Dr. Matthew Jenson, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Theology at Biola University, and a tutor in the Torrey Honors Institute. He did his undergraduate work at Wheaton College and received his Ph.D. in Theology at University of Saint Andrews in Saint Andrews, Scotland. His doctoral work focused on the theological contept of homo incurvatus in se, "man curved inward upon himself", with reference to the works of St. Augustine, Martin Luther, and Karl Barth.

Dr. Jenson began as a tutor for the Torrey Honors Institute in Fall of 2006.

Education

• Ph.D., “Homo incurvatus in se: A relational understanding of sin and its systematic implications in Augustine, Luther and Barth,” University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland, 2006
• Completed 2/3 of the course requirements for the M.Litt. in Theology;
• B.A. in Literature and Philosophy, Wheaton College, Magna Cum Laude
  • Recipient, William F. (Billy) Graham Award
  • Chairman of World Christian Fellowship

Academic Experience

Torrey Honors Institute

• Assistant Professor of Theology, Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University, Fall 2006 to Present
  • One of two systematic theologians in an honors ‘Great Books’ program
  • Lead discussions of classic theological, scriptural, literary and philosophical texts of the Western tradition
  • Mentor thirty-six students through their four years of the program

Other Teaching

• ‘Readings in Emerging Church Theology’ (Summer class at Nazarene Theological Seminary, co-taught with Ron Benefiel)
• Tutor in Theology, “The Late Medieval and Early Modern Church and its Theology,” St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews, Spring term 2005
  • Led two weekly tutorials on late medieval and early modern theology
  • Graded essays for students
• Tutor in Theology, “Contemporary Theology and Its Challenges,” St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews, Spring term 2004
  • Led weekly tutorial on issues in philosophical theology
• Tutor in Theology, “Theology: Issues and History,” St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews, Fall term 2003
  • Led weekly tutorial on introductory issues in theology
  • Gave feedback to weekly writing
  • Graded two sets of essays for students
  • Completed Introduction to Tutoring and Assessment course

Papers Presented

• “Sin and the City: Augustine, sin and life together,” American Academy of Religion Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 2005
• “Homo incurvatus in se: Luther’s Relational Account of Sin,” Evangelical Theological Society National Meeting, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, November 2005
• “The Manner of the Mercenary: Luther on Humanity Curved in on Itself,” Scottish Universities’ Staff/Student Church History Conference, Perth, Scotland, February 2005
• “Rethinking Soli Deo Gloria: How the City of God Trumps the Earthly City,” Evangelical Theological Society National Meeting, San Antonio, Texas, November 2004
• “Augustine and Aquinas in History and Effect,” St. Mary’s College, University of St. Andrews, March 2004
• “Sin’s Irony: Missing the Point on Missing the Mark,” Systematic Theology Research Seminar, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland, March 2004
• “Looking for God in All the Wrong Places? Augustine’s Ambiguous Introspection,” Research Seminar for the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland, December 2003

Research Interests

• Sin; Ecclesiology; Theological Anthropology; Christology; Pneumatology
• Theology and the Arts; Feminist Theology; Theology of Religions; Theological Method and the Role of Experience
• Integration of Scripture and Theology
• Augustine; Cyril of Alexandria; Luther; Barth; Bonhoeffer

Publications

Books

• The Gravity of Sin: Augustine, Luther and Barth on ‘homo incurvatus in se’ (New York: T&T Clark, 2007)
• (with Ron Jenson), Fathers and Sons: 10 Life Principles to Make Your Relationship Stronger (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 1998); translation into Indonesian (2003)
• under contract Church: A Guide for the Perplexed (T&T Clark, manuscript due 2009; co-written with David Wilhite, of Baylor’s Truett Seminary)

Contributions

• (with Oliver D. Crisp) “Sin,” in the revised edition of The New Dictionary of Theology, eds. Stephen R. Holmes, John C. McDowell and Steve Carter (IVP, forthcoming)
• “Barth,” in A Guide to the Historical Reception of Augustine, ed. Karla Pollmann and Willemien Otten (Oxford University Press, forthcoming)

Articles

• “Beyond Tolerance and Difference: An Interview with Kristen Deede Johnson,” in Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture 4:2 (forthcoming)
• “Sin Happens,” Books & Culture (July/August 2008): 36 Alan Jacobs, _Original Sin: A Cultural History_
• “The Shape of Our Sin,” www.theotherjournal.com/article.php?id=279 (November 2007)
• “An Apology for Staying,” www.theotherjournal.com/article.php?id=210 (November 2006)
• “Real Presence: Contemporaneity in Bonhoeffer’s Christology,” Scottish Journal of Theology 58:2 (2005): 143-160
• Biographies and summaries of the following:
  • W. R. Inge (The Philosophy of Plotinus)
  • Werner Jaeger (The Theology of the Early Greek Philosophers)
  • Henry Chadwick (Authority in the Early Church and Authority in Christian Theology), http://www.giffordlectures.org.uk

Reviews

• Persons: The Difference Between ‘Someone’ and ‘Something’, by Robert Spaemann. International Journal of Systematic Theology (forthcoming)
• Trinitarian Soundings in Systematic Theology, edited by Paul Louis Metzger. Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture (forthcoming)
• Who’s Afraid of Postmodernism? Taking Derrida, Lyotard, and Foucault to Church, by James K. A. Smith. Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture (forthcoming)
• Incarnation and Inspiration: John Owen and the Coherence of Christology, by Alan Spence. Journal of Reformed Theology 2:3 (2008): 297-298
• Bonhoeffer as Martyr: Social Responsibility and Modern Christian Commitment, by Craig J. Slane. Scottish Journal of Theology 61:1 (2008): 113-115
• From Nature to Experience: The American Search for Cultural Authority, by Roger Lundin. Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture 3:1 (Winter 2006): 79-81
• Augustine’s Commentary on Galatians: Introduction, Text, Translation, and Notes, trans. Eric Antone Plumer. European Journal of Theology 15:1 (2006): 82-84
• Karl Barth’s Christological Ecclesiology, by Kimlyn J. Bender. Zeitschrift für Dialektische Theologie 21:3 (2005): 295
• Christ Present in Faith: Luther’s View of Justification, by Tuomo Mannermaa. International Journal of Systematic Theology 7:4 (2005): 482-485
• The Fall and Sin: What We Have Become as Sinners, by Marguerite Shuster. Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 23:1 (2005): 98-99

Society Memberships and Other Professional Service

• American Academy of Religion
• Evangelical Theological Society
• Contributing Editor, Cultural Encounters: A Journal for the Theology of Culture (2006-)

Resources

Biola Faculty Profile

Jenson's CV Document

References