School of Theology Faculty

Faculty Profiles

Douglass StrongDouglas M. Strong

Dean and Professor of the History of Christianity
B.A., Houghton College, 1978; M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary, 1981; Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary, 1990. At SPU since 2007.

Email: dstrong@spu.edu
Phone: 206-281-2473
Office: Alexander 204A

Doug Strong came to SPU from Wesley Theological Seminary, in Washington, D.C., where he taught church history for 18 years and was also the associate dean for church relations.

Dr. Strong’s field of study is American religious history, particularly the history of 19th-century revivalism and social reform. He is a past president of the Wesleyan Theological Society, a co-convener of the History of Methodism Working Group of the Oxford Institute of Methodist Theological Studies, and is on the Steering Committee of the Wesleyan Studies Group of the American Academy of Religion.

Since 1999, Dr. Strong has led students on numerous trips to Russia. He has taught four times at the Theological Seminary of the Russian Methodist Church, and served on that school’s board of trustees. He has also taught at two theological schools in Korea. He is committed to intercultural learning as essential for students preparing to live out their Christian vocation in a global society.

Dr. Strong is an ordained clergyman in the United Methodist Church and served for eight years as a pastor in East Brunswick, New Jersey. He is especially interested in reviving the Wesleyan practice of small-group accountable discipleship among today’s Christians.

Selected Publications:
  • Reclaiming the Wesleyan Tradition: John Wesley’s Sermons for Today (Discipleship Resources, 2007).
  • Perfectionist Politics: Abolitionism and the Religious Tensions of American Democracy (Syracuse, 1999).
  • They Walked in the Spirit: Personal Faith and Social Action in America (Westminster John Knox, 1997).
  • Readings in Christian Ethics: A Historical Sourcebook (Westminster John Knox, 1996).

What’s New

SPU student raises hand in class

Looking Ahead

M.A./M.Div. applications for Spring Admissions are due Feb. 15.

 

Dr. Kenda Creasy Dean will be speaking at the Palmer Lecture, May 6-7.

She will also be speaking at the Church Leaders Forum, May 6.

 

Lilly Fellows Program Summer Seminar


Annual Events

Paul T. Walls Lecture in Wesleyan Theology

Alfred S. Palmer Lectureship

Ministry in the Wesleyan Spirit Conference