Bryan P. Stone (born 1959) is an American

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

who became the Leighton K. Farrell Endowed Dean of

Perkins School of Theology Perkins School of Theology is one of Southern Methodist University's three original schools and is located in Dallas, Texas. The theology school was renamed in 1945 to honor benefactors Joe J. and Lois Craddock Perkins of Wichita Falls, Texas. De ...

Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...

in June 2025. He was formerly the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Boston University School of Theology, and a Co-founder/co-director of the Center for Practical Theology. Stone writes on topics related to both

systematic theology Systematic theology, or systematics, is a discipline of Christian theology that formulates an orderly, rational, and coherent account of the doctrines of the Christian faith. It addresses issues such as what the Bible teaches about certain topics ...

and

practical theology Practical theology is an academic discipline that examines and reflects on religious practices in order to understand the theology enacted in those practices and in order to consider how theological theory and theological practices can be more full ...

. He is associated with both postliberalism and

Christian pacifism Christian pacifism is the Christian theology, theological and Christian ethics, ethical position according to which pacifism and non-violence have both a scriptural and rational basis for Christians, and affirms that any form of violence is inco ...

, having been influenced by thinkers such as John Howard Yoder,

Stanley Hauerwas Stanley Martin Hauerwas (; born July 24, 1940) is an American Protestant theologian, ethicist, and public intellectual. Hauerwas originally taught at the University of Notre Dame before moving to Duke University. Hauerwas was a longtime professo ...

Alasdair MacIntyre Alasdair Chalmers MacIntyre (12 January 1929 – 21 May 2025) was a Scottish-American philosopher who contributed to moral and political philosophy as well as history of philosophy and theology. MacIntyre's '' After Virtue'' (1981) is one of ...

, and

John Wesley John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...

, and in his earliest work with liberation theology and

process theology Process theology is a type of theology developed from Alfred North Whitehead's (1861–1947) process philosophy, but most notably by Charles Hartshorne (1897–2000), John B. Cobb (1925–2024), and Eugene H. Peters (1929–1983). Process ...

. Stone is also a scholar of theology and film, having written and taught on the subject extensively. His newest book, forthcoming from Routledge Press, is entitled
Christianity and Horror Cinema
'.

Background

Stone holds a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

degree from

Southern Nazarene University Southern Nazarene University (SNU) is a Private university, private Church of the Nazarene, Nazarene university in Bethany, Oklahoma. History The history of the institution is one of various mergers and, therefore, one of differing institutions ...

, a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from the Nazarene Theological Seminary, and a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

degree from

. He specializes in research related to

evangelism Evangelism, or witnessing, is the act of sharing the Christian gospel, the message and teachings of Jesus Christ. It is typically done with the intention of converting others to Christianity. Evangelism can take several forms, such as persona ...

ecclesiology In Christian theology, ecclesiology is the study of the Church, the origins of Christianity, its relationship to Jesus, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its eschatology, and its leadership. In its early history, one of th ...

, congregational development, urban and multicultural ministry, popular culture, theology and culture, theology and film, and

Wesleyan theology Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles ...

. Stone was ordained in the

Church of the Nazarene The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism during the late 19th century. The denomination has its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. and it ...

and has served as a pastor in the denomination. In 2025 he transferred his ordination credentials to

The United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

. He co-founded "Liberation Community", a multicultural congregation and faith-based non-profit, and served there as pastor and executive director from 1985 to 1992. From 1993 to 1998 he served as Professor of Practical Theology at

Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private evangelical research university in Azusa, California, United States. The university was founded in 1899 in Whittier, California, with classes first held on March 3, 1900, and degrees offered in 193 ...

