R. Ward Holder

• Race and Theology
• Catholic and Protestant Theology
• Medieval Theology
• Reformation Theology
• Biblical Theology

My research concentrates on four areas.  I work on the history of Christian doctrine in the early modern period -roughly the fifteenth to the seventeenth century. Secondly, I study the history of the interpretation of scripture. Thirdly, my work has more and more been drawn into the realm traditionally called political theology. I find the intersection of Christian thought and the organization of communal life not only captivating, but also crucial for human thriving. Finally, I work on understanding the thought of the French reformer of Geneva, John Calvin.  Visit my research page for more information on my research projects.

My research examines the history of the Christian church in the early modern period -roughly the fifteenth to the seventeenth century. I have been fascinated by several things about this period.  First, this is the period of the Reformations - the time of one of the greatest upheavals in the history of Christianity. The changing theories of the meaning of scripture, the way that believers thought about the Church, and the manners that believers sought salvation provide a timeless attraction for me. Further, the cluster of figures captivates my interest - Martin Luther, Charles V, John Calvin, Henry VIII, Thomas More, and Elizabeth I - such a constellation of powerful minds and wills who have left an indelible stamp on the history of Christianity and on the world's stage.

Secondly, I study the interpretation of scripture. Gerhard Ebeling suggested that the history of the interpretation of the Bible could stand as a representation of the entire history of the Church. While that claim might be too grand, it does capture important truths. Examining the ways that people have looked at the scriptures gives a window into their minds. For instance, why does the interpretation of a single passage change between the time of Augustine of Hippo, who died in 430 CE, and Martin Luther, who died in 1546? Sometimes, the question is the opposite - why do two figures separated by a thousand years agree? Further, the issues around the interpretation of scripture offer up several interesting questions. Who is able to interpret the scriptures? Can laypeople interpret, can women interpret, can groups interpret? Further, what is the authority to interpret the scriptures? When a man or woman claims that "The Bible says...", what power does that claim hold over Christians? I find these questions endlessly enticing.

Thirdly, my work has more and more been drawn into the realm traditionally called political theology. I find the intersection of Christian thought and the organization of communal life not only captivating, but also crucial for human thriving. Any number of portrayals of what "Christians" believe are available in the media, from both political analysts as well as from politicians themselves. But frequently, these pictures come fraught with baggage that seeks to coopt the Christian into a human kingdom or group. That denies the lordship of Christ over all aspects of human life. Working to understand this dynamic, and to explore how far Christian believers can be involved in particular political realms, has occupied an increasing share of my own thought.

Finally, I work on the thought of the French reformer of Geneva, John Calvin. I have examined his interpretation of scripture, especially the Pauline epistles. I have considered his ideals of the pastoral task, and how he used Paul's pastoral advice and Paul's own example as a remedy for the pastorate of the sixteenth century. At present, I am investigating how Calvin used the Christian tradition in his own theology, both to critique his own thought and to correct the theology of his contemporaries.

Recent Books

Calvin and the Christian Tradition:  Scripture, Memory, and the Western Mind, Cambridge University Press, 2022.

John Calvin in Context, editor, Cambridge University Press, 2020.  Recipient of the 2020 Roland H. Bainton Prize for Reference Works by the Sixteenth Century Society & Conference.

Emancipating Calvin: Culture and Confessional Identity in Francophone Reformed Communities, co-edited with Erik A. de Boer and Karen E. Spierling, Brill, 2018.

Recent Articles and Chapters

“John Calvin (1509-1564).” In The Oxford Handbook of the Bible and the Reformation, edited by Jennifer Powell McNutt and Herman Selderhuis, Oxford: Oxford University Press, at press.

“Race, Theology, and the Church: A Transatlantic Conversation, and a Model for a Church in Productive Tension.”  Co-authored with Cynthia Holder Rich.  In Ecclesiological Investigations in Pathways for the Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue Series, edited by Vladimir Latinovic and Raimundo César Barreto, Jr., Palgrave MacMillan, at press.

