Education
- Ph.D. in Philosophy, Baylor University
- Dissertation: 'Virtues, Divine Commands, and the Debt of Creation: Towards a Kierkegaardian Christian Ethic'
- M.A. in Philosophy, Texas A&M University
- Thesis: 'Resting Transparently: Kierkegaardian Conceptions of Freedom, Despair, Suffering, and Faith'
- B.A. in Philosophy, Hendrix College
Selected Publications
- Sinners in the Presence of a Loving God: An Essay on the Problem of Hell. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019).
- "Kierkegaard," in The Cambridge History of Moral Philosophy, eds. Sacha Golob and Jens Timmermann (Cambridge University Press, 2017): 459-471
- "Soren Kierkegaard," coauthored with C. Stephen Evans, in The Routledge Companion to Modern Christian Thought, eds. Chad Meister and James Beilby (Routledge, 2013): 73-85.
- Philosophy of Religion: Thinking About Faith, Second Edition, coauthored with C. Stephen Evans (Downers Grove, IN: IVP Academic, 2009). Translated and published in Russian (Moscow: Saint Tikhon' University Press, 2011), in Turkish (Istanbul: Ankara Okulu Basim Yayim, 2010), and in Korean (Christian Literature Crusade, 2014).
- “‘Eternity Will Nail Him to Himself’: The Logic of Damnation in Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death,” Religious Studies 52(3): 287 – 314, September 2016.
- “The Doxastic Problem of Hell,” in Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Religion, Vol. 6, ed. Jonathan L. Kvanvig (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2015): 203 – 223.
- “The Problem of Epistemic Luck for Naturalists,” Philo 17(1), 59 – 76, Spring-Summer 2014.
- “Johannes Climacus on Coming into Existence: The Problem of Modality in Kierkegaard’s Fragments and Postscript,” Kierkegaard Studies Yearbook, 2013(1), 107 – 129.
Selected Presentations
- "Reflections on the Temptation of Christ: The Problem of Perfect Virtue," presented at the 2018 Biennial meeting of the Baptist Association of Philosophy Teachers (Wingate, NC, October 2018).
- “Rethinking Eternal Punishment: The Divine Presence Model,” presented at the 2016 Society of Christian Philosophers (SCP) Midwest Regional Conference (Springfield, MO, September 2016) and the 2018 Rethinking Hell Conference (Dallas, TX, 2018).
- “‘Eternity will nail him to himself’: The Logic of Damnation in Kierkegaard’s The Sickness unto Death,” presented at the 2013 Baylor Symposium on Faith and Culture (Waco, TX, October-November 2013).
- "Kierkegaard and Evans on the Problem of Abraham,” presented at the 2010 American Academy of Religion (AAR) Annual Meeting (Atlanta, GA, October 2010)
- “Kierkegaard and Contemporary Philosophy,” presented at the Sixth International Kierkegaard Conference (Northfield, MN, June 27 – July 1, 2010)
- “A Molinist Solution to the Problem of Divine Freedom,” presented at the 2009 American Philosophical Association (APA) Central Division meeting (Chicago, IL, February 2009)
- “Kierkegaard on the Problem of Abraham,” presented at the 2008 American Philosophical Association (APA) Central Division meeting (Chicago, IL, April 2008)
- “Kierkegaard and Divine Command Theory: A Reply to Evans,” presented at the 2007 American Philosophical Association (APA) Central Division meeting (Chicago, IL, April 2007)
- “On Moral and Religious Obligations: Some Problems for Metaethical Divine Command Theories,” presented at the 2006 American Philosophical Association (APA) Central Division meeting (Chicago, IL, April 2006)
Professional Organizations
- Baptist Association of Philosophy Teachers
- President (2014 - 2016)
- Society of Christian Philosophers
- American Philosophical Association
- American Academy of Religion
- Kierkegaard Society (USA)
- Southwestern Philosophical Society
- Phi Beta Kappa
Honors and Awards
- SBU Merit Bonus recipient
- SBU sabbatical recipient
- Southwestern Philosophical Society President’s Award (2003)
- Phi Beta Kappa (inducted May 2000)
Church/Community Service
- Attends First Baptist Church, Bolivar
- Encounter Worship Team