About
Jonathan L. Best holds a Ph.D. in Practical Theology from St. Thomas University in Miami, FL. His dissertation is titled:
A Postmodern Theology of Ritual Action? An Exploration of Foot Washing among the Original Free Will Baptist Community. Jonathan also holds a M.Div. from Campbell University and a B.S. in History from the University of Mount Olive.
Jonathan is also the founder of Best Academic Editing. An editing service specializing in dissertation and theses writing. Explore his services here:
http://www.bestacademicediting.com
Jonathan is an ordained ministry of the Original Free Will Baptist Convention
Education
Ph.D. in Practical Theology, St. Thomas University
M.Div., Campbell University Divinity School
B.S. in History, University of Mount Olive Work Shared in CORE
Conference papers
Magazine section
Other Publications
A Postmodern Theology of Ritual Action? An Exploration of Foot Washing Among the Original Free Will Baptist Community. Pickwick, OR, 2018.
Review of
Living in Truth, Beauty, and Goodness: Values and Virtues, by Jeffery Wattles.
Choice 54, no.7 (March 2017).
Review of
Groundless Gods: The Theological Prospects of Post-Metaphysical Thought. Edited by Hartmut von Sass.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 24, no. 1 (January 2017): 111-113.
Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016. Contributed articles on “Cooke, Terence,” “Crapsey, Algernon Sidney,” “Doane, George Washington,” “Divine, Father,” “Fry, Franklin Clark,” “Hayes, Patrick Joseph,” “Homrighausen, Elmer George,” “Marsh, James,” “Page, Kirby,” “Pidgeon, George C.,” “Plessis, Joseph-Octave,” “Albert A. Sturges,” “Anthony Thomas Graybill,” “Gordon S. Seagrave,” “Hervey DeWitt Griswold,” “John Richard Slattery,” “Leroy Lansing Janes,” “Robert Wilson Hume.”– Served as an editorial consultant.
Review of
Gift and the Unity of Being, by Antonio López.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 23, no. 3 (August 2016): 338-340.
Review of
Paul Tillich and Pentecostal Theology: Spiritual Presence and Spiritual Power, edited by Nimi Wariboko and Amos Yong.
Choice 53, no.11 (July 2016): 1628.
Review of
Word, Words and World: How a Wittgensteinian Perspective on Metaphor-Making Reveals the Theo-logic of Reality, by Sue Patterson.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 23, no.1 (January 2016): 67-70.
Review of
Black Practical Theology, edited by Dale P. Andrews and Robert London Smith Jr.
Choice 53, no. 9 (May 2016): 1340-1341.
Review of
Catholic and Mormon: A Theological Conversation, by Stephen H. Webb and Alonzo L. Gaskill.
Choice 53, no. 6 (February 2016): 895.
Review of
Catholicism: The Story of Catholic Christianity, by Gerald O’Collins and Mario Farrugia.
Choice 53, no.1 (September 2015): 87.
Review of
Theology on Trial: Kierkegaard and Tillich on the Status of Theology, by John Losee.
Choice 52, no. 12 (August 2015): 2033.
Review of
Heaven Can Wait, by Diana Walsh Pasulka.
Choice 52 no. 10 (June 2015): 1675.
Review of
The Jesuits: A History From Ignatius to the Present, by John W. O’Malley.
Choice 52, no. 9 (May 2015): 1518-1519.
Encyclopedia of Christian Education. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2015.
Contributed articles on “Sacramental Theology,” “Anabaptist,” and “Anabaptist (Curriculum Outcomes).” April 2015.
Review of
A Living Tradition: On the Intersection of Liturgical History and Pastoral Practice, edited by David Pitt, Stefanos Alexopoulos, and Christian McConnell.
Practical Matters 8 (2015):
http://practicalmattersjournal.org/2015/03/01/a-living-tradition-review.
Review of
God or Godless?: One Atheist. One Christian. Twenty Controversial Questions, by John W. Loftus and Randal Rauser.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 22, no. 2 (March 2015): 173-175.
Review of
The Crisis of Confidence in the Catholic Church, by Raymond G. Helmick, SJ.
Choice 52, no. 7 (March 2015): 1164.
Review of
Baudrillard and Theology, by James Walters.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 22, no.1 (January 2015): 102-104.
Review of
Sex, Violence, & Justice: Contraception and the Catholic Church, by Aline H. Kalbian.
Choice 52, no. 4 (December 2014): 624-625.
Review of
Ricoeur and the Negation of Happiness, by Alison Scott-Baumann,
Reviews in Religion and Theology 21, no. 3 (July 2014): 388-391.
Review of
The Development of Moral Theology, by Charles E. Curran.
Choice 51, no. 10 (June 2014): 1819.
Review of
Ritualization and Human Interiority, by Clemens Cavallin.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 21, no. 2 (March 2014): 195-197.
Review of
Ricoeur and Theology, by Dan R. Stiver.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 21, no. 1 (January 2014): 128-131.
Review of
From Gabriel to Lucifer, by Valery Rees,
Choice 51, no. 2 (October 2013): 282.
Review of
Semiotics of Religion: Signs of the Sacred in History, by Robert A. Yelle.
Choice 50, no. 11 (July 2013): 1998.
Review of
Why Priests? A Failed Tradition, by Garry Wills.
Choice 50, no. 11 (July 2013): 2035.
Review of
Sexual Ethics: A Theological Introduction, by Todd A. Salzman and Michael G. Lawler.
Choice 50, no. 9 (May 2013): 1644.
