Assistant Professor of Theology, Culture and Ethics, Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Programming; Special Assistant to the President
Research Interests
My primary research interests are studies of how orthodox doctrine and theological thought from the early church onward can inform, challenge, and reinvigorate peoples’ understanding of what it means to be a Christian and the church in the world today. My current research focuses on the writings of twentieth century thinkers Jacques Ellul and Paul Virilio on the subjects of theology, ethics, and technology, and I plan to pursue further research and publishing on these two thinkers and the related fields of technology, media, communication, fine arts, theology, ethics, and aesthetics. As I look to publish my PhD research in book form, I also am excited about other research opportunities and projects which relate to theological and ethical questions that I believe are essential for Christians and churches today. These questions relate to theological and ethical studies of disability and mental health in and outside of the local church, political thought and action, care for and cultivation of the environment, and many other timely fields of inquiry for theology and ethics.
Publications
Books
Desert, Wilderness, Wasteland, and Word: A New Essay by Jacques Ellul and Five Critical Engagements. Eugene: Wipf and Stock. (Edited book, forthcoming)
Theology, Ethics, and Technology in the Work of Jacques Ellul and Paul Virilio: A Nascent Theological Tradition. Maryland: Lexington Books. 2021.
Book Chapters
Générations Ellul. Soixante héritiers de la pensée de Jacques Ellul: Tome Deux . (Forthcoming)
“What’s in a Name? Jacques Ellul’s Reading of Naming in Genesis 1–3.” Jacques Ellul and The Bible: Towards a Hermeneutic of Freedom. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2020.
“Charlottesville vs. The Real Revolution.” Political Illusion and Reality: Engaging The Prophetic Insights of Jacques Ellul. Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018.
Articles
“The Athenian Altar and The Amazonian Chatbot: A Pauline Reading of Artificial Intelligence and Apocalyptic Ends.” Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 53, March 2019.
“Aura 2.0: The Technoscientific Return of Art’s Religious Value.” Implicit Religion 20.3, 2017, 245-257.
“The Judgments We Make: Justice in a Digitised World.” Granite Interdisciplinary Journal 1.1, 2017, 7-10.
Reviews
“Book Review: Jacob Rollison, Revolution of Necessity: Language, Technique, and Freedom in the Writings of Jacques Ellul and Slavoj Žižek.” Studies in Christian Ethics 31.1, February 2018, 123-125.
Peer Reviews
Vo, Nam. Digital Media and Youth Discipleship: Pitfalls and Promise. Indiana: Langham Press. Forthcoming.
Unpublished Manuscripts
“Either Technological Pessimism or Proleptic Christian Resistance: A Constructive Reading of Jacques Ellul’s Dialectical Writings on Technology With Paul Virilio as an Evocative Interlocutor.” PhD Thesis (Theological Ethics), University of Aberdeen, 2019. Supervisor Professor Brian Bock.
“Technology, Violence, and Ethics: Catastrophic Liturgy and Paul Virilio’s Eschatological Vision.” MTh Thesis (Theological Ethics), University of Aberdeen, 2017
Presentations
2022 Presenter, January 2022 International Jacques Ellul Society Conference in Strasbourg, France (Forthcoming)
2021 Moderator, “The Many and the One: Modern Secularity and Classical Christian Theology,” ACTS Seminaries J.H. Pickford Theology Symposium
2021 Responder, “The Active Church in the Covid-19 Age,” ACTS Seminaries J.H Pickford Theology Symposium
2020 Presenter, International Jacques Ellul Society Conference, Strasbourg, France
2019 Responder, Modern Technology and the Human Future, Trinity Western University
2019 Presenter, Society for the Study of Theology Conference, University of Warwick
2018 Presenter, International Jacques Society Conference, Regent University
2018 Presenter, CenSAMM Artificial Intelligence Conference, Bedford Panacea Trust
2018 Presenter, Society for the Study of Theology Conference, University of Nottingham
2017 Presenter, Religion and Surveillance Network Conference, London Friend’s House
2017 Presenter, Society for The Study of Christians Ethics Conference, University of Cambridge
2017 Presenter, Society for the Study of Theology Conference, University of Nottingham
2016 Presenter, Religion and Surveillance Network Conference, Birmingham, England
2016 Presenter and Panelist, British Academy for the Study of Religions, University of Wolverhampton
2016 Presenter, International Jacques Ellul Society Conference, University of Berkley, California
2016 Presenter, The Granite Symposium Technology Conference, University of Aberdeen