• Douglas Foster is Professor Emeritus in the Graduate School of Theology at Abilene (TX) Christian University after serving on the faculty for thirty-one years as Professor of Church History and Director of the Center for Restoration Studies. Previously he served as assistant professor of history at Lipscomb University in Nashville.

    He received a PhD in Church History from Vanderbilt University in 1986, and an MA in Theology in 1980 from Scarritt College, both in Nashville.

    Foster's scholarly work has centered in three areas: the place of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement in American and global Christianity; the development of the idea of Christian unity in Christianity; and the history of white supremacy and racial oppression in Christianity.

    He served as General Editor and a contributor for the Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement (2004), as well as The Stone-Campbell Movement: A Global History (2013). In 2013 he published The Story of Churches of Christ, a brief introduction to the movement, and in 2014 recorded a video series with the same title. In June 2020 Eerdmans published his A Life of Alexander Campbell, the first critical biography of the American religious leader.

    Foster wrote wrote a study on “White Supremacy and the Church: How White Christians Created and Perpetuate the Ideology of White Supremacy,” published in Thinking Theologically About Mass Incarceration: Biblical Foundations and Justice Imperatives, Paulist Press, 2017. In 2020 his article “Reclaiming Reconciliation: The Corruption of ‘Racial Reconciliation’ and How It Might be Reclaimed for Racial Justice and Unity” appeared in The Journal of Ecumenical Studies 55 (Winter 2020). Foster also contributed a chapter for the National Council of Churches Faith and Order study of White Supremacy and the Church, titled “The Origins and Anti-Christian Nature of the Great Replacement Theory,” to be published in late 2024.

    Married in 1979 to the former Linda Grissom, Doug and Linda have two children, Mary Elizabeth Riedel and Mark; and two grandchildren, Gavin Riedel and Gwyneth Riedel.

  • Lauren White has a Ph.D. in Theological Studies from Vanderbilt University, where she was also a fellow in the Program for Theology and Practice. She has served as assistant professor of theology at Lipscomb University since 2018, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in Bible, church history, and theology, and published a book titled Flesh Made Word: The Protestant Interpretation Problem and an Embodied Hermeneutic in 2022 (Fortress Academic). She and her husband, Jason, have three children and attend Otter Creek Church of Christ in Nashville.

  • Stanley Talbert earned his PhD in Systematic Theology and African American Studies from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. Stanley is an assistant professor of religion at Pepperdine University. He received his master of philosophy ('19) and master of divinity from Union ('16), his BA from Pepperdine University ('12), and his AS from Southwestern Christian College ('10).

    Talbert is the author of "Unveiling Radical Love: A Theological Reflection on Radical Love in the Age of Ferguson," in Reconciliation Reconsidered (Abilene Christian University Press, 2016). He has published articles on theology, race, and culture in the Journal for Religion, Film, and Media, The Huffington Post, Ebony, The Union Collective and the African American Lectionary.

    Stanley is also the recipient of the Carl R. Holladay Award with the Christian Scholars Foundation, the Louisville-Institute Doctoral Fellowship, the Forum for Theological Exploration Doctoral Fellowship, the Seaver Faculty Fellowship, the Wittenberg Fellowship (Philipps-Universität Marburg, Germany), Union Theological Seminary's Hudnut Preaching Award, the Charles Augustus Briggs Award, and the Academic Excellence Award. His accomplishments in ministry and theological education have been featured in "Faith3: Active in the Head, Heart, and Hand," and Pepperdine Magazine. He began preaching at the age of nine. Stanley served as an assistant minister at Kings Church of Christ in Brooklyn, NY for five years (2011-2016).

    Stanley Talbert is the graduate assistant of the Society of Study of Black Religion which is a society of the top black scholars of religion and theology in America. He served as the chair for Early Career Scholars section of the Christian Scholars' Conference, co-founder of Dikaiosune (organization focusing on social justice and faith), and a board member of the Justice League of Texas-based in Dallas. Talbert was a participant of the 2015 Millennial Leaders Project, where fifty young activists, leaders, and clergy across the United States were selected to engage social issues from the intersection of spirituality and social justice. He has given lectures and presentations across the nation as well as in France, Germany, Senegal, and South Africa.

  • A native Californian, Dr. Ken Cukrowski did his undergraduate work in Bible and French at Abilene Christian University. Later, he completed his M.Div. at Yale Divinity School, and his doctoral studies in New Testament at Yale University (1994). He taught at Bangor Theological Seminary in Maine for two years before a three-year tenure at Lubbock Christian University. He teaches Greek, New Testament, and New Testament ethics courses at Abilene Christian University (1999-present). He also is also the Dean of the College of Biblical Studies. In ministry contexts, he has served as an associate minister, education minister, and youth minister. He works with the university ministry in his local congregation (Minter Lane). He co-authored God’s Holy Fire (2002) with Dr. James Thompson and Dr. Mark Hamilton and authored The Mystery of Godliness: Great Themes from 1 Timothy (2004). His recent work has been in Luke-Acts, Greco-Roman backgrounds, and intertextuality. He and his wife Karen have two adult daughters, Katie and Krista. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family, running, watching movies, visiting National Parks, and eating dark chocolate.

