Faculty Profiles

University of St Andrews, Scotland
Ph.D. in Theology, 2010
Thesis: 'Theology and Contemporary Visual Art: Making Dialogue Possible' supervised by Rev. Dr. David W. Brown, FBA FRSE

The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY
M.Div., 2004

Union University, Jackson, TN
B.A. Christian Studies, 2001

Memento Mori in Contemporary Art: Theologies of Lament and Hope, Studies in Theology, Imagination and the Arts, Routledge, 2019.

Contemporary Art and the Church: A Conversation Between Two Worlds, Edited by W. David 0. Taylor and Taylor Worley, "Studies in Theology and the Arts," Intervarsity Academic Press, 2017.

Dreams, Doubt, and Dread: The Spiritual in Film, Edited by Zachary Thomas Settle and Taylor Worley, Cascade Books, 2016.

Theology, Aesthetics, and Culture: Conversations with The Work of David Brown, Edited by Robert MacSwain and Taylor Worley, Oxford University Press, 2012.

 

"Baptists, Worship, and the Christian Tradition,' in Baptists and the Christian Tradition: Toward an Evangelical Baptist Catholicity; Edited by Matthew Emerson, Christopher Morgan. and Lucas Stamps. Broadman & Holman Academic, 2020.

'Encountering God's Story with the Arts' in Christian Cultural Engagement: A Crash Course in Contemporary Issues Edited by Joshua D. Chatraw and Karen Swallow Prior Zondervan, 2019.

'Rooted, Built Up, and Established: Faith, Learning, Worship, and Service in Christian Higher Education' in Christian Higher Education: Teaching and Learning in the Evangelical Tradition, Edited by David S. Dockery and Christopher Morgan, Crossway, 2018.

"Paradise Reclaimed: Kerry James Marshall and Chris Ofili in the Garden of Eden,' In The Moving Text interdisciplinary Perspectives on David Brown and the Bible, Edited by Garrick V. Allen, Christopher R. Brewer, and Denny Kinlaw, SCM Press, 2018.

"Graced Encounters: A Response to Ben Quash," in Contemporary Art and the Church: A Conversation Between two worlds, Edited by W. David O. Taylor and Taylor Worley, "Studies in Theology and the Arts," InterVarsity Academic Press, 2017.

'A Modern Reformation: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Quest for the "Real Luther"' in Reformation 500: How tl1e Greatest Revival Since Pentecost Continues to Shape the World Today; Edited by Ray Van Neste and .I. Michael Garrett, Broadman & Holman Academic, 2017.

'Who is Bonhoeffer for us Today? The Ecclesiological Center of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Theology' in Marking the Church: Essays in Ecclesiology; Edited by Greg Peters and Matt Jenson, Pickwick, 2016.

'The Splendor of Holiness: The Church as Theatre of Divine Beauty,' in Marking the Church: Essays in Ecclesiology; Edited by Greg Peters and Matt Jenson, Pickwick, 2016.

'Beyond Death? Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’s Grief Trilogy' in Dreams, Doubt, and Dread: The Spiritual in Film, Edited by Settle and Worley, Cascade Books, 2016.

'On Theology's "Ekphrastic Mode'" in Theology; Aesthetics, and Culture: Conversations with The Work of David Brown, Edited by Robert MacSwain and Taylor Worley, Oxford University Press, 2012.

'The Study of Philosophy' in Faith and Learning: A Handbook for Christian Higher Education, Edited by David S. Dockery. Broadman & Holman Academic, 2012.

Roundtable panelist and contributor to James Elkins and David Morgan, eds. Re-enchantment. The Art Seminar. New York: Routledge, 2008.

Guest Editor of SEEN Journal Issue XVIII (Fall 2018) for CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) and author of "Hope."

"Re-examining Death: Recent Proposals toward a Contemporary Christian Theology of Death," Trinity Journal, 38.1 (Spring 2017).

"Joy - Christianity," Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception, Edited by Christine Helmer, et al., Vol. 14, Walter de Gruyter, 2016.

"Losing Touch: A Theology of Death for Michael Haneke's Amour, Religions, 7 (12): 'Film and Lived Theology, (2016).

Guest Editor of SEEN Journal Issue XIV.2 (Fall 2014) for CIVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) and author of "From Hostility to Hospitality: Felix Gonzalez-Torres' Curtains."

Guest Editor of SEEN Journal Issue X111.2 (Fall 2013) for CJVA (Christians in the Visual Arts) and author of the issue's editorial "Art and Church: False Rivals."

