Academic CV

Joel C. Daniels
joelcdaniels@gmail.com

Education

Boston University (2015)
Ph.D., Graduate Division of Religious Studies

The General Theological Seminary (2007)
Master of Divinity, cum laude
Thesis: “Theological Anthropology for a Scientific Age” (awarded J. Wilson Sutton Prize)

Columbia University (2000)
B.A., English
Thesis: “Religious Imagery in the Fiction of William Faulkner”

Monograph

Tragedy, Theology, and Suffering in Nature: Toward a Realist Doctrine of Creation (New York: Peter Lang). 2016. (link)

Refereed Journal Articles

“Inhabiting a Theological Imagination: Three Portraits from Parish Ministry.” Co-written with Lyndon Shakespeare and Robyn King. Anglican Theological Review 101(2). Spring, 2019.

Against Innocence, Against Evasion: Rowan Williams on Thinking and Speaking Tragedy.” Anglican Theological Review 100(2). Spring, 2018. (link)

“Rowan Williams on Sharia, Secularism, and Surprise.” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 49(3). Summer, 2014. (link)

“Christology, Evolution, and Cultural Change.” Anglican Theological Review 96(2). Summer, 2014. (link)

Refereed Book Chapters

“Tragedy and Resistance: Religious and Theological Studies for the Common Good,” in The Future of Religious and Theological Studies: What Is Our Responsibility as Public Intellectuals?, Christopher Fici, Gerald Vigna, and Sabrina D. MisirHiralall, eds. (Taylor & Francis, 2018). (link)

Signs and Signals: Ecclesial Life and the Cognitive Science of Religion, in Reasonable Radical? Reading the Writings of Martyn Percy, Ian Markham and Joshua Daniel, eds. (Wipf & Stock, 2018). (link)

“To Speak of Horrors: Preaching Suffering, Human and Divine,” in Preaching and the Theological Imagination, Zachary Guiliano and Cameron Partridge, eds. (Peter Lang Publishing, 2015). (link)

Co-edited Volume

What’s the Good of Humanity? Victor Lee Austin and Joel C. Daniels, eds. Pro Ecclesia Series (Wipf & Stock, 2020).

The Emerging Christian Minority, Victor Lee Austin and Joel C. Daniels, eds. Pro Ecclesia Series (Wipf & Stock, 2019).

Review Essay

The Costs of Victory.” Review essay of Philosophy and the Burden of Theological HonestyExplorations in Theology 5, The Problem of Metaphysics, and Borderlands of Theology, all by Donald MacKinnon, published in the Anglican Theological Review 95(1). Winter, 2013.

Reviews

Jesus in the Theology of Rowan Williams by Brett Gray, published in Modern Believing 61(1). Winter, 2020.

Art, Imagination, and Christian Hope: Patterns of Promise, edited by Trevor Hart, Gavin Hopps, and Jeremy Begbie, published in Louvain Studies 39(1).

Christian Theology and Tragedy: Theologians, Tragic Literature, and Tragic Theory, edited by Kevin Taylor and Giles Waller, published in the Anglican Theological Review 95(1). Winter, 2013.

Saving God: Religion After Idolatry by Mark Johnston, published in the Anglican Theological Review 92(4). Fall, 2010.

Christology and Science by F. LeRon Shults, published in the Anglican Theological Review 91(1). Winter, 2009.

Bodies and Souls? Or Spirited Bodies? by Nancey Murphy, published in the Anglican Theological Review 89(2). Spring, 2007.

Honors and Awards

Outstanding Teaching Fellow Award for AY 2010-2011
J. Wilson Sutton Prize for best senior thesis (2007)
William Heath Educational Scholarship (2005-2007)
Columbia University Dean’s List (1998-2000)

Grants and Fellowships

Institute for the Biocultural Study of Religion Postdoctoral Fellowship (2015-present)
Institute for the Biocultural Study of Religion Lindamood Fellowship (2010-2014)
Teaching Fellowship, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (AY 2010-2011)
Graduate Research Assistant Scholarship (AY 2009-2010)
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Scholarship (AY 2012-2013)
Scholarly Travel Award (2010, 2011, 2012)
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Scholarship (AY 2011-2012)

Academic Presentations

“Kings and merchants, beware: Revelation’s theology of anticipation.” Mid-Atlantic American Academy of Religion Meeting (Christian History and Theology section). New Brunswick, NJ. March 16, 2018.

