The Center for Faith and Culture at YDS has made a series of promotions and appointments to pursue its expanded work under the $4.2 million Templeton grant entitled “Theology of Joy and the Good Life.” (For background on the grant, please review this article from last fall.)
Matthew Croasmun
Matthew Croasmun ‘06 M.Div. ‘14 Ph.D., who until recently served as the center’s Director of Research and Publications, is promoted to the position of Associate Research Scholar for Joy and Its Analogs. Matt is a winner of the Manfred Lautenschläger Award for Theological Promise for his Yale dissertation, “The Body of Sin: An Emergent Account of Sin as a Cosmic Power in Romans 5-8.” A revised version of his dissertation, The Emergence of Sin, is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.
Matt will oversee sub-grants given to scholars-practitioners of non-Christian traditions as part of the larger dialogue of the grant. He will conduct a three-year series of consultations on joy. Finally, Matt will work with Miroslav Volf to lead the Center’s Life Worth Living Program.
In addition to his scholarly work, Matt co-founded Elm City Vineyard Church here in New Haven and continues to serve as staff pastor. For more on Matt and his new role, see his profile on the YCFC site.
Sarah Farmer
Sarah Farmer joins the project as Associate Research Scholar for Joy and Adolescent Faith and Flourishing. She will officially begin on May 15th. Sarah comes to us by way of Emory University, where she received her M.Div. in 2008 and is completing her Ph.D. (expected this spring). Her dissertation is titled “Hope in Confinement: Moving Toward a Pedagogy of Restorative Hope.”
Sarah’s research explores the operationalization of hope in marginalized populations and the role of art in pedagogies that advance personal and social transformation. For the last ten years, she has worked with Dr. Anne Wimberly on the Youth Hope-Builders Academy. She has also co-directed a certificate in theological studies program at Arrendale Women’s Prison.
Sarah will develop the project’s extensive interest in joy in adolescence. She will also work with Miroslav and Skip Masback to lead the Center’s Adolescent Faith and Flourishing Program.
Angela Gorrell
Angela joins the project team on May 23rd as Associate Research Scholar for Evaluation, Field Development, and Public Engagement. Angela is completing her Ph.D. in Practical Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, where she earned her M.Div. in 2010. Her dissertation explores “Social Media and the Church: Implications of Participatory Culture for Christian Formation.”
Angela’s research interests concentrate on contemporary ecclesiology and culture and participatory pedagogy, especially through new venues. She has already taught courses at Fuller and McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago using multiple formats: in-person, online, and hybrid courses. Recently, she was part of a team of scholars from five seminaries who received a Wabash grant to examine the relationship between education, innovation, and agility.
Angela is an ordained pastor in the Mennonite Church USA and has 14 years of ministry experience at churches and parachurch organizations.
Ryan McAnnally-Linz
Ryan McAnnally-Linz ‘10 M.A.R. is the new Associate Research Scholar for the Theology of Joy and the Good Life. Ryan has been active with the Center since arriving at YDS to pursue his M.A.R. and has continued to contribute through the course of his Ph.D. studies at Yale, which he is expected to complete this year. His dissertation explores Christian humility and its implications for discipleship in cultures marked by the ideal of unique authentic personal identities and tenacious competition for interpersonal recognition.
Ryan has co-authored with Miroslav Volf the forthcoming book Public Faith in Action: How to Think Critically, Engage Wisely, and Vote with Integrity (Brazos, June 2016), and provided research support for Miroslav’s recent monograph Flourishing: Why We Need Religion in a Globalized World. He has also published numerous scholarly and popular articles on theology and humanities education and has co-taught the Center’s Life Worth Living seminar.
In his new role in the Theology of Joy and the Good Life project, Ryan will conduct a series of consultations on joy and the phenomena of human existence. These consultations lie at the core of the project’s goal to articulate a Christian vision of the good life. In addition, Ryan will work with Miroslav to lead the Center’s God and Human Flourishing program. More information on Ryan and his work is available at his YCFC biography page.
Leon Powell
The new Project Manager for the Theology of Joy and the Good Life project, Leon Powell ‘08 YC comes to YDS from Harlem Children’s Zone, where he served as Operations Director, working closely with the COO on the organization’s biggest strategic and operational concerns.
Leon, who has an M.B.A. from Notre Dame, worked for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Yale and Quinnipiac from 2008 to 2012, starting a Black Campus Ministry chapter at Yale and a new InterVarsity chapter at Quinnipiac. He has also worked for Procter & Gamble and the business consulting firm Distinction Unlimited.
As Project Manager, Leon will oversee the day-to-day operations of the Theology of Joy and the Good Life project, as well as coordinate the contributions and efforts of all its dozens of scholars, leaders, and participants.