About me

In 1981, when I interviewed for a Rhodes scholarship in theology, I had trouble with the theology questions but easily answered an advanced math question. Afterwards, one of the interviewers said she was reminded of a biography of Blaise Pascal that described the 17th-century genius as follows: “God called him to be a mathematician, but he misheard and became a theologian.”

I’m definitely not the intellectual equivalent of Pascal. (I didn’t get past the semifinals of the Rhodes competition.) And whether Pascal or I misheard God’s call is something only God knows for sure. But I do know that after more than 40 years of academic, Christian, political, and civic service, I want to spend the rest of my life sharing my knowledge and gifts generously for the benefit of others.

My research career began at age 20, when I conducted and published a study of an authoritarian segment of the U.S. charismatic movement. I continued on to Ph.D. studies in American religion. During a four-year academic break to accommodate my wife’s career (yes, I’m usually a servantlike husband), I published The Health and Wealth Gospel (InterVarsity, 1987). As a researcher, I became known for rigorous analysis and low tolerance of abuse, but also for irenic, respectful approaches to disagreements between Christians in secondary matters.

My book Heaven on Earth? (Zondervan, 1992), based on my Ph.D. dissertation, examined various streams of and reactions to dominion theology and was appreciated by various reviewers, including Harvard University’s Harvey Cox. It is cited on two Wikipedia pages and remains relevant to current discourse surrounding “Christian nationalism.”

I shifted into political work for four years (1991-1994) after volunteering for the campaign of a young candidate for the US Congress who unexpectedly won. I asked to work in the district office near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania rather than relocating to Washington, DC and worked on both national and local policy issues. Even while working within the Republican party, I sought to be respectful and bipartisan, emphasizing that “God is spelled G-O-D, not G-O-P.” (GOP or Grand Old Party is a common nickname for the Republicans.)

After my time as a congressional aide, I published Politics for the People (InterVarsity, 1996), a guide to doing politics effectively. I was associated for 20 years with the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute of Politics, authoring two books and numerous reports on a wide range of policy issues.

In 2018, I helped to produce a book on great Christian events in the city of Pittsburgh. The two most famous topics covered are the Catholic charismatic movement (which started in Pittsburgh in 1967 and has had immense impact on the Catholic Church) and the Pittsburgh Steelers football team, which had a spiritual revival during its first Super Bowl championship season in 1974.

In 2015, I began assisting the World Evangelical Alliance, serving as editor and communications aide for two secretaries general. For seven years (2018-2024), I was executive editor of the WEA’s Evangelical Review of Theology, guiding its move to open access and growing the subscriber list to 2,700. I have supported the work of evangelical leaders from Canada to Indonesia to Burundi.

I also direct editorial services for the Society of Christian Scholars (an organization supporting Christians who work in secular academic institutions). I recently began assisting Global Trust Partners, which seeks to help Christian leaders around the world develop healthy patterns of governance, financial management, and fundraising.

These pursuits have helped to sustain my fragile self-image, as I have struggled with bitter frustration over the fact that my late father (a sports broadcaster in Buffalo, New York) and my son (a 2012 US Olympian) both have Wikipedia biographies but I have never earned one.

In 2019, we relocated to Colorado Springs, on the edge of the Rocky Mountains. I can see the famous Pikes Peak out the window while working on my computer, and I run and bike frequently. Nancy teaches students with visual impairments at a local school and our second vehicle is a bike, so I have to stay in shape.