The Richard John Mouw Institute of Faith and Public Life
Faithfully Public...
Politics and religion, racism and sexuality, technology and trade—the global church is facing a wide range of complex public issues. At the Mouw Institute we are convinced that these important questions require careful theological reflection and discussion.
We exist to advance theological research and collaboration around the public issues facing the church today. To that end we support a diverse community of scholars and doctoral students working in the field of “public theology.” Together we convene important conversations and produce the research and resources that Christians need to faithfully engage the global public square.
The Mouw Institute was established in honor of Fuller Seminary’s long-time president and professor of faith and public life, Dr. Richard Mouw. As one of the world’s leading voices in Reformed public theology, Mouw’s emphasis on faithful Christian engagement in public life serves as a guiding light for our work. Read more about Richard Mouw.
A Public Gospel: Evangelicals, Neo-Calvinists, and Society
In May 2025 an interdisciplinary collection of scholars and students from around the world will gather in Sao Paulo, Brazil to explore and interrogate the relationship between these two traditions and their respective approaches to faith and public life, especially in South America.
Read more about the conference in:
People
Matthew Kaemingk
Director and Chair,
Mouw Institute of Faith and Public Life
Sebastian Kim
Academic Advisor,
Robert Wiley Chair of Renewal and Public Life
Shadi Hamid
Assistant Research Professor of Islamic Studies
Jose Abraham
Associate Professor of Islamic Studies,
Academic Advisor of Islamic Studies Initiatives
Katie Roelofs
Project Director,
Worship for Workers
Marie Blair
Administrative Specialist
Mouw Institute
Scholars in Residence
Kyle David Bennett is Director of Education at Beverly Heights Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Previously he was Associate Professor of Philosophy and Adjunct Professor of Theology and Ethics. He is the author of Practices of Love: Spiritual Disciplines for the Life of the World (Brazos Press, 2017) and is currently working on a “field guide” to Christian disagreement. Kyle has served as an Elder in the Reformed Church of America and Presbyterian Church of America, and is currently an endorsed ordinand. Kyle has a B.A. in Ministry and Philosophy from Geneva College, an M.A. in Theology, and a Ph.D. in Philosophical Theology from Fuller Seminary. Kyle lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Andrea, and their three children: Elliott, Miles, and Calvin.
Robert Covolo (PhD VU Amsterdam) is a cultural theologian residing in Los Angeles. He has served as a scholar at the Visual Faith Institute of Art and Architecture, as faculty at the Torrey Honors Institute, and currently serves as the Director of Vocational Discipleship at The Center for Faith and Work Los Angeles, as a Tutor at the Honors College, Azusa Pacific University, and as the director of the Center for Pastoral Residents, Christ Church Sierra Madre.
Jessica Joustra (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary, Free University of Amsterdam) is assistant professor of religion and theology and director of the Albert M. Wolters Centre for Christian Scholarship at Redeemer University. She is also an associate researcher at the Neo-Calvinist Research Institute at the Theological University of Kampen (NL)
Doctoral Fellows
Oladipo Adedeji is a PhD student in Clinical Psychology concentrating in neuropsychology. He earned his B.S. in psychology from Bowie State University and his M.S. in pastoral counseling from Loyola University Maryland. At Fuller under the guidance of Dr. Anne Nolty and Dr. Amano, Oladipo seeks to research spiritual and religious coping in Black and African American children and youth exposed to trauma (e.g., modern slavery and human trafficking) using neuropsychological assessment tools.
Justin Adour is pursuing his Ph.D. under the supervision of Matthew Kaemingk. Together with his wife, Justin planted, and now pastors, Redeemer East Harlem in New York City. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on intercultural studies, urban missiology, and biblical studies. He also holds a Doctor of Ministry degree from North Park Theological Seminary, focusing on ethical ministry methodologies in urban contexts. Justin's research interest is Reformed public theology and its contributions to theologically-rooted social action in urban centers.
Greta L. Bennett is a doctoral student in Public Theology under the mentorship of Dr. Sebastian Kim. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, she received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University, a Master of Public Administration from Troy State University, and a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. Her research focuses on the intersection of public theology and public policy as it relates to African American Women’s Healthcare. Greta is active in several nonprofit organizations, a published author, and leads the Doctoral Women’s Student Group on campus.
