Asbury Announces School of Christian Studies

April 1, 2024

On June 1, the Asbury University Department of Christian Studies & Philosophy will become the School of Christian Studies. Professor of Theology and Wesley Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Brian Shelton ’89 will serve as the dean for the School, combining theory and application for innovative ministry.

“As a Christian Liberal Arts University, and in addition to the suite of relevant and varied academic offerings, Asbury has always emphasized the missional importance and enduring timelessness of rigorous Biblical and theological education,” said Asbury University President Dr. Kevin Brown. “Advancing from a Department to a School of Christian Studies offers new opportunities to uniquely equip and prepare students for a life of ministry and service, and to enhance our mission of academic excellence and spiritual vitality.”

Shelton brings 20 years of higher education experience as professor and academic dean to the new School. With a Ph.D. in historical theology from Saint Louis University, his areas of interest include the early church in Rome, patristic exegesis, martyrdom, and Italian religious history. Shelton is a CCCU Leadership Development Institute Fellow, a Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellow, and a senior fellow with the John and Charles Wesley Center for Christian Thought.

“Christian Studies is an instrumental component to any Christian liberal arts university, providing a foundation of biblical, theological, and philosophical thought to the curriculum for every student,” Shelton said. “This has long been the case for Asbury, whether students major in ministry or experience an initiation into Christian thinking. With the advancement to a new School of Christian Studies, these faith-based initiatives can find new application in the vision for an innovative ministry graduate degree, the elevation of these programs to higher level in university life, and the strengthening of biblical and theological training.”

Asbury Bible-Theology professors continue to advance the field. In January, four faculty participated in the John Wesley Institute’s New Methodism Summit II in Alexandria, Va., to craft a document on Wesleyan values related to the topic of holiness and to offer theological guidance to a Methodist church in transition. Learn more: https://www.asbury.edu/life/news-events/news/2024/02/08/methodism-summit/.

Earlier this year, Professor of New Testament Dr. Suzanne Nicholson participated in Revival Roundtable, a five-part video series produced by City on a Hill Productions. The roundtable discussion included Nicholson, Andy Erwin (director of Jesus Revolution), pastors Mason Tanner and CZ Zackery, and author-minister John Bevere. Watch the series here: https://watch.qava.tv/at-the-table-revival.

The Asbury University Christian Studies & Philosophy Department offers seven majors and six minors for traditional undergraduate students, including Youth Ministry, Bible-Theology, Intercultural Studies, and Pastoral Ministries. The Online program offers a major in Leadership and Ministry: https://www.asbury.edu/academics/degrees/online/leadership-ministry/.