Stephen H. Webb
Encyclopedia
Stephen H. Webb is a theologian and philosopher of religion.
Webb graduated from Wabash College
in 1983, earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago
, and has been teaching at Wabash College
as Professor of Religion and Philosophy since 1988. Born in 1961 and raised in Indianapolis
, Indiana
, he grew up at Englewood Christian Church, an evangelical church in the Restoration Movement
. He recounts his experiences there in Taking Religion to School (Brazos Press, 2000) and in an essay, "Recalling: A Theologian Remembers His Church," in Falling Toward Grace: Images of Religion and Culture from the Heartland, ed. Kent Calder and Susan Neville (Indiana University Press, 1998). He joined the Disciples of Christ during graduate school but soon became disenchanted with their theological direction. He was briefly a Lutheran, and on Easter Sunday, 2007, he officially came into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
of the New Age movement or the abdication of human uniqueness entailed in animal rights legislation has been controversial in both theological and philosophical circles. For an example of his work, see his essay, "Theology from the Pet Side Up: A Christian Agenda for NOT Saving the World," in the online journal The Other Journal.
Webb's critique of what he calls the "animal eliminationist" wing of the animal rights movement was presented at the 2008 American Academy of Religion conference in Chicago.
Several books have extensively analyzed and criticized his position, including Laura Hobgood-Oster, Holy Dogs and Asses (University of Illinois Press, 2008) and Stephen M. Vantassel, Dominion over Wildlife? (Resource Publications, 2009). The Encyclopedia of Christianity, ed. John Bowden (Oxford University Press, 2005) lists him as one of the leaders of the animal theology movement (p. 52).
has been a crucial ingredient in American history and American identity. Providential interpretations of American national aspirations went into decline after the Vietnam War
, but with President Bush
's openness regarding the role of faith in his presidency, providence has returned to the public square. Webb argues that even anti-Americanism
is dependent upon providential logic, because conspiracy theories about how evil America is grant America a special role in world history. He also argues that the future belongs to the triad of capitalism
, democracy
, and various forms of evangelical Christianity, not limited to explicitly evangelical churches (a statement concerning Catholicism's role in this mission is forthcoming). One of his controversial essays on politics is “On the True Globalism and the False, or Why Christians Should Not Worry So Much about American Imperialism,” in Anxious About Empire: Theological Essays on the New Global Realities, ed. Wes Avram (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2004), pp. 119–128. William T. Cavanaugh has criticized his connection of providence and politics in his essay, "Messianic Nation," in University of St. Thomas Law Journal (Fall 2005), pp. 261–280, available online at:
http://www.jesusradicals.com/wp-content/uploads/messianic-nation.pdf
's musical career that focuses on Dylan's mid-life conversion to Christianity.
(http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1268), science and religion (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1154), and multiculturalism (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1062). On March 5, 2009, he posted an article, "How Soccer is Ruining America: A Jeremiad" (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1329) that was subsequently published at the Wall Street Journal online edition (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123680101041299201.html) and then picked up by numerous blogs, newspapers and websites, creating a storm of criticism from soccer fans. See, for example, http://www.mouthpiecesports.com/blog/2009/03/13/stephen-h-webbs-soccer-column-is-pretty-much-the-greatest-thing-ever/.
His current book, The Dome of Eden: A New Theory of Creation and Evolution was published by Wipf & Stock in late 2010. Webb is presently working on books concerning Mormon theology, as well as a revisionist account of Chalcedonian christology that seeks to redeem and appropriate monophysitism for modern theology. He is also a frequent contributor to First Things and Books & Culture.
with his wife, Diane Timmerman, who is a Professor of Theatre at Butler University
, and their three children.
For an article on Intelligent Design that received numerous critical posts, see
For an essay about dogs that was commissioned by the National Humane Society, see
For two articles about liberal arts education by Webb from LiberalArtsOnline, see
For a review of American Providence in the journal First Things, see
For an article about Dylan, see
For a review of Dylan Redeemed, see
For an interview of Webb on Dylan in the UK's The Guardian, see
For the Mormon community's interest in Prof. Webb's reflections on Mormonism, see from the Mormon Times
Webb graduated from Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
in 1983, earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, and has been teaching at Wabash College
Wabash College
Wabash College is a small, private, liberal arts college for men, located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Morehouse College, Wabash is one of only three remaining traditional all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States.-History:Wabash College was founded...
as Professor of Religion and Philosophy since 1988. Born in 1961 and raised in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, he grew up at Englewood Christian Church, an evangelical church in the Restoration Movement
Restoration Movement
The Restoration Movement is a Christian movement that began on the American frontier during the Second Great Awakening of the early 19th century...
