I'm happy you're here.

Greetings! I’m a Quincy, Illinois native with a deep passion for storytelling, faith, and the transformative power of culture. My academic path started at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in English. I then pursued a Master of Arts in English at Old Dominion University in Virginia and, in 2012, completed a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Composition at Washington State University. And to marry my academic pursuits and faith, I earned a Master of Arts in Religion, which has profoundly shaped my teaching and scholarship. Today, I serve as Administrative Dean and Associate Professor of Theology and Culture at Urbana Theological Seminary, where I weave together my expertise in theology, culture, and narrative studies.

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My research is driven by a love for Jesus and a fascination with how cultural texts—especially films—reflect and shape our understanding of faith and humanity. I’m drawn to film’s ability to tell stories that stir the soul, believing that culture is a powerful catalyst for changing hearts by fostering shared experiences and sparking new ways of seeing. My scholarly work explores how narratives, particularly cinematic conversations, intersect with theology and culture, often focusing on how they reveal the beauty and truth of Christ’s teachings. Whether I’m teaching film, literature, rhetoric, or writing, or delving into my research, I aim to illuminate how stories connect us to each other and to God’s redemptive love.

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Outside academia, I treasure moments with my talented wife, Alyssa Durst, a fiction writer. Together with our four boys, we bond over our shared love of books, films, and hiking, always seeking inspiration in the stories and beauty around us. My life is guided by faith, curiosity, and a commitment to sharing the hope found in Jesus through every story I explore.​