Fellows (2022 Cohort)
We are delighted to share details of our 2022 cohort taking part in the Fellowships in Science-Engaged Theology.
Dr. Matthew Braddock
The University of Tennessee at Martin
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Puzzle Title:
”Empirically Engaging the Doctrine of Conscience’
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Empirically Engaging the Doctrine of Conscience’
Current area(s) of research interest :
Ethics, philosophy of religion, philosophy of science.
Matthew Braddock (PhD, Duke University) is Associate Professor of Philosophy at The University of Tennessee at Martin. Much of his research concerns the philosophical implications of the sciences. His recent publications include “The Contingency of the Cultural Evolution of Morality, Debunking, and Theism vs. Naturalism” (in Empirically Engaged Evolutionary Ethics, Springer), “Natural Nonbelief in God: Prehistoric Humans, Divine Hiddenness, and Debunking” (in Evolutionary Debunking Arguments, Routledge), and “An Evidential Argument for Theism from the Cognitive Science of Religion” (in New Developments in the Cognitive Science of Religion: The Rationality of Religious Belief, Springer).
Rev. Dr. Nathan Chambers
Wiser Lake Chapel
Pastor
Puzzle Title:
‘Can a Constructionist Theory of Emotions Clarify the Role of the Psalter in Spiritual Formation?‘
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Psalms, Emotions, and Spiritual Formation’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Narrative portrayals of divine action; the role of ’emotions’ in biblical anthropology.
Rev. Dr. Nathan Chambers is the pastor of Wiser Lake Chapel and the author of Reconsidering Creation Ex Nihilo in Genesis 1 (Eisenrbauns). His academic research focuses on theological issues related to the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament and his work has been published in the Scottish Journal of Theology and the Journal for Theological Interpretation.
Nathan received a philosophy degree from Northwest University, an MCS from Regent College, and a PhD from Durham University. He lives with his wife Kelsey and their four children in the Pacific Northwest, where they enjoy spending time in the mountains and at the beach.
Dr. Kate Finley
Hope College
Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Puzzle Title:
‘How is the Christian ‘emotional prosperity gospel’ challenged by experiences of mental disorder?‘
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Mental Disorder, Religious Engagement, and Emotional Stability’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Philosophy and theology of mental disorder, intellectual disability and religious belief, the influence of narrative, Embodied Cognition and the embodiment of religious concepts, and Cognitive Penetration.
Kate Finley is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Hope College. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in 2018 and works primarily on topics in the philosophy of mind & cognitive science, philosophy of religion, and intersections between those areas. She is currently running a multi-year research project on connections and interactions between experiences of mental disorder and religious engagement (religious beliefs, experiences, and practices) which has been funded by grants from Blueprint 1543, the John Templeton Foundation, Hope College, and Calvin University. Currently, she is addressing the positive and negative effects of symptoms of mental disorder on religious engagement, the impact of underlying beliefs about emotions and psychological stability on these experiences, and the role of narratives in mediating these influences. She is also passionate about community-engaged research and practical applications of this research and is currently working with church leaders and community members to create accessible, practical resources for Christian communities for better understanding the biological and spiritual dimensions of specific mental disorders, as well as the connections between mental disorder and religious beliefs, experiences, and practices.
Dr. Derek S. King
Lewis House
Puzzle Title:
‘Theologian Gregory of Nyssa argues that we are only restored in the image of God, and therefore spiritually formed, insofar as we focus our attention on God. Recent work in the psychology of attention, however, suggests that focusing our attention well on two things simultaneously is not possible. The theological puzzle is: how can we focus a significant amount of our attention on God without neglecting other relationships or daily tasks?‘
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Attending to God: A Science-Engaged Account of Attention for Spiritual Formation’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Attention, tradition, justice and mercy, patristic theology, analytic theology.
Derek (PhD, University of St Andrews) is the Theologian-in-Residence at Lewis House, a Christian studies center on the University of Kentucky campus. His previous academic work has focused on the problem of divine hiddenness in philosophy of religion and the application of ecclesiology to the problem—especially the ecclesiology of Gregory of Nyssa. He has published articles or reviews in TheoLogica, the European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, the Journal for Inklings Studies, Religious Studies, and the International Journal for Systematic Theology. He and his wife Bethany have one son, Lewis, and live in Lexington, Kentucky. He enjoys reading fiction, watching baseball, and running.
Dr. Jonathan Lett
LeTourneau University
Assistant Professor of Theology
Puzzle Title:
‘Human Nature, Evolution, and Biotechnological Enhancement‘
Current area(s) of research interest:
Systematic theology, theological ethics, theological anthropology, bioethics, and the theological study of technology.
Jonathan Lett is an Assistant Professor of Theology and the Director of the Faith, Science, & Technology Initiative at LeTourneau University. He works in the areas of systematic theology, theological ethics, and bioethics. His current research examines theological and biological concepts of human nature and their implications for biotechnological enhancement. He earned an M.Div. from Duke University and a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of St Andrews. His work has appeared in Modern Theology, Journal of Biblical Literature, Syndicate, The Blackwell Companion to Karl Barth, and in several other edited volumes.
Dr. Jason McMartin
Biola University
Professor of Theology, Rosemead School of Psychology and Talbot School of Theology
(joint application with Dr. Timothy Pickavance)
Puzzle Title:
‘Knowledge of God & the Affective Domain‘
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Moral emotions, reasoning, and value conflicts’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Theological anthropology, human flourishing and suffering, virtues and vices, theological epistemology.