“Calvin, Paul, and the New Perspective.” In Reformatorische Paulusauslegungen - Reformation Readings of Paul, edited by Stefan Krauter and Manuel Nägele, Mohr Siebeck, 2023, 420-434.

“Teaching Race, Colonialism, and Theology in a Joint Project in North America and Africa: Insights from the Project.”  Co-authored with Cynthia Holder Rich and Aubrey Scheopner Torres. Religious Education, (2022): DOI: 10.1080/00344087.2022.2097989.

“Calvin’s Context: An Introduction.” In John Calvin in Context, edited by R. Ward Holder, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.

“Calvin and Calvinism: A Variety of Portraits.” In John Calvin in Context, edited by R. Ward Holder, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020.

“The Reformations through Religious Eyes.” The Sixteenth Century Journal 49 (2018): 469-472.

“On the Worth of Church History.” Church History and Religious Culture 98 (2018): 315-318.

• Elements of Political Theory: Classical
• Elements of Political Theory: Modern
• Contemporary Christian Political Thought
• Church and State

As a political theologian, I have broad interests in political theory and philosophy.  The general topics that particularly capture my attention are the relationship between religion and politics, the place of religion in the public square, and the influence(s) that religious and theological constructs exercise on political actors and their work.  Because of this, my political research work and publication tends to concentrate on three areas.

The first is the work and thought of Reinhold Niebuhr, the great Christian realist theologian and ethicist of the last century.  I have found in Niebuhr’s thought some significant suggestions for addressing both questions of how one’s religion can work in the public square, as well as resources for combatting Christian nationalism.  Niebuhr denied the possibility of a Christian nation, and taught that the goal of a theocracy in America is both constitutionally problematic and counter to the teachings of the gospel.

The second area is how religious thought and theology influence political actors, and the positions they take.  This interest draws me toward consideration of the religious make-up of the various bodies of the national government, as well as an effort to discern whether there is true influence, or whether the running on platforms of religious devotion amounts only to virtue signaling without substance.  This is an important discussion in the courts, the Congress, and the Presidency.

Finally, because of the issues already enumerated, I am fascinated by the rise of political evangelicalism, and its outspoken adherence to Christian nationalism.  Whether one believes that this is a needed corrective to neoliberalism, or a cancer on the American political and religious body, there can be no doubt of the power of political evangelicalism.  Considering how its thought and culture form or reject the broader American mainstream continues to fascinate me.

Recent Books

Calvin and the Christian Tradition:  Scripture, Memory, and the Western Mind, Cambridge University Press, 2022.

Reinhold Niebuhr in Theory and Practice: Christian Realism and American Politics in the Twenty-First Century, co-authored with Peter B. Josephson, Lexington Books, 2019. Also in Italian as Realismo cristiano e politica statunitense: Reinhold Niebuhr alla prova della pratica di governo, co-authored with Peter B. Josephson, Edizioni Unicopli, 2020.

The American Election 2012: Contexts and Consequences, co-edited with Peter B. Josephson, Palgrave MacMillan, 2014. 

The Irony of Barack Obama: Barack Obama, Reinhold Niebuhr, and the Problem of Christian Statecraft, co-authored with Peter B. Josephson, Ashgate Publishing, 2012. 
 

Recent Articles

“Teaching Race, Colonialism, and Theology in a Joint Project in North America and Africa: Insights from the Project.”  Co-authored with Cynthia Holder Rich and Aubrey Scheopner Torres. Religious Education, (2022)

“A Question of Emphasis?: Evangelicals, Trump, and the Election of 2016.”  In Evangelicals and Presidential Politics: From Jimmy Carter to Donald Trump, edited by Andrew S. Moore, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 2021, 146-165.  

“Donald Trump, White Evangelicals and 2020: A Challenge for American Pluralism.” Co-authored with Peter B. Josephson. Society 57 (2020): 540-546.

“Reinhold Niebuhr, Virtue and Political Society: A Key to the Christian Character of Christian Realism.” In Paradoxical Virtue: Reinhold Niebuhr and the Virtue Tradition, edited by Kevin Carnahan and David True, New York: Routledge, 2020, 165-181.