Gregory Conarroe is a PhD student in Intercultural Studies under the supervision of Dr Sebastian Kim. His research focuses on public debates about the history and legacy of Christian missions to California’s Indigenous peoples. Before coming to Fuller he received an MSc in World Christianity from the University of Edinburgh, and studied cultural anthropology as an undergraduate at Wheaton College (IL).
Ednardo Duarte is pursuing his PhD in Public Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary under the supervision of Dr. Matthew Kaemingk. Originally from Brazil, he earned a Bachelor in Theology from Seminário Bíblico Palavra da Vida and Faculdades Batista do Paraná, and a ThM in Theology from Faculdades EST. His research interests are in the Dutch Neo-Calvinist movement and its reception in Brazil, as well as education, and spiritual formation. Ednardo also holds a MBA in People Management, is a Baptist pastor, director of Gramado Theological Seminary and coordinator of TeachBeyond Global Transformational Education Centre in the South of Brazil.
Eshak Estafanous is a PhD candidate in Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. He serves as the pastor in Ramadan City Egypt. He holds a BA and ThM in Theology from the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo and an MA in Intercultural Reformed Theology from the Reformed Theological University of Kampen, the Netherlands. His area of interest is contextual theology and the Missio Dei in the Muslim world. Eshak is interested in the relevance of neo-Calvinism to his own Middle Eastern context.
Matthew Hoard is a student at Fuller Theological Seminary pursuing a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a track in neuropsychology and a Master of Arts in Theology. His research interests include neuropsychology, social imagination, and the intersection of psychology and public theology. Matthew’s previous academic training includes a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in marriage and family therapy from Pepperdine University.
Anish Puthusseril Joseph is a PhD student in Intercultural Studies. He originally hails from the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. He completed his MA in Religion from the international campus of Andrews University in Pune, India. Later he served as Assistant Professor of Theology at Spicer Adventist University. His general research interests include missiology, intercultural studies, cross-cultural communication, and church planting.
Dawit Kebede is pursuing his PhD in Public Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary under the supervision of Matthew Kaemingk. He is a native of Phoenix, Arizona and is a first generation college student of Ethiopian parents. Prior to Fuller, Dawit earned his a Master of Divinity from Phoenix Seminary. His general research interests include race critical scholarship, the kingdom of God and social transformation, and the intersection of Reformed theology and Liberation theology.
Meg Jenista Kuykendall is pursuing her PhD in Public Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary under the supervision of Matthew Kaemingk. Meg currently serves as the pastor at The Washington DC Christian Reformed Church, where she has served for the past 10 years. She earned her MDiv and ThM in Homiletics from Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Meg's research interest focuses on the intersection of public and practical theology, specifically Neo-Calvinist political theology, ecclesiology and preaching.
Dylan Parker is pursuing his PhD in Public Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary under the supervision of Sebastian Kim. Originally from Arkansas, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from College of the Ozarks and a Master of Arts in Christian Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. His primary research focus is church engagement in society, especially from anthropological and ecclesiological perspectives.
Diane Ziegler is pursuing a PhD in Public Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary under the mentorship of Sebastian Kim. Diane is a Presbyterian pastor serving in Southwestern Ohio. She holds a BA in Professional Writing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and a MDiv from the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. Her research interests are in the areas of democracy and the vocational dimension of public theology.
Past PhD Students
JESSICA JOUSTRA
AGNES CHIU
CLAY COOKE
KYLE DAVID BENNETT
CORY WILLSON
NICHOLAS BARRETT
BRANT HIMES
NICK SCOTT-BLAKELY
BRIAN WHITE
David Park
BOB COVOLO
JEFF LIOU
LOUISE PRIDEAUX
BRAD HICKEY
ALEX MASSAD
JUSTIN ARIEL BAILEY
MARINUS DE JONG
MATTHEW KAEMINGK
TOM HALE
MELANIE DZUGAN
"The gospel in its fullness must be directed to all dimensions of human life. Christ’s atoning work offers liberation for people in their cultural endeavors, in their family lives, in their educational pursuits, in their quests for sexual fulfillment, in their desire for physical well-being. It also offers liberation in the building of political institutions and the making of public policy."
—Richard Mouw
Resources