Jason teaches theology and the integration of faith and learning in the graduate psychology programs and undergraduate theology department of Biola University. He has published in the areas of theological anthropology, sin, sanctification, and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Most recently, he has collaborated with psychologist colleagues to develop measures of Christian flourishing in the midst of suffering.
Dr. Timothy Pickavance
Biola University
Associate Professor and Chair, Talbot Department of Philosophy
(joint application with Dr. Jason McMartin)
Puzzle Title:
‘Knowledge of God & the Affective Domain‘
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Moral emotions, reasoning, and value conflicts’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Epistemology (primarily rationality and the emotions) and philosophical of religion (the nature of evil and the role of stories in formation).
Tim teaches courses in metaphysics, epistemology and logic for students in Biola’s MA program in philosophy as well as undergraduate courses in integration of theology, philosophy, and psychology. He is the author of Metaphysics: The Fundamentals and The Atlas of Reality: A Comprehensive Guide to Metaphysics (both with Rob Koons) as well as Knowledge for the Love of God: Why Your Heart Needs Your Mind (forthcoming in 2022).
Dr. Paul Rezkalla
Hillsdale College
Arete Professorial Fellow
Puzzle Title:
‘The Law Written on Our Hearts: The Nature of Conscience in Light of the Evolutionary Challenge‘
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘The Evolution of Conscience’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Moral Cognition, Neo-Aristotelian Ethics, Philosophy of Science, Philosophical Theology, Brain Death.
Paul Rezkalla is the Arete Professorial Fellow at Hillsdale College, a Marc Sanders Media Fellow, and an Associate of the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at the University of Oxford. He earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Florida State University under the supervision of Michael Ruse. As a Templeton Cross-Training Fellow he completed a M.Sc. in cognitive and evolutionary anthropology at the University of Oxford. He also holds a M.A. in philosophy from the University of Birmingham (UK) and a M.A. in theology from Saint John’s University. His work focuses on questions at the intersection of ethics and the life sciences, particularly moral psychology and the evolution of morality. He’s also interested in applied ethical issues such as brain death and organ harvesting, the beginning and end of life, and global poverty.
Dr. David S. Robinson
Regent College
Paul Stevens Assistant Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership
Puzzle Title:
‘Ecotheological Ethics for the “Sixth Extinction:” How the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis affects Conservation Decisions’
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Ecotheological Ethics for the ‘Sixth Extinction’: How the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis affects Conservation Decisions’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Philosophical Theology, Theological Ethics, Ecotheology, Ecology, Evolutionary Biology.
David Robinson is the R. Paul Stevens Assistant Professor of Marketplace Theology and Leadership at Regent College, an affiliate school of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. He previously worked as a Project Leader for “Regent Interface: Engaging Science in Ministry Education,” which was supported by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Theology and Science, which was funded by the John Templeton Foundation.
In his current research, David focuses on the ethics of sustainability at personal, corporate, and environmental levels. His NViTA project engages with our modern “extinction imaginary,” which includes the claim that humans are causing a sixth mass extinction event. Towards a more nuanced and effective ecotheological response, he considers how the extended evolutionary synthesis (EES), specifically niche construction theory (NCT), can inform governance decisions about heavily urbanized biodiverse regions that host at-risk species, using the example of the Fraser Estuary on Canada’s west coast.
David holds a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of Christ and Revelatory Community in Bonhoeffer’s Reception of Hegel (Mohr Siebeck, 2018) as well as articles in Modern Theology, Ecclesiology, and Studies in Christian Ethics.
Dr. Frederick Simmons
Boston University School of Theology
Research Assistant Professor of Ethics
Puzzle Title:
‘What Would it Mean for Augustinian Moral Theology to Interpret Evolutionary Biology as Describing the Character of God’s Creation?‘
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Climate Science, Christian Ethics, and Christian Hope’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Theology and Science, Christian Ethics.
Frederick Simmons is a Research Assistant Professor of Ethics at Boston University School of Theology. He has previously held appointments at Amherst College, the Center of Theological Inquiry, La Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Princeton Theological Seminary, La Universidad Politécnica Salesiana, and Yale Divinity School. His research and teaching concern the natural sciences’ implications for Christian thought and the ethical and political significance of Christian beliefs and practices.
Dr. Eric Yang
Santa Clara University
Associate Professor
Puzzle Title:
‘Emulating Exemplars: Psychological Insights into the Spiritual Practice of Imitation‘
Follow-on Funding Project Title:
‘Psychological, Philosophical, and Theological Insights into Imitation and Spiritual Formation’
Current area(s) of research interest:
Christian Analytic Theology, Metaphysics, Doctrine of the Trinity.
Eric Yang received his PhD in Philosophy at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He currently serves as an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Santa Clara University. He has published in philosophy of religion, analytic theology, and metaphysics. He co-authored (with Stephen T. Davis) An Introduction to Christian Philosophical Theology: Faith Seeking Understanding (Zondervan), and he recently signed a contract for a book on the doctrine of the Trinity. His current research interests focus on theological methodology and the role of models in theology (gleaning interdisciplinary insights on the function of models in the sciences) as well as on spiritual formation under a broadly exemplarist approach.