I learned to walk underneath the Tennessee sunshine, raised in the heart of one of the cultural capitals of American evangelicalism.  I always had a hunger to explore beyond the purview of what was right around me--wanting to understand faith, the world, and the people in it. That quest has taken me all over. I've been enriched by the opportunity to work, learn, and grow in a diverse array of contexts: the Balkans, Egypt, Uzbekistan, and rural New York State. 

I long wanted to be a scholar and a teacher, finding my greatest joy in growing in wisdom and sharing it with others. Along the way I fell in love with the art of teaching itself and developed a passion for contributing to the development of successful teaching and teachers. For this reason I split my time between scholarship, teaching, and learning design/faculty development. 

My areas of academic expertise include theology and racism, theology in conversation with Black Studies and decolonial theory, mystical theology/Christian spirituality (especially asceticism and demonology, political and liberation theologies, and American Christianity. I have spoken internationally on matters of spirituality, theology, and justice and have also been a consultant on religion for a movie production company. 

I love talking, thinking, and writing about faith, justice, politics, spirituality, and the occasional movie. I love to teach. I also love traveling every chance I find, cooking all sorts of foods, and trying to learn yoga. I love gardening but kill most of what I touch. 

My spouse Joelinda and I live in the Boston area.  We enjoy opening our home for good food, good conversation, spiritual searching, and to all who hunger for justice, right, and wholeness in the world. 

My favorite ice cream is chocolate chip cookie dough and my favorite movie is What's Up Doc (1979) with Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal.