Bryan P. Stone (born 1959) is an American

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

who is the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at

Boston University School of Theology Boston University School of Theology (BUSTH) is the oldest theological seminary of American Methodism and the founding school of Boston University, the largest private research university in New England. It is one of thirteen theological school ...

, and a Co-director of the Center for Practical Theology. Stone writes on topics related to both

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topi ...

and

practical theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

. He is associated with both

postliberalism Postliberalism refers to a body of political thought which rejects liberal views on market economics and globalisation, and rejects individualist views on society. Postliberalism instead posits a communitarian worldview that promotes social solida ...

and

Christian pacifism Christian pacifism is the theological and ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is incompatible with the Christian faith. Chr ...

, having been influenced by thinkers such as

John Howard Yoder John Howard Yoder (December 27, 1927 – December 30, 1997) was an American Mennonite theologian and ethicist best known for his defense of Christian pacifism. His most influential book was '' The Politics of Jesus'', which was first published in ...

Stanley Hauerwas Stanley Martin Hauerwas (born July 24, 1940) is an American theologian, ethicist, and public intellectual. Hauerwas was a longtime professor at Duke University, serving as the Gilbert T. Rowe Professor of Theological Ethics at Duke Divinity School ...

Alasdair MacIntyre Alasdair Chalmers MacIntyre (; born 12 January 1929) is a Scottish-American philosopher who has contributed to moral and political philosophy as well as history of philosophy and theology. MacIntyre's '' After Virtue'' (1981) is one of the most ...

, and

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

, and in his earliest work with

liberation theology Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". In ...

and

process theology Process theology is a type of theology developed from Alfred North Whitehead's (1861–1947) process philosophy, most notably by Charles Hartshorne (1897–2000), John B. Cobb (b. 1925) and Eugene H. Peters (1929-1983). Process theology and pr ...

Background

Born December 8, 1959, Stone holds a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree from

Southern Nazarene University Southern Nazarene University (SNU) is a private Nazarene university in Bethany, Oklahoma. History The history of the institution is one of various mergers and, therefore, one of differing institutions. While SNU claims its founding date as ...

, a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...

degree from the

Nazarene Theological Seminary Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) is a Nazarene seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. The seminary was established by the Eleventh General Assembly in June 1944 and started its first school year in 1945 with 61 students. It moved to its current ...

, and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree from

Southern Methodist University , mottoeng = "The truth will make you free" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = SACS , academic_affiliations = , religious_affiliation = United Methodist Church , president = R. Gerald Turner , prov ...

. He specializes in research related to

evangelism In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of the ...

, congregational development, urban and multicultural ministry, popular culture, the relationship between

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and

film studies Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to cinema as an art form and a medium. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies. ...

, and

Wesleyan theology Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan– Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...

. Stone was ordained in the

Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the 19th-century Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism. It is headquartered in Lenexa within Johnson County, Kansas. With its members co ...

and has served as a pastor in the denomination. He co-founded "Liberation Community", a multicultural congregation and faith-based non-profit, and served there as pastor and executive director from 1985 to 1992. From 1993 to 1998 he served as Professor of Practical Theology at

Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...

Selected bibliography

Monographs
''Finding Faith Today.'' Cascade Books (2018).
''Evangelism After Pluralism.'' Baker Academic (2018).
''A Reader in Ecclesiology.'' Ashgate Publishing (2012).
''Sabbath in the City: Sustaining Urban Pastoral Excellence.'' Co-authored with Claire Wolfteich. Westminster John Knox Press (2008).
''Evangelism After Christendom: The Theology and Practice of Christian Witness.'' Brazos Press (2007).
''Thy Name and Thy Nature is Love.'' (Edited with

Thomas Jay Oord Thomas Jay Oord (born 1965) is a theologian, philosopher, and multidisciplinary scholar who directs a doctoral program at Northwind Theological Seminary and the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He formerly taught for sixteen years as a tenu ...

). Kingswood Press (2001).
''Faith and Film: Theological Themes at the Cinema.'' Chalice Press (2000).
''Compassionate Ministry: Theological Foundations.'' Orbis Books (1996).
''Effective Faith: A Critical Study of the Christology of Juan Luis Segundo.'' University Press of America (1994). Articles and Chapters
“Evangelistic Preaching: Bearing Witness to Beauty,” in Journal for Preachers 42:4 (2019). “Evangelism and Pluralism(s),” in Theologie für die Praxis 43 Jahrgang 2017, 67-83. “Trauma, Reality, and Eucharist,” in Stephanie Arel and Shelly Rambo, eds. Post-Traumatic Public Theology. Palgrave (2016)
“Interfaith Encounters in Popular Culture,” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 25:3, 403-15 (2013)
“The Ecclesiality of Mission in the Context of Empire,” in Viggo Mortensen and Andreas Østerlund Nielsen, eds. Walk Humbly with the Lord: Church and Mission Engaging Plurality. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans (2011)
“Discipleship and Empire,” in Paul W. Chilcote, ed. Making Disciples in a World Parish. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications (2010).
“The Apostles’ Creed in Film,” in Hans-Josef Klauck, et al, The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter (2009).
“Evil in Film,” in William Blizek, ed. Continuum Companion to Religion and Film. Continuum (2009), 310-322.
“Modern Protestant Approaches to Film (1960-present),” in John Lyden, ed. The Routledge Companion to Religion and Film. Routledge Press (2009).
“The Relevance of Popular Culture for Empirical Research in Practical Theology,” in Hans-Günter Heimbrock and Christopher Schultz, eds. Religion: Immediate Experience and the Mediacy of Research. Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht (2007)
“New Church Development,” in Stephen Gunter and Elaine Robinson, eds. Considering the Great Commission: Evangelism and Mission in the Wesleyan Spirit. Nashville: Abingdon (2005).
“Evangelization and Spirituality,” in Philip Sheldrake, ed., The New SCM Press Dictionary of Spirituality. London: SCM Press (2005).
"Online Resources in Theology and Religion," ''Quarterly Review'' (Winter, 2004).
"Divine Presence" in Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction to Issues.

, ed. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2003.
"Going to the Movies, Finding God," ''Zion's Herald'' (March/April, 2002)
"Hope and Happy Endings," ''Review and Expositor'' 99:1 (Winter), 37-50.
"The Sanctification of Fear: Images of the Religious in Horror Films,"''Journal of Religion and Film''
5:2 (October).
"AI: Blurring the Line Between Human and Machine," ''Research News and Opportunities in Science and Theology'' (August), 20.
"The Spirit and the Holy Life," ''Quarterly Review'' (Summer, 2001).
"Holiness and Hollywood," The Circuit Rider (May/June, 2000), 24-25.
"Theology and Film in Postmodern Culture: A Dialogue with Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction.
''Wesleyan Theological Journal''
35:1 (2000).
''Journal of Religion and Film''
3:1 (1999).
"Reclaiming the 'E' Word." ''Focus'' (Winter/Spring, 1999).
''Journal of Religion and Film''
2:2 (1998).

ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061205023134/http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyan_theology/theojrnl/ ''Wesleyan Theological Journal''(Fall, 1995), 108-138.
"A Prolegomenon to a Contemporary Theology of Urban Ministry." ''Connection'' (Fall, 1995).

References

External links

Bryan Stone's page at Boston University

Center for Practical Theology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Bryan P. 1959 births 20th-century American theologians 21st-century American theologians American Christian pacifists American Christian theologians American Nazarene ministers Azusa Pacific University faculty Boston University School of Theology faculty Living people Nazarene theologians Nazarene Theological Seminary alumni Practical theologians Southern Methodist University alumni Southern Nazarene University alumni Systematic theologians