I was a freshman in college when I found my calling. I had grown up thinking that faith was a thing not to be questioned. But my first college classes helped me to see the power of being challenged by new ideas and new ways of understanding the Bible. I’ll admit that the whole experience was frightening because my church had been my whole world growing up. But something told me that if God wanted me to face the world honestly, then I couldn’t simply run away from my questions in fear. I would have to turn and face what I did not know.
As it turned out, facing those questions became the start of a lifelong and joyful journey of growth and learning, leading me to divinity school at Yale and doctoral studies at Duke. Of course, that journey is all the more meaningful now that students at Ozarks are a part of it. Since coming here in 2000, I’ve had the opportunity to mentor students while introducing them to the vast and fascinating field of religious studies. Their interests, in turn, have opened my eyes to greater learning about religion and its intersection with fields like ecology and disability studies. It is an honor to be part of their intellectual growth in a discipline that is so deeply personal and formative.
Special Projects / Initiatives
My own research has been in American religious history and Native American studies, but recent student projects have pursued a variety of interesting questions. A Methodist student, for example, wanted to know more about John Wesley’s theology of vocation. Another religion major dug into the origins of American prejudice against atheists seeking public office. And students in an interfaith practicum have explored how their fellow peers—especially Muslim and non-religious students—have understood Ozarks’ institutional values, such as hospitality and Sabbath, from their own perspectives.