Department of Religion and Philosophy


Faculty
	Dr. Jeffery Kinlaw Professor of Religion and Philosophy Phone: (325) 793-3897 Email: jkinlaw@mcm.edu Dr. Kinlaw discusses the purpose of government on the KWKC radio program “The Professors” Ph.D., University of Virginia M.Div., Southern Baptist Seminary B.A., Wake Forest University McMurry’s philosophy program is anchored by Dr. Jeffery Kinlaw. His expertise is wide-ranging, for he has taught classes from ancient to modern philosophy, from Socrates to Heidegger. He regularly teaches courses on political philosophy and free will. Kinlaw is particularly interested in German philosophy of the late 18th and early 19th centuries — Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schleiermacher. His active scholarship is demonstrated in his numerous articles and conference papers. Most recently, he co-edited The State of Schleiermacher Scholarship Today: Selected Essays.
	Dr. Philip LeMasters Professor of Religion, Director of the Honors Program Phone: (325) 793-3898 Email: plemasters@mcm.edu Listen to Dr. LeMasters lecture on Acts (from his online Introduction to Christianity class) Watch Dr. LeMasters Intro to Christianity Course Overview Watch Dr. LeMasters Biomedical Course Overview Watch Dr. LeMasters Catholic Course Overview Watch Dr. LeMasters Ethics Course Overview Ph.D., Duke University M.A., Rice University B.A., Baylor University Dr. LeMasters’ teaching and research focus on Christian theology and ethics. He is particularly interested in helping his students grow intellectually and spiritually through the study of classic texts in the Christian tradition. His courses require critical thinking, informed discussion, and research on perennial faith issues. Dr. LeMasters’ books, essays, and reviews address a variety of topics in moral theology, including biomedical, political, and sexual ethics. His fourth book, Toward a Eucharistic Vision of Church, Family, Marriage, and Sex, was published in 2004. Dr. LeMasters joined the McMurry faculty in 1995 after teaching at Wake Forest University and Northeast Missouri State University. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, the American Academy of Religion, and the Society of Christian Ethics, Dr. LeMasters has served on the Board of Directors of the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies. He received the Bennett Award for Excellence in Teaching, Service, and Leadership in 2000, has held the Turner Distinguished Chair in Religion, and has chaired McMurry's Curriculum Committee. Since 1998, he has served as the Director of the Honors Program.
	Rev. Bill Libby Assistant Professor of Religion and History Phone: (325) 793-4637 Email: blibby@mcm.edu M.A., Kansas State University M.Div., Drew University B.A., Texas A&M University Mr. Libby teaches Old Testament and is especially interested in its relevance and application in the modern world. After graduation from Texas A&M and Drew Theological School, Libby was Ordained in the United Methodist Church and served as a Chaplain in the US Army. His service included assignments in Europe, Asia, and the United States. During those years he also completed a degree in American Diplomatic History (Kansas State) and was admitted to the doctoral program in American Studies at the University of Maryland. Later he completed the US Army’s program in Organizational Behavior and the Executive Program in Human Resources Management at Columbia University. He concluded his military service by serving on the faculty of the National Defense University. Mr. Libby has been at McMurry University since 1996. He began and coached the Cross-country teams (1996-2003) and is involved in ongoing summer archaeological work in Jordan.
	Dr. John B. Miller Assistant Professor of Religion Phone: (325) 793-3896 Email: jbmiller@mcm.edu M.Div., Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary B.A., University of California, Berkeley Dr. Miller’s teaching focuses on biblical studies and Koiné Greek. His courses introduce students to critical analysis of the Bible and to the realm of Biblical theology, in which questions of “dogma” and “doctrine” give way to an appreciation of the remarkable diversity of the biblical witness and the implications of this diversity for theological reflection. Dr. Miller’s current research focuses on dreams and visions in the Bible and in other ancient literature, including considerations of religious experience and the rhetoric of revelation. His first monograph, *Convinced That God Called Us: Dreams, Visions, and the Perception of God’s Will in Luke-Acts*, was published in 2007. Dr. Miller joined the McMurry faculty in 2004 after teaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. A member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Fulbright recipient, Dr. Miller participates actively in the Society of Biblical Literature and the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies. He is the advisor for the McMurry pre-ministerial program.
	Dr. Bryan Stewart Assistant Professor of Religion Phone: (325) 793-3899 Email: stewart.bryan@mcm.edu Ph.D., University of Virginia M.Div., Covenant Theological Seminary B.A., Grove City College Dr. Stewart joins the McMurry faculty after serving a two-year appointment as a teaching and research fellow with the Lilly Fellows Program at Valparaiso University. He currently teaches the history of Christian thought, with an emphasis on the beliefs and practices of Christians in the patristic and early medieval eras. Dr. Stewart is also interested in the ways early Christians have appropriated and interpreted the Biblical canon and has offered several courses on this subject. All of Dr. Stewart’s classes emphasize the importance of students engaging first-hand with the primary sources of the Christian tradition. Dr. Stewart’s current research focuses on the Gospel of John in the ancient Christian interpretive tradition, and he is under contract as the editor of the Gospel of John volume in The Church’s Bible series (published by Eerdmans). This forthcoming volume will provide editorial remarks and freshly translated selections of patristic and early medieval commentaries and homilies on the fourth gospel. An active member of the North American Patristics Society, the American Academy of Religion, and the Society of Biblical Literature, Dr. Stewart has presented a number of conference papers and has two articles forthcoming in separate collections of essays put out by Peter Lang and T&T Clark International.

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