wesley. He is also an Assistant Professor of Church History, Mission, and Methodist Studies. An ordained elder in the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference, he also serves as the senior pastor at the Sykesville Parish (St. Paul’s and Gaither United Methodist Churches) in Sykesville, Maryland. He is the Vice President of the United Methodist Historical Society, and his research interests include the history of Christian mission, Methodist history, and world Christianity.
Education
Ph.D., Boston University, Religious Studies
M.Div., Iliff School of Theology, with distinction
B.Ar.Sc., South Carolina College, magna cum laude with honors
Research Interests
History of Christian Mission
Methodist History
World Christianity
Publications
William Taylor and the Mapping of the Methodist Missionary Tradition: The World His Parish. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2019
John Dempster and the Missionary Origins of Methodist Theological Education.” Methodist History 58, nos. 1 & 2 (October 2019/January 2020): 18-28
“Redeeming Vanity Fair: Theological Debates over Fundraising within the W.F.M.S.” Methodist History 55, nos. 1&2 (October 2016/January 2017): 73-85
“Arioi for Christ: An Exploration of Early Missions by Society Islanders.” Missiology: An International Review 37, no. 2 (2009): 221-235
Relevant Classes Taught
Doctor of Ministry:
Project Seminar
Masters:
United Methodist History
History and Doctrine in Methodist Traditions
The Church in History II: Reformation to Present
Course of Study:
Mission
Our Mission from God: Transforming Agent
Theological Heritage I: Introduction
Theological Heritage IV: Wesleyan Movement
Professor of Missiology, World Christianity and Methodist Studies
Philip Wingeier-Rayo, Ph.D., was appointed to the position of Dean on July 1, 2018. Dr. Wingeier-Rayo holds his doctorate in Theology, Ethics and Culture from Chicago Theological Seminary, a M.T.S. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and a M.Th. from Seminario Evangélico de Teología in Matanzas, Cuba. He has previously taught at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, Pfeiffer University, and Seminario Baez Camargo in Mexico City. Dr. Wingeier-Rayo’s research interests are at the intersection of missiology and Methodist studies, in particular multicultural churches, Wesleyan mission theology, Latin American liberation theology and Pentecostalism. His academic work is informed by 15 years of missionary service where he served in Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico and the Rio Grande Valley in S. Texas. Dr. Wingeier-Rayo is currently writing a book on a Wesleyan theology of mission and evangelism.
Education
Ph.D., Chicago Theological Seminary, Theology, Ethics, and Culture
M.A., Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, Theological Studies
M.A., Evangelical Theological Seminary, Matanzas, Cuba, Theology
B.A., Earlham College, Human Development & Social Relations, and Spanish
Publications
La Evangelización y la Mission de Dios: Una Teología Bíblica, Nashville, TN: Wesley’s Foundery Books. 2020.
La Biblia atraves de los ojos de Juan Wesley: 52 clases de discipulado para pequeños grupos, with foreword by Justo González, Nashville, TN: Upper Room/Discipleship Resources, 2019.
Where are the Poor? A Comparison of the Ecclesial Base Communities and Pentecostalism—A Case Study in Cuernavaca, Mexico, Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2011.
Cuban Methodism: The Untold Story of Survival and Revival, Atlanta, GA: Dolphins and Orchids, 2006.
Relevant Classes Taught
CM-249 United Methodism: History, Doctrine and Polity
CM-150 Leadership and Practices of the Missional Church
CM-205 Mission of the Church in the Contemporary World
Dean and Woodrow and Mildred Miller Professor of Biblical Theology
Dr. Carla Works teaches New Testament studies. Her research interests include the Pauline epistles, the New Testament’s use of Israel’s scriptures, biblical ethics, and theological interpretation. She holds a Master’s degree from Yale Divinity School and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Her publications include The Church in the Wilderness: Paul's Use of Exodus Traditions in 1 Corinthians (Mohr Siebeck, 2014), The Least of These: Paul and the Marginalized (Eerdmans, 2020), and "Philippians" in The Women's Bible Commentary (Westminster John Knox, 2012). She is passionate about teaching and learning for the service of the church.
Education
Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary
M.A.R., Yale University Divinity School
M.A.Th., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
B.A., Williams Baptist University
Research Interests
Pauline Theology
Biblical Ethics
The New Testament's use of Israel's Scripture
Theological Interpretation
Publications
The Least of These: Paul and the Marginalized (Eerdmans, 2020).
The Church in the Wilderness: Paul’s Use of Exodus Traditions in 1 Corinthians (Mohr Siebeck, 2014).
“Philippians,” in The Women’s Bible Commentary, 3rd Edition (Westminster John Knox, 2012).
Relevant Classes Taught
Introduction to NT Gospels and Epistles
Paul’s Urban Ministry
Women and the Letters of Paul
1 Corinthians
Romans
Galatians and James
Paul’s Mission and Ministry
New Testament Greek I and II
Professor of Systematic Theology
Education
Ph.D., M.Phil., M.Div., Union Theological Seminary
B.A., Morehouse College
Publications
James Baldwin’s Understanding of God: Overwhelming Desire and Joy. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
Dogged Strength within the Veil: Africana Spirituality and the Mysterious Love of God. Harrisburg: Trinity Press International, 2003.
No Difference in the Fare: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Problem of Racism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 1998.
African Theology: A Critical Interpretation and Annotated Bibliography. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1993.
Relevant Classes Taught
Braving the Masters of Suspicion
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
James Baldwin As Social Critic and Theologian
PMM: Practice in Ministry and Mission Colloquy
Philosophical Backgrounds
Systematic Theology 1 and 2
The Art of Toni Morrison and the Problem Of Theodicy
The Black Theology of James Cone
