Dr. Jason Roberts joined the Department of Religion at the University of Georgia in 2014. He earned a B.A. in Religion from Ashland University (Ohio) in 2004, an M.A. in Systematic Theology from Marquette University (Wisconsin) in 2008, and his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Marquette in 2013 with an emphasis in Theological Ethics.

With graduate degrees from a renowned Jesuit university, Dr. Roberts’s teaching and research interests focus broadly on Roman Catholic understandings of theology and ethics. Among Catholic thinkers the work of theologian Karl Rahner continues to be a main source of influence and inspiration. Beyond these more general topics, Dr. Roberts draws from thinkers in a number of Christian traditions to investigate the relationship between theology and the natural sciences, especially where this interaction concerns what it means to be human (Christian Anthropology) and the ethical implications thereof. Much of his research, including his doctoral dissertation, seeks to reformulate perennial Christian symbols of human self-identity (like the image of God and knowledge of good and bad/evil) in light of findings and theories in the evolutionary and cognitive sciences, as well as the works of biblical scholars and thinkers in the philosophy of science and the ongoing dialogues among the fields of science, theology, and ethics. With these interdisciplinary interests, Dr. Roberts also serves as affiliate faculty to the University of Georgia's Sustainability Certificate Program.

Dr. Jodie Lyon joined the Department of Religion at the University of Georgia in 2011. She earned an M.A. in Theological Studies in 2002 from Asbury Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Southern Methodist University in 2010 with an emphasis in the field of Systematic Theology. Before coming to UGA, Dr. Lyon taught as an adjunct at Southern Methodist University and Methodist Theological School in Ohio. 

Recent publications of Dr. Lyon's include entries on "sin" and "work" in the Common English Bible: Women's Study Bible, a chapter entitled, "The Humble Place of Humility in Reinhold Niebuhr's Ethics" in Paradoxical Virtue: Reinhold Niebuhr and the Virtue Tradition, and a chapter on "eschatology" in The Oxford Handbook on Reinhold Niebuhr.

In addition to her work on Reinhold Niebuhr, Dr. Lyon’s teaching and research interests include understandings of sin in the Christian tradition, sexual ethics, feminist theology, the problem of evil in religion, and the relationship between human freedom and divine grace in Christian thought.

J. Derrick Lemons is Professor and Department Head of religion, the Religion Fellow for the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, and the director of the Center for Theologically Engaged Anthropology. He represents the University of Georgia on the University System of Georgia's faculty council. He is Chair of the University of Georgia's University Council Executive Committee and the Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. Also, he serves as an elected member to the University of Georgia Athletic Association Board. A recipient of three major John Templeton Foundation grants. He has received over $1 million dollars in research funding. Lemons was awarded the Albert Christ-Janer Creative Research Award and the University of Georgia Student Government Association Outstanding Professor Award. Dr. Lemons was the regionally elected coordinator (2019-2023) and president (2019-2020) for the AAR’s Southeast Region.

His research and teaching are guided by his interest in the intentional innovations of Christian pastors and the influence of theology in religion across time and space. Currently, he is writing a book about the theology that motivates President Trump’s Faith Advisory Board. His recent publications include Book Forum on Joel Robbins' Theology and the Anthropology of Christian Life (History and Anthropology 2022); The Room Where It Happened: How Evangelical Leaders Used a Closed-Door Meeting to Change Sentiment for Donald J. Trump (The Australian Journal of Anthropology 2022); Introduction: From Rupture to Repair (The Australian Journal of Anthropology 2022);  An Introduction to Theologically Engaged Anthropology (Ethnos 2021); and Theologically Engaged Anthropology (Oxford University Press 2018). 

He is currently accepting PhD and MA graduate students in the following areas: Anthropology of Christianity, Theologically Engaged Anthropology, and Evangelical Politics.

Email: dlemons@uga.edu

Phone: 706-206-1927

DR. CAROLYN MEDINE is the inaugural All Shall Be Well Professor in Religion and the Director of the Institute for African American Studies. Her research interests are in Arts, Literature, and Literature, particularly in Southern and African American women's religious experience. She has written extensively on Toni Morrison, Harper Lee, and others. Dr. Medine's research interests also include religion and politics, theory from the classical to the postmodern, and the intersection of classical and modern literature. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and teaches courses on Religion and Literature, African American Religions and Literatures, Religious Theory and Thought, and Women's Spirituality and Writings.

Dr. Robert Foster is Senior Lecturer in Religion and New Testament at the University of Georgia, where he has taught since 2013.  Prior to coming to UGA, Foster taught at Abilene Christian University, Southern Methodist University, and Texas Christian University.  His research and writings cover material in both the Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, including Wrestling with God and World: The Struggle for Justice in the Biblical Tradition (Journey Publications, 2013) and We Have Heard, O Lord: An Introduction to the Theology of the Psalter (Fortress Academic Press, 2019). His latest work The Theology of the Books of Haggai and Zechariah (Cambridge University Press, 2020) focuses on the theological message of each book and their implications for modern, ethical concerns.  He is currently writing the commentary on the Gospel of Mark for the Rhetoric of Religious Antiquity Series (Society of Biblical Literature Publications). He also serves on the editorial board for the journal Horizons in Biblical Theology.

Dr. Foster teaches introductory courses in religion and New Testament as well as upper-level New Testament courses including Jesus, Life and Letters of Paul, Apocalyptic Literature, and the New Testament World.  His research interests include biblical theology, biblical interpretation, comparative religious ethics, and Christianity and racial justice.  He is a fellow in the UGA Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights and was the recipient of the UGA Black Male Leadership Society Faculty Member of the Year award for 2015-2016. He is active within the Athens community and North Georgia in partnerships focused on racial justice and the rights of undocumented immigrants.