Faculty and Research

Research that serves the Church and engages the world

Perkins faculty help people think faithfully and act wisely in a changing world - across scripture, ethics, church history, worship, pastoral care and global Christianity.

 

Latest Research News

Faith and Reasoning

Fred Aquino explores the relationship between faith and reason, considering how thoughtful theological reflection can deepen understanding and shape the way we engage the world.

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Psychedelics and Soul Care

Jaime Clark-Soles examines the growing conversation around psychedelics and considers what Christian traditions of soul care can contribute to questions of healing, spirituality and human flourishing.

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Black Church Ecclesiology and Sustaining a Call to Ministry

Farris Blount III explores Black Church ecclesiology and the practices that sustain a call to ministry, reflecting on formation, community and faithful leadership.

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Faculty Research Expertise

Scripture, Interpretation and Culture

This area highlights faculty research in biblical studies, interpretation, gender, disability, suffering, reception history and the cultural life of Scripture. 
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Theology, Ethics and Public Life

This area highlights faculty research in systematic theology, Christian ethics, public theology, faith and reason, conscience, ecology, AI, race, justice and moral leadership.

 

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Church History, Methodism and Christian Traditions

This area highlights faculty research in Methodist studies, American Christianity, early Christianity, mission history, women’s leadership, denominational identity and global Christian traditions.
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Preaching, worship and sacred music

This area highlights faculty research and practice in preaching, worship, liturgy, sacred music, church music leadership and the formation of scholar-practitioners. 

 

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Pastoral care, practical theology and spiritual formation

This area highlights faculty and staff expertise in pastoral care, practical theology, chaplaincy, Doctor of Ministry leadership, spiritual direction, ministry formation, grief, burnout and congregational care.

 

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Global Christianity, Justice and Community

This area highlights faculty research and engagement in global Christianity, immigration, Latinx theology, Black/Africana Church Studies, interreligious relations, justice, community formation and lived theology. 

 

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Podcast

Theology Matters: A Perkins Podcast

Dean Bryan Stone in conversation with Perkins faculty on the questions shaping church and society. Episode 1 launches September 2026; new episodes monmthly.

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Academy of Homiletics 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award

Alyce McKenzie
Honored for decades of leadership in homiletics and service to Perkins and the wider academy.

American Society of Church History Recognition

Priscilla Pope-Levison
Recognized by the American Society of Church History for the significant contribution of No Man’s Land to global Methodism and women’s religious history.

Bridging Visions: Prophetic Voices, Pastoral Hearts

Harold J. Recinos
United Methodist conference on preaching and change, with a tribute to Dr. Joseph Lowery.

Women and Methodism: Contested Identities, Past and Present

Priscilla Pope-Levison
Delivered a keynote examining the first generation of the international Methodist deaconess movement and women’s contributions to Methodist life.

Methodist Women’s Research Centre Annual Lecture

Priscilla Pope-Levison
Explored the emergence, growth and decline of the international Methodist deaconess movement.

Space for Grace and Spiritual Caregivers Conference

Harold J. Recinos
Explored memory, violence and vocation through personal narrative and theological reflection.

 

American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting

Emily Nelms Chastain
Examined the role of Methodist polity and institutional practices in the history of women’s ordination.

Angels and Demons: The Morality of AI

Dallas Gingles
Explored theological and ethical questions surrounding artificial intelligence through public lectures and preaching.

 

Adult Education Lecture at Highland Park UMC

Susanne Scholz
Presented insights from her book 1 Samuel: A Conceptual Feminist Interpretation and its critically engaged reading of the biblical text.

Political Theologies Conference

Dallas Gingles
Presented research examining constitutional order at the intersection of theology, law and political life.

 

Praise without Ceasing: The Spirituality of St. Augustine

James Lee
Explores the life, teachings and practices of St. Augustine as a guide to Christian spirituality for congregations, students and lay readers.

The Bags We Carry

Harold J. Recinos
Explores public culture, belonging and the human condition through poetry centered on truth, justice and the sacred.

The Future Is a Place

Harold J. Recinos
Explores faith, human experience and the sacred through poetry centered on questions of truth, justice and hope.

1 Samuel: A Conceptual Feminist Interpretation

Susanne Scholz
Offers a feminist interpretation of 1 Samuel grounded in political, theoretical and critically engaged biblical scholarship.

 
 

University Research Council Grant Award

Emily Nelms Chastain
Received an SMU research grant supporting faculty scholarship and the development of her research proposal.

Louisville Institute Grant for Researchers

Jaime Clark-Soles
Supports research on how the church can ethically engage psychedelic assisted therapy, healing and spiritual formation.

 

CAMP: Planning Retreat for Church Leaders

O. Wesley Allen Jr.
Led church leaders in exploring sermon preparation as a spiritual discipline and preaching as a cumulative practice.

 		  
 

Sacred Shifts: Embracing Life's Transitions

April Johnson Bristow
Led presentations, reflections and spiritual practices exploring transition, resilience, healing and faithful transformation.

  

Perkins Faculty Publication

Review the most recent listing of publications by members of the Perkins School of Theology faculty.

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