A Faculty That Puts Theology to Work
Academic Dean Jennifer Harvey reflects on what sets Garrett professors apart.
Mobilizing for Justice with Youth and Young adults, a class being taught by Rev. Dr. Reggie Blount, filled up almost immediately when registration for the fall 2026 term began. This was no surprise. Garrett draws students eager to learn with this incredible faculty because our students long to become deeply equipped to meaningfully impact the well-being of their communities, both spiritually and materially. Dr. Blount’s full class reflects this reality.
But what I really love about Garett’s faculty is that they live out the very same commitments that draw so many of our students. Dr. Blount is a scholar and an expert teacher, and he’s also a practitioner. He is leading work on social impact far beyond the formal classroom as he facilitates the ability of church communities, including very small ones, to “Fish Differently”—to understand social impact in their communities as discipleship through his leadership of Oikos Institute a social impact organization he co-founded.
For the last five years Dr. Blount has envisioned transforming ministry to and with young adults through the Young Adult Initiative he’s stewarded; a project that has taken learners on peacemaking pilgrimage to Ireland and investigated the role storytelling can play to chart a future beyond violence.
Dr. Blount is one of many. Last year Drs. Kate Ott and Andrew Wymer, scholars in Christian ethics and liturgical studies, respectively, partnered with Evanston’s NAACP to equip local leaders and Garrett students to use scientific equipment to test local water quality. The project became a justice-committed collaboration to trace the legacies and consequences of environmental racism on the communities surrounding Garrett, pursued through activist work and civilian science. This is theology-put-into-practice or, better put, Garrett scholar-teachers as practitioners. A similar lived theology in relation to physical health is reflected in the powerful leadership of Dr. Kenneth Ngwa who founded the Religion and Global Health Forum. Dr. Ngwa is a leading scholar of Hebrew Bible. And when he talks about the roles of Bible and of congregational communities in the context of a global public health crisis, especially on the African continent, one begins to understand both holy scripture and the question of who the church is called to be in radically new ways.
Engaged scholarship testifies to the brilliance of Garrett’s faculty, but it also reflects the health of Garrett as an institution. Your generous giving creates an environment where academic freedom flourishes. It helps to fund the sabbaticals, research grants, and travel stipends which nurture excellence and share its fruits. And it brings the very best and brightest thinkers to this community, drawn from more than a dozen countries.
Garrett’s international faculty enliven the formal classroom because the scholarship for which they are so renowned reflects their diverse local communities in distinct and meaningful ways. Context matters. By rooting deeply in place, their work embodies the ethical commitments of the people who formed them. For students who arrive hungry to serve the world, it’s a crucial reminder: This calling does not ask us to leave who we are behind.
Our professors live that story. God speaks through our own faithfulness. Integrity inspires trust. Commitment to justice and healing adds urgency. And living into the fullness of who we are empowers others to do the same.
The Reverend Dr. Jennifer Harvey
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Academic Dean
Faculty Publications
The wisdom of Garrett’s professors extends far beyond the classroom. Their research strengthens churches, shapes scholarly understanding, and offers ethical insights.