Before coming to Valparaiso in 2004 I taught at Concordia University, Portland (1994-2004). My academic interest is modern Christian theology, although I teach courses that attempt to engage the Christian tradition in its breadth and scope, including especially the history of Lutheran theology.

I have published a book-length treatment of one of the most important Protestant theologians of the 19th century, Johannes von Hofmann, The Self-Giving God and Salvation History (T&T Clark, 2004). In addition I have written monographs on several important 20th-century theologians and have contributed articles on Lutheran theology to The New Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology (forthcoming).

I currently serve as the director of Valparaiso University's study center in Reutlingen, Germany. Here I teach a course on Martin Luther and J. S. Bach and one on German life and culture. I am also writing a book on the history of Lutheran theology.

The epigraph to the published edition of the Jefferson Lecture by the most famous person to have taught at Valparaiso University, Jaroslav Pelikan's Vindication of Tradition, is a quote from Goethe's Faust (here translated): "What you have inherited from your fathers, acquire it in order to make it your own." Following Pelikan's own example, I have tried to make this aphorism the motto of my work as teacher and scholar.

Personal Interests

My wife, our 8-year-old son, and I enjoy traveling in Europe. The photo (below) of my son and me was taken last summer on the Neckar River in Tübingen.