'Redeeming Body Knowledge: Contemporary Art and the Reshaping of Theology' The Other Journal: An Intersection of Theology and Culture, #23: The Body Issue, (November 21, 2013) published online.

Andrew Norman and Taylor Worley, 'Film as Prayer in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life' Cinemascope 19 (Fall 2013) published online.

'Eyes to See: Christian Aesthetics and Perfectionist Seeing,' Edification: The Transdisciplinary Journal of Christian Psychology

‘Perfect Through Suffering: Christology and Modern Art's Dead Christ’ in the Emerging Scholars Colloquium at the Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts symposium 'DITA 10 - Creation & New Creation: Discerning the Future of Theology)' & The Arts', 5-8 September 2019, Durham, NC.

‘From One Degree of Glory to Another: Art's Transformative Hermeneutic for Theology,’ Paper Presentation in the Scholars' Track Session on 'Sanctuary: Are We There Yet as Churches and People of Faith?' 15 June 2019. Christians in the Visual Arts, Biennial Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

‘The Gift of Grief? A Kierkegaardian Inversion in the Films of Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu’ in the Kierkegaard, Religion, and Culture Group at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, 17 November 2018, Denver, CO.

‘Theology for Culture: Recovering the Missional Ethic of the Spirit in Acts,’ with Joshua Chatraw, 13 November 2018, al the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Denver, CO.

‘Imaginative Witness: Biblical Virtues for a Callous and Confused Culture - Parts 1, 2, & 3,’  17 April, 2018, The 2019 Hiller Lectures at Sioux Falls Seminary, Sioux Falls, SD.

Panelist for Roundtable Session on Dreams, Doubt. and Dread: The Spiritual in Film, Edited by Settle and Worley. (Cascade Books. 20Hi) with David Dark, Crystal Downing, Joe Kickasola, Brett David Potter, Kathryn Reklis, and Zachary Settle in the Religion, Film, a11d Visual Culture Group al the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, 19 November 2017, Boston, MA.

Moderator for Panel Discussion on W. David 0. Taylor's The Theater of God's Glory: Calvin, Creation, and the Liturgical Arts (Eerdmans, 2017) with Randall Zachman, Bruce Gordon, David Music, and David Taylor for Baylor University's Institute of Faith and Learning Symposium on Faith and Culture: "The Bible and the Reformation," 25 October 2017, Waco, TX.

‘Making History: Kerry James Marshall's Mastry and the Legacy of Blackness,’ Paper Presentation in the Scholars' Track Session 011 'Reconciliation: Social Awareness in the Practice of Contemporary Artists,' 16 June 2017, Christians in the Visual Arts, Biennial Conference, Azusa, CA.

‘Rooted and Established: A Trinitarian Theology of Spiritual Formation for Human Flourishing,’ 18 March 2017, the Southeast Regional Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.

‘A Mosaic and a Mountain: Applying the Theological Ethics of Jonathan Pennington’s The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing.’ Panel Presentation, 17 March 2017, the Southeast Regional Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY.

'Art Making in a Postsecular Age,’ Pa11cl Discussion, 4 March 2017, the Center for Christianity, Culture, and the Art's symposium "Art in a Postsecular Age," Biola University, La Mirada, CA.

‘Response to Jonathan Anderson and William Dyrness’ Modern Art and tl1e Life of a Culture,' Panel Presentation, 19 November 2016, the Society for the Arts in Religious and Theological Studies, American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX.

‘The Theologian as a “Person of History” Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Status Confessions of the Church,’ 15 November 2016, Systematic Theology Session al the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX.

‘“Captive to the Word of God Alone:” Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Bible,’ 17 November 2015, Systematic Theology Session on Dietrich Bonhoeffer at the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.

“Contemporary Art and Theology”: Response to Ben Quash's Plenary Address and Panel Discussion, 12 June 2015, Christians in the Visual Arts, Biennial Conference, Grand Rapids, MJ.

“Anxiety, Resoluteness, and Hope: Heidegger and Bonhoeffer on Death,” 21 November 2014, Ecclesiology and Discipleship Session al the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA.

Panelist for “The Role of the Arts in Theological Education: A Round Table Conversation,” 30 October 2014, Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture, Vanderbilt Divinity School, Nashville, TN.

Presenter and panelist for “How Art Works” Symposium, 11 October 2014. Christians in the Visual Arts, The King's College, New York City.

‘“God Draws Near:” The Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Sermons,’ and Panel Discussion, 18 November 2013, Practical Theology Section at the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Baltimore, MD.

‘The Splendor of Holiness: The Church as Theatre of Divine Beauty,’ 14 November 2012, Ecclesiology Study Group al the Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI.