. He recounts his experiences there in Taking Religion to School (Brazos Press, 2000) and in an essay, "Recalling: A Theologian Remembers His Church," in Falling Toward Grace: Images of Religion and Culture from the Heartland, ed. Kent Calder and Susan Neville (Indiana University Press, 1998). He joined the Disciples of Christ during graduate school but soon became disenchanted with their theological direction. He was briefly a Lutheran, and on Easter Sunday, 2007, he officially came into full communion with the Roman Catholic Church.
Views on vegetarianism and animal rights
He is known for his scholarship and journalism on animals, vegetarianism, and diet. He co-founded the Christian Vegetarian Association, but was removed from his position as co-chairman in 2006 after writing several articles in which he admitted to eating meat occasionally, while promoting vegetarianism. He defends the value of animals by reaffirming traditional notions of human uniqueness and human responsibility for nature. Many animal rights arguments are influenced by a leveling of the differences between humans and animals as well as a leveling of the differences between God and the world. This vision of a non-dogmatic and non-legalistic vegetarianism linked to traditional biblical principles rather than the pantheismPantheism
Pantheism is the view that the Universe and God are identical. Pantheists thus do not believe in a personal, anthropomorphic or creator god. The word derives from the Greek meaning "all" and the Greek meaning "God". As such, Pantheism denotes the idea that "God" is best seen as a process of...
of the New Age movement or the abdication of human uniqueness entailed in animal rights legislation has been controversial in both theological and philosophical circles. For an example of his work, see his essay, "Theology from the Pet Side Up: A Christian Agenda for NOT Saving the World," in the online journal The Other Journal.
Webb's critique of what he calls the "animal eliminationist" wing of the animal rights movement was presented at the 2008 American Academy of Religion conference in Chicago.
Several books have extensively analyzed and criticized his position, including Laura Hobgood-Oster, Holy Dogs and Asses (University of Illinois Press, 2008) and Stephen M. Vantassel, Dominion over Wildlife? (Resource Publications, 2009). The Encyclopedia of Christianity, ed. John Bowden (Oxford University Press, 2005) lists him as one of the leaders of the animal theology movement (p. 52).
Political views
Most recently, Webb has turned his attention to politics, culture, popular culture, and liberal advocacy. Within this field, Webb has generated positive and negative reviews with his book American Providence (Continuum, 2004) in which he defends the idea that the doctrine of providenceDivine Providence
In Christian theology, divine providence, or simply providence, is God's activity in the world. " Providence" is also used as a title of God exercising His providence, and then the word are usually capitalized...
has been a crucial ingredient in American history and American identity. Providential interpretations of American national aspirations went into decline after the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, but with President Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
's openness regarding the role of faith in his presidency, providence has returned to the public square. Webb argues that even anti-Americanism
Anti-Americanism
The term Anti-Americanism, or Anti-American Sentiment, refers to broad opposition or hostility to the people, policies, culture or government of the United States...
is dependent upon providential logic, because conspiracy theories about how evil America is grant America a special role in world history. He also argues that the future belongs to the triad of capitalism
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, democracy
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, and various forms of evangelical Christianity, not limited to explicitly evangelical churches (a statement concerning Catholicism's role in this mission is forthcoming). One of his controversial essays on politics is “On the True Globalism and the False, or Why Christians Should Not Worry So Much about American Imperialism,” in Anxious About Empire: Theological Essays on the New Global Realities, ed. Wes Avram (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2004), pp. 119–128. William T. Cavanaugh has criticized his connection of providence and politics in his essay, "Messianic Nation," in University of St. Thomas Law Journal (Fall 2005), pp. 261–280, available online at:
http://www.jesusradicals.com/wp-content/uploads/messianic-nation.pdf
Books on theology and sound
Webb, widely known to suffer from hearing loss, is also known for his work in what he calls theo-acoustics, or a theology of sound. He wrote a comprehensive history of Christianity and sound in The Divine Voice: Christian Proclamation and the Theology of Sound (Brazos Press, 2004). This book, which was named the Religious Communication Association's Book of the Year for 2005, is divided into three parts. The first part surveys the biblical tradition on the importance of the human voice as a medium of revelation in the Bible. The second part focuses on the Protestant Reformation as the revival of that tradition. The third part discusses the transformations of that tradition in contemporary culture, which is increasingly oriented toward the visual over the auditory. He also discusses the role of deafness in Christian history and various theological debates over the question of how God created the world through sound. He ends that book talking about wordless music and the decline of authentic vocalization in rock and roll, so it was a natural progression to turn Bob Dylan in his next book, Dylan Redeemed: From Highway 61 to Saved (Continuum, 2006). This book, which as been written about in many Dylan blogs, is a reassessment of Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's musical career that focuses on Dylan's mid-life conversion to Christianity.
