Books:
Crisis and Care: Meditations on Faith and Philanthropy (co-edited with Erin Weber-Johnson)
A deadly pandemic. Civic unrest. Economic uncertainty. The years between the 2016 and 2020 Presidential Elections exposed the vulnerability of our institutions—and ourselves—like never before. In the wake of uncertainty, the authors in this volume offer wisdom to make sense of the changes brought by these past four years. Reflecting how faith and philanthropy converge, they imagine alternative economies for faith communities, academia, and nonprofits, while also marking the unshakable encounter with grief and crisis. Authors linger in the space between what was and what will be to ask: what do we leave behind, what do we bring with us, and what possibilities exist where crisis and care converge? Their words and wisdom kindle philanthropic imagination in this moment of transition and change.
What people are saying:
“It is a huge leap out of the box of conventional assumptions into new modes of glad missional obedience.”
Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary
“The whole project is an exercise in turning our imaginations from the default of scarcity to the glory of abundance. What emerges is the discovery that a crisis isn’t simply a time for adapting strategies: it’s a time for re-educating the soul.”
Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London.
“Resist the urge to read this volume of wisdom alone. Instead, consider reading it in community, experiment with its ideas, and then get to work shaping an alternative vision of the church’s philanthropic vocation in service to diverse communities throughout the world!”
Stephen Lewis, president of the Forum for Theological Exploration and co-author of Another Way: Living and Leading Change on Purpose
“As a practical theologian, I have been waiting for a resource that offers theologies of money that shift from transactional to transformational practices, embedding each and every fundraising campaign and charitable donation in a larger network of meaning-making words of faith, love, and justice.”
Mindy McGarrah Sharp, Associate Professor of Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, Columbia Theological Seminary.
“Crisis and Care shuns narrow, self-centered, and ineffective concepts about faith and giving, and invites us to reimagine philanthropy as a shared calling that expresses Christian love in action.”
Edwin David Aponte, Executive Director, Louisville Institute
Teaching
I update this page as a resource for students, pastors, and restless creatives who are trying to explore how to make the change they envision in their context. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive updates.
On Academic Writings
On Teaching
On Theology and Qualitative Research
On Fundraising and Development:
On Leading Change Amid Uncertainty:
Click here for a full CV
Visit my academic website at Baylor University
Teaching Statement (click here)
Graduate Syllabus (click here)
Hybrid/Online Syllabus (click here)
The Craft of Theology and Qualitative Research (click here)
The Craft of Theology and Qualitative Research (click here)
Here’s my open access list of grant opportunities for graduate students in theology and religious studies.
Here’s my top-five books on faith, fundraising, and finance.
Presentation for International Association of Practical Theology Presentation (2021)