Guest lectures for the Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, 9 November 2012: Faculty Colloquium entitled Beauty among the Ruins: Christ, Culture and Church' and Public Lecture entitled ‘Cinema & the Cultural Imagination: Thinking through Film.'

'Who is Bonhoeffer for Us Today? The Ecclesiological Center of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Theology,' 17 November 2011, Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

‘The Place of Culture’ in Theology: A Prolegomena lo Public Theology,’ with Gregory Thornbury, 17 19 November 2010, Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA.

‘Joseph Beuys and the Re-enchantment of Art,' 3 - 5 June 2010, Christian Scholars Conference ‘Beauty in the Academy: Faith, Scholarship & the Arts’ at Lipscomb University Nashville, TN. James Elkins of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago offered a response.

‘Art as Meditation: Repairing the Aesthetic Divide in Protestant Theology,’ 12    15 April 2010, 'Theology and the Arts' Seminar, The Society for the Study of Theology Annual Meeting, Manchester, UK.

‘Eyes to See: Christian Aesthetics and Perfectionist Seeing,’ 16 September 2009 ‘Perfectionism’ Workshop, The Society for Christian Psychology, American Association of Christian Counselors, Nashville, TN.

‘The Cultural Dynamic of “Soft Difference": Response to Miroslav Volf’s Address’ and Panel Discussion, 17    21 June 2009, Christians in the Visual Arts, Biennial Conference, St. Paul, MN.

‘Seeing the Psalms in the New Testament,’ 24 - 25 April 2009, ‘The Word within the Word’ Conference: The Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, Union University.

‘Art & Culture: Considering the Problems and/or Possibilities of Contemporary Art,’ 11 January 2009, The 930 Louisville. KY: Part II of a Lecture Series on Christianity and the Arts for Sojourn Community Church made possible by a grant from Calvin College’s Institute of Christian Worship.

‘Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Joseph Beuys and the Question of “Re-enchantment”,’ 31 March - 3 April 2008, ‘Theology and the Arts’ Seminar; The Society for the Study of Theology Annual Meeting, Durham, UK.

‘Theological Aesthetics and the Contemporary Artworld: Models for Engagement,’ 14 - 15 March 2008, Evangelical Theological Society Southeast Regional Meeting, Memphis, TN.

‘Re-enchantment’ Roundtable, The Art Seminar, 17 April 2007, Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

‘Dethroning Beauty: Contemporary Categories for Theological Aesthetics,’ 26 - 29 March 2007, ‘Theology and the Arts’ Seminar, The Society for the Study of Theology Annual Meeting, Cambridge, UK.

‘Religious Imagery in Modem Art: Finding Theological Insights in Surprising Places,’ 22 March 2007, Durham University Sixth Form Study Day in Religious Studies, North of England Institute for Christian Education.

Review of Gregg H. Allison and Andreas J. Köstenberger; The Holy Spirit, "Theology for the People of God'' (2020) Southwestern Journal of Theology, 63.1 (Fall 2020), 178-180.

Review of Natalie Carnes. Image and Presence: A Christological Reflection on Iconoclasm and Iconophilia, (2017) in Reading Religion: A Publication of the American Academy of Religion, (17 September; 2018) published online.

Review of Clyde S. Kilby, The Arts and the Christian Imagination: Essays on Art, Literature, and Aesthetics, edited by William Dyrness and Keith Call, (2016) in Reading Religion: A Publication of the American Academy (Religion, (8 May. 2017) published online.

Review of Elaine Scarry, On Beauty and Being Just. (1999) in SEEN Journal XIII.1 (Spring 2013).

Review of William Franke, ed. On What Cannot Be Said: Apophatic Discourses in Philosophy; Religion, Literature, and the Arts. Volume 1. Classic Formulations On What Cannot Be Said: Apophatic Discourses in Philosophy; Religion, Literature, and the Arts. Volume 2. Modern and Contemporary Transformations, (2007) in Essays in Philosophy, 14.1 (2013).

Review of Isabel Best, ed. The Collected Sermons of Dietrich Bonhoeffer; in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society; 56.1 (March 2013).

Review of David F. Ford, Self and Salvation: Being Transformed. ‘Cambridge Studies in Christian Doctrine.’ (1999) in SEEN Journal XII.1 (Spring 2012).

Review of Mark T. Conard, ed., The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers, in Film-Philosophy, Vol. 15.1 (2011).

• Christians in the Visual Arts
• American Academy of Religion
• Evangelical Theological Society
• Society for the Study of Theology (UK)