Blogs
Webb's blogs appear frequently on the First Things "On the Square" Blog. He has written about Harry Chapin(http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1268), science and religion (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1154), and multiculturalism (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1062). On March 5, 2009, he posted an article, "How Soccer is Ruining America: A Jeremiad" (http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1329) that was subsequently published at the Wall Street Journal online edition (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123680101041299201.html) and then picked up by numerous blogs, newspapers and websites, creating a storm of criticism from soccer fans. See, for example, http://www.mouthpiecesports.com/blog/2009/03/13/stephen-h-webbs-soccer-column-is-pretty-much-the-greatest-thing-ever/.
Books on literature
Webb has written about C. S. Lewis in The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy (ed. by Jerry Walls, Open Court Publishing, 2005), Indiana small town basketball in Basketball and Philosophy (University of Kentucky Press, 2007), and eschatology and politics in The Oxford Handbook of Eschatology (Oxford University Press, 2008). He also wrote the commendation for John Updike for the Presentation of the Christianity and Literature Lifetime Achievement Award at the Modern Languages Association Meeting in December, 2006. His remarks, and Updike's generous response, appear in Christianity and Literature, vol. 56, No. 3 (Spring 2007), pp. 481–485.Lectures
He has given invited lectures at Aberdeen University, Calvin College, Wheaton College, Bangor, Maine, Arizona State University, Pepperdine University, Butler University, Hartford Seminary, Creighton University, Wilfrid Laurier University, Hope College, Kalamazoo College, Purdue University, Elmhurst College, and Loyola University in Baltimore.Other books
He has also written many essays on the intersection of rhetoric and religion, including "Reviving the Rhetorical Heritage of Protestant Theology," in A Companion to Rhetoric and Rhetorical Criticism, ed. Walter Jost and Wendy Olmsted (Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2004): 409-24, and "Theological Reflections on the Hyperbolic Imagination," in Rhetorical Invention and Religious Inquiry, ed. Walter Jost and Wendy Olmstead (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000). The SAGE Handbook of Rhetorical Studies, ed. Andrea Lunsford (2008) lists him as a leader in the field of religious rhetoric (see p. 555).His current book, The Dome of Eden: A New Theory of Creation and Evolution was published by Wipf & Stock in late 2010. Webb is presently working on books concerning Mormon theology, as well as a revisionist account of Chalcedonian christology that seeks to redeem and appropriate monophysitism for modern theology. He is also a frequent contributor to First Things and Books & Culture.
Personal
Stephen Webb lives in Brownsburg, IndianaBrownsburg, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,520 people, and 5,366 households residing in the town. The population density was 1,983.5 people per square mile . There were 5,574 housing units at an average density of 761.4 per square mile...
with his wife, Diane Timmerman, who is a Professor of Theatre at Butler University
Butler University
Butler University is a private university located in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university offers 60 degree programs to 4,400 students through six colleges: business, communication, education, liberal Arts and sciences, pharmacy and health...
, and their three children.
External links
Stephen H. Webb, American Theologian: http://www.americantheologian.com/- Christianity Today/Books and Culture article In "Revenge of the Ebionites," a book review of Holy Cow!: Does God Care About What We Eat? by Hope Egan, Webb confesses his recent "semi-vegetarianism" (as a result, he was asked to step down as co-chairman at the request of the Christian Vegetarian AssociationChristian Vegetarian AssociationThe Christian Vegetarian Association is an international, non-denominational Christian ministry that promotes responsible stewardship of God's creation through plant-based eating...
)
For an article on Intelligent Design that received numerous critical posts, see
- http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/marchweb-only/113-42.0.html
For an essay about dogs that was commissioned by the National Humane Society, see
- http://www.hsus.org/religion/francis-files-stories/remembering_marie_speaking.html
For two articles about liberal arts education by Webb from LiberalArtsOnline, see
- http://liberalarts.wabash.edu/cila/home.cfm?news_id=1449 and http://liberalarts.wabash.edu/cila/home.cfm?news_id=1446
For a review of American Providence in the journal First Things, see
- http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=145&var_recherche=Stephen+H.+Webb
For an article about Dylan, see
- http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=5336
For a review of Dylan Redeemed, see
- http://spacemonkeylab.com/dylandaily/blog/archives/00000475.php
For an interview of Webb on Dylan in the UK's The Guardian, see
- http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,2217255,00.html
For the Mormon community's interest in Prof. Webb's reflections on Mormonism, see from the Mormon Times
- http://www.mormontimes.com/studies_doctrine/?id=3127