Candler Welcomes New and Visiting Faculty, Celebrates Promotions

With the arrival of the 2018-2019 academic year, Candler School of Theology welcomes new and visiting faculty to its ranks, and celebrates promotions of current faculty.

Antonio Alonso joins the faculty as assistant professor of theology and culture and director of Candler's new Catholic Studies program. Alonso received his MA from Loyola Marymount University and his PhD from Emory University. He works at the intersection of theology and culture, with a particular focus on worship and ritual practices. Alonso's current research centers on the relationship between consumer culture and Eucharist as well as the theological implications of the work of Michel de Certeau. His articles have appeared in a range of journals including Modern Theology, Worship, and Liturgy. In addition to his scholarly work, he is a widely published composer of liturgical music in both English and Spanish; his music appears in hymnals across denominations throughout the world.

Alison Greene joins the faculty as associate professor of American religious history. Greene comes to Candler from Mississippi State University, where she has taught as assistant professor of history since 2010. She received her MA, MPhil, and PhD in History from Yale University. Her research and teaching interests include American religious history, African American religious history, religion and the environment, Southern history, and the social, cultural, and political history of the U.S. since the Civil War. She is the author of No Depression in Heaven: The Great Depression, the New Deal, and the Transformation of Religion in the Delta (Oxford, 2016). She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Southern Religion and Journal of Agricultural History. She is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the American Historical Association, and the American Society of Church History, among others.

Susan B. Reynolds joins the faculty as assistant professor of Catholic studies. Reynolds comes to Candler from Belmont Abbey College, where she was a lecturer in theology. She earned her MEd from the University of Notre Dame and her MTS and PhD from Boston College. Her research examines the relationship between ritual and solidarity, particularly in contexts of difference, marginality, and suffering. She also writes and speaks extensively on topics related to theology and suffering, particularly the experience of pregnancy loss. Reynolds is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Catholic Theological Society of America, among others. 

Candler's Baptist Studies program will be co-directed by Assistant Dean of Worship and Music Khalia J. Williams and Damon P. Williams, senior pastor of Providence Missionary Baptist Church, who joins the faculty as assistant professor in the practice of practical ministry. Damon Williams earned his PhD in industrial and operations engineering from the University of Michigan, and his MDiv from Columbia Theological Seminary. He serves on the boards of Columbia Theological Seminary and Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters, as well as Candler's Baptist Studies Advisory Board.

Darryl Trimiew joins the Candler faculty as interim director of Black Church Studies and visiting professor of Christian ethics. Trimiew is Professor Emeritus of Religion in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Medgar Evers College and former dean of Black Church Studies at Colgate Rochester Crozier Divinity School. He received his JD from Rutgers School of Law, his MA from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, and his PhD from Emory University. Trimiew is the author of Voices of the Silenced: The Responsible Self in a Marginalized Community (Pilgrim Press, 1993) and God Bless the Child That's Got Its Own: The Economic Rights Debate (Scholars Press, 1997). He is a member of the American Academy of Religion and the Society for the Study of Black Religion, editor of the Journal of Law and Religion, and past president of the Society of Christian Ethics.

Candler also welcomes distinguished visiting faculty members to campus in a variety of roles:

Ryan Bonfiglio, John H. Stembler Scholar in Residence at First Presbyterian (USA) Church of Atlanta and lecturer in Old Testament at Columbia Theological Seminary, will teach part-time as visiting assistant professor of Old Testament. He previously served as adjunct instructor of Old Testament and director of the writing center at Candler.

Alan Culpepper, Dean Emeritus of McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University, will be on campus as distinguished visiting professor of New Testament during the spring 2019 semester.

Dominic Erdozain, lecturer in the history of Christianity and director of the Theology and Ministry MA Programmes at King's College London, comes to Candler as scholar-in-residence.

Walter Fluker, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Ethical Leadership at Boston University School of Theology, is this year's distinguished visiting professor in the Alonzo L. McDonald Family Chair on the Life and Teachings of Jesus and Their Impact on Culture. In this role, Fluker will offer two public lectures and teach a course. Fluker also serves as the editor of the Howard Thurman Papers Project and as director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Initiative for the Development of Ethical Leadership at Boston University School of Theology.

Kwok Pui Lan, distinguished visiting professor of theology, and Shlomo C. Pill, visiting assistant professor of Islamic, Jewish, and American religion and law continue their time at Candler this year.

In addition to these new faces, Dean Jan Love has announced two faculty promotions: Karen D. Scheib has been promoted to Professor of Pastoral Care and Pastoral Theology, and Thomas W. Elliott Jr.has been promoted to Associate Professor in the Practice of Practical Theology.

Candler kicks off the new school year on August 30 with fall convocation, featuring Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as distinguished guest speaker.