Teaching- ThD – Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts

Duke Divinity’s Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) program provides students with academically rigorous training informed by an understanding of theology as critical reflection on Christian practice and belief in the light of Holy Scripture.

Entering students work within theological disciplines such as Bible, church history, theology, ethics, homiletics, and Christian formation, and also at the intersection of these disciplines with fields such as political science, peacemaking and reconciliation, medicine, and the arts. The program is intentionally interdisciplinary, and students have access to the resources of both the wider university and partner institutions (including UNC-Chapel Hill, NC Central University, and NC State University).

Like the Ph.D., Th.D. at Duke is a rigorous research degree. The most immediate difference between the two is that the Ph.D. is awarded and supported by the Graduate School of the University, while the Th.D. is awarded through and supported by the Divinity School.

While many Divinity School faculty members are also members of the University’s Graduate Program in Religion (GPR), the Th.D. allows students to pursue their study under the direction of any regular-rank Divinity School faculty member–including those in disciplinary areas that fall outside of the purview of the GPR, such as homiletics, evangelism, and Christian formation.

We are now accepting applications for the Bowden ThD Scholarship in the Visual Arts, which provides five years of funding, including additional funds to support research and travel during the dissertation. More information is available here.

Program Overview

Duke Initiatives in Theology and the Arts is committed to establishing rigorous programs of study in theology and the arts at Duke Divinity School. One of the possible areas of concentration within Duke’s Th.D. program is theology and the arts, working with Professor Jeremy Begbie and distinguished faculty in the field. At any one time, DITA typically works with six students in the Th.D. program. The Th.D. provides students with academically rigorous training comparable to the demands of the Ph.D.

Year of Study: 3
Field of Study: Contemporary Visual Arts

Christina Carnes Ananias’ research focuses on the particular contributions that modernist and contemporary visual art bring to the practice of theology, and how theology informs the interpretation and practice of art-making. Carnes Ananias received her M.T.S at Duke Divinity School.

Year of Study: 4
Fields of Study: History of Contemporary Praise and Worship, Worship and Culture

Adam Perez’s research contributes to a growing field of research on evangelical and charismatic worship and their use of the arts. His dissertation highlights the impact of one series of pentecostal-charismatic worship conferences to the spread of praise and worship theology in the 1980s. Perez earned a M.A. in religion and the arts from Yale Divinity School and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and a B.A. in music education from Trinity Christian College.

Year of Study: 3
Fields of Study: Liturgical Studies, Theology and the Arts

Glenn Stallsmith’s research interests include the praise and worship movement within the worldwide church, a subject he previously studied as an ethnomusicologist in the Philippines. Stallsmith’s dissertation focuses on the practice of extemporaneous prayer with American evangelical worship services. In addition to being a full-time student, Stallsmith is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church and the pastor of two congregations.

Year of Study: 1
Fields of Study: Poetry and Poetics, Philosophy and Theology of Language

Brett Stonecipher works on philosophical and theological accounts of language, and poetry in particular. His research traces connections and kinships between ancient spiritual practices, philosophical treatments of language, and modern and contemporary poetry. Stonecipher studied literature as an undergraduate and worked as a journalist and teacher prior to earning his M.T.S. from Duke.

Year of Study: 1
Field of Study: Contemporary Christian Worship

Debbie Wong is interested in the theology that shapes worship practices–and vice versa–with an emphasis on charismatic and contemporary praise and worship. Wong’s research traces the development of these ways of worship with a particular eye towards Southeast Asia. Wong was, and remains, a practitioner of worship long before becoming a scholar of worship and received her M.Div. from Duke Divinity School.

Duke Divinity School’s Th.D. program boasts a superb placement rate, with graduates working at institutions such as United Theological Seminary, Duke Divinity School Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, Fuller Theological Seminary, Baylor University, Loyola University Maryland, Eastern Mennonite University, North Park University, Westmont College, Abilene Christian University, Loyola University Chicago, and Whitworth University.

Director of Brehm Texas and Assistant Professor of Theology and Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary

David O. Taylor received his Th.D. from Duke Divinity School in 2014. His dissertation, “Feeding and Forming: John Calvin, Materiality, and the Flourishing of the Liturgical Arts” was written under the direction of Professor Jeremy Begbie. Taylor joined the Fuller faculty that same year as an assistant professor of theology and culture as well as the Director of Brehm Texas, an initiative to revitalize the church and the arts. His most recent book is The Theater of God’s Glory: Calvin, Creation, and the Liturgical Arts (Eerdmans, 2017).

Assistant Professor of Theological Studies at Bethany Theological Seminary

Joelle Hathaway received her doctor of theology from Duke Divinity School in 2018 with a focus on theology and the arts and an emphasis in ecotheology and liturgical studies. Hathaway’s dissertation, written under the direction of Professor Jeremy Begbie, was entitled “Offering a Sacrifice of Praise: Human Vocation, Culture-Making, and Cultivating a Sabbath Imagination.” Over the past ten years, she has held leadership roles for multiple events through DITA and is awaiting publication of an article in the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception and two essays for online symposia.