Selected bibliography

Monographs
''Christianity and Horror Cinema.'' Routledge Press (2025).
''Finding Faith Today.'' Cascade Books (2018). ''Evangelism After Pluralism.'' Baker Academic (2018).
''A Reader in Ecclesiology.'' Ashgate Publishing (2012).
''Sabbath in the City: Sustaining Urban Pastoral Excellence.'' Co-authored with Claire Wolfteich. Westminster John Knox Press (2008).
''Evangelism After Christendom: The Theology and Practice of Christian Witness.'' Brazos Press (2007).
''Thy Name and Thy Nature is Love.'' (Edited with Thomas Jay Oord). Kingswood Press (2001).
''Faith and Film: Theological Themes at the Cinema.'' Chalice Press (2000).
''Compassionate Ministry: Theological Foundations.'' Orbis Books (1996).
''Effective Faith: A Critical Study of the Christology of Juan Luis Segundo.'' University Press of America (1994). Articles and Chapters
“Evangelistic Preaching: Bearing Witness to Beauty,” in Journal for Preachers 42:4 (2019). “Evangelism and Pluralism(s),” in Theologie für die Praxis 43 Jahrgang 2017, 67-83. “Trauma, Reality, and Eucharist,” in Stephanie Arel and Shelly Rambo, eds. Post-Traumatic Public Theology. Palgrave (2016)
“Interfaith Encounters in Popular Culture,” Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 25:3, 403-15 (2013)
“The Ecclesiality of Mission in the Context of Empire,” in Viggo Mortensen and Andreas Østerlund Nielsen, eds. Walk Humbly with the Lord: Church and Mission Engaging Plurality. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans (2011)
“Discipleship and Empire,” in Paul W. Chilcote, ed. Making Disciples in a World Parish. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications (2010).
“The Apostles’ Creed in Film,” in Hans-Josef Klauck, et al, The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter (2009).
“Evil in Film,” in William Blizek, ed. Continuum Companion to Religion and Film. Continuum (2009), 310-322.
“Modern Protestant Approaches to Film (1960-present),” in John Lyden, ed. The Routledge Companion to Religion and Film. Routledge Press (2009).
“The Relevance of Popular Culture for Empirical Research in Practical Theology,” in Hans-Günter Heimbrock and Christopher Schultz, eds. Religion: Immediate Experience and the Mediacy of Research. Göttingen: Vandenhoek & Ruprecht (2007)
“New Church Development,” in Stephen Gunter and Elaine Robinson, eds. Considering the Great Commission: Evangelism and Mission in the Wesleyan Spirit. Nashville: Abingdon (2005).
“Evangelization and Spirituality,” in Philip Sheldrake, ed., The New SCM Press Dictionary of Spirituality. London: SCM Press (2005).
"Online Resources in Theology and Religion," ''Quarterly Review'' (Winter, 2004).
"Divine Presence" in Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction to Issues. Thomas Jay Oord, ed. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 2003.
"Going to the Movies, Finding God," ''Zion's Herald'' (March/April, 2002)
"Hope and Happy Endings," ''Review and Expositor'' 99:1 (Winter), 37-50.
"The Sanctification of Fear: Images of the Religious in Horror Films,"''Journal of Religion and Film''
5:2 (October).
"AI: Blurring the Line Between Human and Machine," ''Research News and Opportunities in Science and Theology'' (August), 20.
"The Spirit and the Holy Life," ''Quarterly Review'' (Summer, 2001).
"Holiness and Hollywood," The Circuit Rider (May/June, 2000), 24-25.
"Theology and Film in Postmodern Culture: A Dialogue with Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction.
''Wesleyan Theological Journal''
35:1 (2000).
''Journal of Religion and Film''
3:1 (1999).
"Reclaiming the 'E' Word." ''Focus'' (Winter/Spring, 1999).
''Journal of Religion and Film''
2:2 (1998).

ttps://web.archive.org/web/20061205023134/http://wesley.nnu.edu/wesleyan_theology/theojrnl/ ''Wesleyan Theological Journal''(Fall, 1995), 108-138.
"A Prolegomenon to a Contemporary Theology of Urban Ministry." ''Connection'' (Fall, 1995).

References

External links

Bryan Stone's page at Perkins School of Theology
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Bryan P. 1959 births 20th-century American theologians 21st-century American theologians American Christian pacifists American Christian theologians American Nazarene ministers Azusa Pacific University faculty Boston University School of Theology faculty Living people Nazarene theologians Nazarene Theological Seminary alumni Practical theologians Southern Methodist University alumni Southern Nazarene University alumni Systematic theologians