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Douglas (Jake) Jacobsen Distinguished Professor of Church History and Theology Learning—and teaching—about the ways that Christians throughout history and around the globe have interacted with the cultures in which they live has been the driving force in my academic life. I am currently working on two major projects. The first focuses on Christianity as a world religion. Currently, a third of the world’s population is Christian (more than 2 billion people). About 60% of these Christians live in Africa, Asia, and Latin America; the other 40% live in Europe and North America. The experiences of Christians in these different regions of the world sometimes differ dramatically, as do their beliefs and religious practices. This fascinating diversity is explained in my new book The World’s Christians: Who they are, Where they are, and How they got there (Wiley/Blackwell, 2011). My second area of special interest is religion and higher education, work that I pursue in partnership with my wife, Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen, co-director of the “Religion in the Academy” project. This project, funded by the Lilly Endowment, examines the many ways that religion and religious-like concerns are embedded in the core values and practices of higher education in America. After speaking with hundreds of people from dozens of colleges, universities, and higher education organizations, we are more convinced than ever that giving careful and nuanced attention to religion will enhance the education provided by institutions of higher learning whether they are public or private. Our conclusions will be elaborated in a forthcoming book, entitled Religion Matters: Higher Education for the 21st Century (Oxford University Press, forthcoming 2012). Other recent publications in this area of interest include Scholarship and Christian Faith (Oxford, 2004) and The American University in a Postsecular Age (Oxford, 2008). I continue to be interested in the history of the Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. See Thinking in the Spirit (Indiana University Press, 2003) and A Reader in Pentecostal Theology (Indiana University Press, 2006). And, as a theologian, I remain committed to explaining Christian beliefs and practices in ways that bend toward the gracious rather than the pugnacious. See Gracious Christianity (Baker Academic, 2006).
Education: Contact Information: Ph.D., 1983 Messiah College The University of Chicago Box 3053 The University of Chicago Phone: (717) 796-1800 ext.3020 B.A., 1973 Fax: (717) 796-4790 Wheaton College |
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