George Faithful, PhD

George has a hard time sitting still. In the classroom, he stands, paces, and briefly sits, only to jump up shortly thereafter. His research, too, can be hard to pin down, spanning the historical contextual, ethical/philosophical, traditional textual, and popular cultural dimensions of religions. 

His publication agenda is project-driven. Rather than dig deeper down into a topic in which he already has significant expertise, he sets out to write the books and articles that he wants to read but has yet to find written by anyone else, trying to answer the questions that keep him up at night.

It makes sense, though. Growing up in a multi-ethnic family, he moved from the Northwest back to the Midwest, after some time in the Plains. There is a lot to be said for being constantly on-the-move, because it brings an opportunity for new experience, encountering different perspectives, opportunities for openness, and constant learning.

Education

Saint Louis University, PhD

Covenant Theological Seminary, MDiv

Wake Forest University, BA

Research Interests

What do we share in common as humans, deep down? What common threads might draw us together despite everything that makes us each unique and all that threatens to pull us apart?

George’s three current long-term projects engage those questions: a comparative study of concepts of human nature in the world’s religions; an inquiry into what makes America distinctively ambiguous; and an analysis of the theology implicit in the poetry of sixteenth-century Spanish mystic Saint John of the Cross.