“Christian spirituality and ancient literature: Reading the Gospels with the Greek tragedians.” Cathedral of St. John the Divine. New York, NY. November 27, 2017.

“Theological imagination as apocalyptic imagination: Revelation and the mission of God.” Society of Scholar-Priests. Christ Cathedral, Hartford, CT. June 14.

“Tragedy and resistance.” Mid-Atlantic American Academy of Religion Meeting (Arts and Religion section). New Brunswick, NJ. March 16, 2017.

“Signs and Signals: Ecclesial Life and the Cognitive Science of Religion.” Symposium on the work of Martin Percy. Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA. September 11-12, 2016.

“In a Perfect World: Pre- and Post-Critical Accounts of Life in Eden.” Mid-Atlantic American Academy of Religion Meeting (Christian History and Theology section). New Brunswick, NJ. March 10-11, 2016.

“Between Friday and Sunday: Does Christ’s Descent Matter for Human Suffering?” Duke Graduate Conference in Theology. Duke University, Durham North Carolina. October 4, 2014.

“Addressing Natural Evil, Before and After Darwin.” Mid-Atlantic American Academy of Religion Meeting (Christian History and Theology section). Mt. Saint Mary College, Newburgh, New York. March 7-9, 2014.

“Rowan Williams on Shari’a, Secularism, and Suffering.” Presentation at the American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting (Christian Systematic Theology section). Chicago, Illinois. November 19, 2012.

“Rowan Williams on Shari’a, Secularism, and Suffering.” Presentation at “Understanding Religious Pluralism.” Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. May 23, 2012.

“To Speak of Horrors: Preaching Suffering, Human and Divine.” Presentation at “Preaching and the Theological Imagination: Second Annual New England Anglican Studies Conference.” Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, Massachusetts. April 20, 2012.

“Rowan Williams on Shari’a, Secularism, and Suffering.” Presentation at the American Academy of Religion Mid-Atlantic Regional Meeting. New Brunswick, New Jersey. March 15, 2012.

“The doctrine of the soul in a scientific world.” Presentation at “The Path of Discovery: Science, Theology, and the Academy.” Pepperdine University, Malibu, California. June 16, 2011.

“Christology and ecclesiology in the thought of Rowan Williams and Robert Jenson.” Presentation at “Ecclesiology and Exclusion: Fifth Annual International Conference of the Ecclesiological Investigations Research Network.” University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio. May 18, 2011.

“Finding Values in Christianity.” Invited respondent to F. LeRon Shults, “The Problem of Good (and Evil): Arguing about Axiological Origins in Science and Religion.” Boston University. May 16, 2011.

“Putting the margins at the center: Rowan Williams’ kenotic ecclesiology.” Presentation at “Marginal Persons and the Margins of Personhood.” Fordham University, New York, New York. April 30, 2011.

“We go on saying God: Rowan Williams and the program of modern secularism.” Presentation at the University of Virginia Graduate Colloquium on Theology, Ethics, and Culture. Charlottesville, Virginia. April 15, 2011.

“The evolutionary roots of religion.” Lecture to RN 239 at Boston University. April 12, 2011.

“Who will you say that I am? What Darwin has meant – and will mean – for Christology.” Presentation to the Zygon Center for Religion and Science Symposium on Science and Spirituality. Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. March 25, 2011.

“Our heart is restless: Meditation and the origin of our species.” Presentation to the Zygon Center for Religion and Science Symposium on Science and Spirituality, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. April 16, 2010.

Teaching Experience

Adjunct Instructor, The General Theological Seminary
Modern Anglican Thought (Fall 2018)
The Theology of Rowan Williams (Spring 2019)

Adjunct Instructor, Fordham University
Faith and Critical Reason (Spring 2018)

Service to the Profession

Associate Director, Center for Catholic and Evangelical Theology (2016-2017)

Assistant Editor, Religion, Brain & Behavior (2015-present)

Professional Associations

American Academy of Religion
Society of Scholar-Priests

We go on saying God: Rowan Williams and the program of modern secularism