  • Heather Gorman is Professor of New Testament at Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee. She holds a PhD in New Testament from Baylor University, an MA in New Testament from Abilene Christian University and a BA in Biblical Studies from Cincinnati Christian University. She recently co-authored Lunchroom Theology: Pushing Tables Together in a Fractured World with Mark Nelson and has published other works focusing on narrative and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. She is a consulting editor for the Stone-Campbell Journal and has served on steering committees for both the Christian Scholars’ Conference and the Society of Biblical Literature Conference. Heather enjoys teaching Greek and classes on various books of the New Testament, as well as topical courses like Theology & Human Sexuality and Women in the Bible. She serves in various leadership capacities in her local church. She and her husband Jamey have two daughters and enjoy hiking and kayaking in East Tennessee.

  • Dr. G. Steve Kinnard has served as an evangelist and teacher for more than thirty years with the New York City Church of Christ. He has preached and taught the Bible on every populated continent. He received his undergraduate degree at Freed-Hardeman College and his Master of Divinity with Languages degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He then completed his Doctor of Ministry degree at Drew University.

    Steve and his wife Leigh minister in Rockland County, New York. Steve also serves as Adjunct Professor of Bible at Lincoln Christian University and Professor of Bible at the Rocky Mountain School of Ministry and Theology in Denver.

  • Randy Harris' colleagues in the College of Biblical Studies jokingly call him "the only Church of Christ monk." He loves both parts of it. Harris is single, which would fulfill one of the requirements for being a monk. He is gentle, soft-spoken and loves the contemplative life, which also would qualify him.

    Harris grew up in Bentonville, Ark., best-known nowadays as home of Wal-Mart genius Sam Walton. After graduating from high school, Harris was off to Harding University in Searcy, Ark., where he earned a bachelor's degree, master of arts degree and master's in theology. He later added a master of philosophy degree from Syracuse University in New York, which has historic ties to the Methodist tradition.

    Harris taught for 10 years at Lipscomb University in Nashville and preached at Donelson Church of Christ while teaching. For the past 10 years, he has been on the faculty at ACU. He also formerly was the preacher at S. 11th and Willis Church of Christ.

    Harris teaches freshman Bible, undergraduate theology, introduction to philosophy and advanced preaching.

    Harris helps lead contemplative prayer retreats and has participated in the following: 40-day silent prayer retreat with hermits at Lebh Shomea House of Prayer in South Texas, participation in Jesuit and Franciscan retreats and trappist monasteries, and a celtic retreat on the Island of Lindesfarne. "I go where people know things about prayer that I don't," he said.

    He also completed a two-year certificate program in contemplative spiritual direction at the Shalem Institute in Bethesda, Md, which will serve him well in his role as spiritual director for the College of Biblical Studies.

    Harris' first encounter with contemplative prayer came after a difficult period in his life when he was studying at Syracuse University. He had read Richard Foster's "Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth." When he experienced difficulties, he fell back on what he had learned and experienced. 

    "I kind of went back to those disciplines," he said. Once safely through the difficult time, Harris discovered that he didn't want to leave the contemplative life behind. Instead, he chose to make it a part of his life. A profound experience sealed that decision.

    Harris undertook a 40-day silent prayer retreat at the remote Lebh Shomea House of Prayer outside Sarita, Texas, on the famed King Ranch. The experience consisted mainly of silently contemplating God's mysteries, with some spiritual direction and a dose of manual labor thrown in.

    "That was such a life-changing experience, it has really dominated my quest the past 10 years," he said. The name "Lebh Shomea" comes from Solomon's response to God in 1 Kings 3:9: "Give your servant lebh shomea (a listening heart) so as to be able to discern."

    That prayer could just as easily have come from Randy Harris and King Solomon. He listens more than he talks, a rare trait in today's society.

    He has more than one plaque in his office with the wise words of Psalm 46:10: "Be still and know that I am God."

    Figurines of monks, some serious, some tending toward humorous, and various styles of crosses dot Harris' office, along with books more commonly associated with his Church of Christ heritage.

    "The only Church of Christ monk" is quite at peace in both traditions.

  • Dr. Tera Harmon is an assistant professor in Abilene Christian University’s Graduate School of Theology. Her major field of study is Greek patristics and has done work on Gregory of Nyssa. She teaches courses on the history of Christianity, historical theology, Christian spiritual formation, and is the Director of Distance Learning for the Graduate School of Theology.

  • Dr. Taylor is the Associate Professor of Bible, Missions and Ministry at Abilene Christian University. In 1984 he received a Bachelor of Arts in Bible from Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas. In 1988 Dr. Taylor received a Master of Divinity degree from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University and went on to complete his doctorate in ministry at Perkins School of Theology in 1995. Prior to moving to Abilene Dr. Taylor and his family served in the Bankhead area of the inner city of Atlanta, Georgia. On top of serving as the Director of the Carl Spain Center, Dr. Taylor travels extensively speaking on college campuses, conferences, and retreats. He is the author of “Courageous Compassion. He has began many initiatives such as the New Wineskins Retreat, the National Freedom in Christ Conference, the Young Scholars Retreat, and most recently the Racial Unity Leadership Summit (RULS) and RULS Spiritual Retreat. He is married to Patricia (Bowden) Taylor formerly of Houston, Texas. They have been married for 26 years and have two children, Alisha (26) and Jeremiah (22). The Taylor family lives in Abilene, Texas.