Lauren Calvin Cooke

Dr. Lauren Calvin Cooke is a scholar in the fields of religious education and youth ministry. Her primary focus in research and teaching is the practice of biblical education that blends robust biblical scholarship with liberative pedagogy. She earned a Ph.D. in religious education from Emory University, an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in theology and ministry from Lipscomb University. She has published multiple articles on the practice of religious education and youth ministry, including “Finding Joy in an Unjust World: Practicing Deep Joy in Youth Ministry,” which won a 2018 essay award from Yale Divinity School and was later published in the Journal of Youth Ministry. She serves as the book review editor for the Journal of Youth and Theology.

Calvin Cooke has taught at Candler in various capacities, including as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Practice of Religious Education (2023-24), Interim Director of Religious Education (2019-20, 2023-24), and Assistant Director of the Youth Theological Initiative’s Summer Academy (2019). She also serves as the associate minister at Northlake Church of Christ in Tucker, GA.

CHAPTERS AND ARTICLES

“Reimagining the Takeaway as an Invitation to Wonder,” Religious Education: The Official Journal of the Religious Education Association