Field of Christian History & Theology
The Christian History & Theology Field explores the doctrines, practices, and historical developments of the Christian faith—including from within the Evangelical Covenant Church’s pietist theological tradition—fostering rigorous research, contextual scholarship, and theological reflection that equips students and pastors to serve the church with depth and humility.
Faculty
Assistant Professor of Worship & Chair of the Theology and History Field
Dave Bjorlin, PhD
Specialties / Areas of Interest
Worship/Liturgy, Congregational Song, Hymnody, the connection between liturgy and ethics (especially economics)
Favorite Course
Theology and Practice of the Sacraments
Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology & Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Fellow
Lama Htoi San Lu, PhD
Specialties / Areas of Interest
Theological Studies & Ethics and Society, Feminist/Womanist Theology, Political Theology, Postcolonial/Decolonial Studies, Migration and Diaspora Studies
Favorite Course
Feminist Theology in the Age of Global Migration
Wilma E. Peterson Associate Professor of Church History
Hauna Ondrey, PhD
Specialties / Areas of Interest
Patristic biblical interpretation, 4th and 5th centuries, Christian asceticism and spirituality, Covenant History
Favorite Course
HSTY 6300 History and Theology of the Covenant Church. This course provides students a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the history and theology of the Evangelical Covenant Church, from its roots in Sweden to its current multiethnic reality. Students will apply skills of historical research and analysis, developed in previous courses, to their own denominational history and explore the significance of this history to the present mission and identity of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Theology Teaching Fellow
Armida Belmonte Stephens
Specialties / Areas of Interest
Theology, Latino/a/e Theologies, Global Theologies, Systematic Theology, Decolonial and Global Theologies, Theological Ethics
Favorite Course
U.S. Latino/a Theologies
Select Faculty Publications
MONOGRAPH
The Minor Prophets as Christian Scripture in the Commentaries of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Cyril of Alexandria
Hauna T. Ondrey compares the Minor Prophets commentaries of Theodore of Mopsuestia and Cyril of Alexandria, isolating the role of the Twelve Prophets in their ministry to Old Testament Israel and as texts of Christian scripture. Ondrey challenges overdrawn dichotomies in historical interpretation, showing that the authors can’t easily be divided on their christocentrism, no less than earlier accounts of the exegetical divide Antioch and Alexandria.
CONTRIBUTION
Women’s Agency and Divine Promise: A Theological Reflection on the Life of Walatta-Petros
This essay by Lama Htoi San Lu explores the life of Ethiopian saint Walatta-Petros to illuminate how divine promise and human agency intertwine in Christian theology. It appears in The Women’s Christian Theology Reader (eds. Steven R. Guthrie and Beth Ritter-Conn, Wiley-Blackwell, 2025), a collection uniting primary sources and contemporary theological reflections by and about women across global contexts and traditions.
CONTRIBUTION
“Inheriting Our Sisters’ Wisdom: Kachin Feminist Theology
This contribution by Htoi San Lu and Ban Htang reflects on their theological formation as Kachin women from Myanmar studying in the U.S., engaging Asian feminist theology and reconstructing Christ as Samphwi Nang Majan—life-giving spirit—to challenge patriarchal gender norms. It appears in Asian and Asian American Women in Theology and Religion: Embodying Knowledge (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020), a volume featuring theological reflections rooted of Asian and Asian American women.
Contribution
Clio’s Abode in Swedish America
Celebrating the Swedish-American Historical Society’s seventy-fifth anniversary, Clio’s Abode in Swedish America gathers twenty-five landmark essays from the Swedish-American Historical Quarterly ranging Swedish-American history, immigration, culture, language, local history, biography, women’s history, religious history, and Swedish-American identity. Contribution by Hauna Ondrey, edited by Mark Safstrom, Byron Nordstrom, Kevin Proescholdt, and Philip Anderson.
MUSIC COLLECTION
Hope Will Not Fail
In this, his second collection of hymns, author and professor of worship David Bjorlin dives deep into the many facets and faces of hope in an often-broken world. Over 50 hymn texts and sheet music are featured in this volume, paired with tunes by thirteen composers, for thoughtful and worshipful use across diverse congregations.
Our North Park Theological Seminary history and theology faculty are excellent—students learn both from the riches of our shared Christian heritage and the modern thinkers and movements who seek to contextualize their faith in the contemporary world. We teach how to think constructively and critically to prepare faith leaders for living out the Gospel in their context.
—David Bjorlin, Assistant Professor of Worship and Chair of the Christian History & Theology Field