Review of
Theological Reflection for Human Flourishing: Pastoral Practice and Public Theology, by Helen Cameron et al.
Practical Matters 6 (Spring 2013),
http://www.practicalmattersjournal.org/issue/6/reviews/theological-reflection-for-human-flourishing-pastoral-practice-and-public-theology.
Review of
Four Views on Christian Spirituality, edited by Bruce Demarest.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 20, no. 2 (March 2013): 201-204.
Review of
Things: Religion and the Question of Materiality, edited by Dick Houtman and Birgit Meyer.
Choice 50, no. 6 (February 2013): 1072.
Review of
The Fountain: A Secular Theology, by Don Cupitt.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 19, no. 4 (September 2012): 432-434.
Review of
Divine Transcendence and the Culture of Change, by David H. Hopper.
Reviews in Religion and Theology 19, no. 4 (September 2012): 473-475.
Review of
Christianity in Evolution: An Exploration, by Jack Mahoney.
Choice 50, no. 1 (September 2012): 101.
Review of
Changing Signs of Truth: A Christian Introduction to the Semiotics of Communications, by Crystal Downing.
American Theological Inquiry 5, no. 2 (July 2012): 95-97.
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
“Why a Theology of Foot Washing is Necessary,”
The Free Will Baptist 133, no. 8 (August 2015): 4-7.
“An Exploration of Foot Washing Within the Original Free Will Baptist Community,”
The Free Will Baptist 132, no. 9 (September 2014): 4-7.
Upcoming Talks and Conferences
“Conversations in the Library: Using Popular Culture, Film, and Television in a Roman Catholic University”
Presented to the Annual Convention of the College Theology Society, Salve Regina University, RI, June 3, 2017.
“Telling the Baptist Story: The Need for Qualitative Methods and Practical Theology”
Presented to the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion Conference, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, May 24, 2017.
“Foot washing as a Liturgical Movement: Perspectives from the Original Free Will Baptists”
Presented to the Annual Convention of the College Theology Society (National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion section), Rockhurst University, Kansas City, MO, June 2-5, 2016.
“Navigating Practical Theology in a Post-Modern World”
Keynote address to the Iannone Conference III: Postmodernism and Constructivism in Practical Theology, St. Thomas University, Miami Gardens, FL, December 5, 2015.
“Deconstruction and Ritual Action: Learning to Listen”
Presented to the Iannone Conference II: Method in Practical Theology, St. Thomas University, Miami Gardens, FL, May 2, 2015.
“Ritual Action as Language: The Hermeneutics of Discourse and Event”
Presented to the Iannone Conference: An Animating Vision of Practical Theology,
St. Thomas University, Miami Gardens, FL, December 13, 2014 (served as co-host and organizer of the event).
“An Exploration of Foot Washing Within the Original Free Will Baptist Community”
Presented to the 2014 Annual Conference of the Baptist History and Heritage Society and the Association of Librarians and Archivists at Baptist Institutions, Sioux Falls Seminary, Sioux Fall, SD, June 5, 2014.
“Digital Social Space? Interpreting Digital Action and Behavior for Today’s Churches”
Presented to the 32nd Biennial Meeting of the Association of Practical Theology, Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Nashville, TN, March 30, 2014.
“Towards a Digital Habitus: Christianity in the Digital Age”
Presented to the Annual Conference of the Humanities and Technology Association, St. Thomas University, Miami, FL, November 8, 2013.
“Is it a Sacrament? Practical Theological Study of the Original Free Will Baptist Ordinance of Foot Washing”
Presented to the American Academy of Religion, Southeast Regional Meeting (SESCOR), Greenville, SC, March 16, 2013.
ACADEMIC PRESENTATIONS
“Being Religious in a Post-Truth World”
Tedx: St. Thomas Aquinas High School, Fort Lauderdale, April 4, 2017.
https://youtu.be/xvSUqorFAg0
“Star Wars: Religion, Spirituality, Messiahs”
Conversations in the Library: Popular Culture Lecture Series, St. Thomas University, forthcoming March 9, 2017.
“Chicago Manual of Style Workshop: Common Issues and Problems for Dissertation and Thesis Writers”
Presentation to doctoral and masters students, St. Thomas University, October 25, 2016.
“The Walking Dead: Can Ethics and Religion Survive the Zombie Apocalypse?”
Conversations in the Library: Popular Culture Lecture Series, St. Thomas University, October 13, 2016.
“Game of Thrones: Perspectives, Theology, and Ethics”
Conversations in the Library: Popular Culture Lecture Series, St. Thomas University Library, September 29, 2016.
“Introduction to Doctoral Education and Research”
Presentation to first and second year Ph.D. students of St. Thomas University, August 19, 2016
“Introduction to Academic Scholarship: Book Reviews, Paper Presentations, and the Curriculum Vitae”
Presentation to the Ph.D. cohort of St. Thomas University, March 6, 2013.
Panelist Respondent to “Genesis and Gilgamesh: Reading the Book of Genesis in the Light of Ancient Near Eastern Literature” by Dr. Tremper Longman III
Contemporary Biblical Scholars Series lecture, St. Thomas University, October 25, 2013.
“Understanding Religious Symbols”
Special lecture to STM 737 Sacrament and Symbol, St. Thomas University, February 2, 2013.
“Symbol and Myth”
Special lecture to STM 150 Introduction to Religious Studies, St. Thomas University, October 22, 2012.
“How to Write and Publish an Academic Book Review”
Scholarly Writers Circle, St. Thomas University, September 19, 2012; October 16, 2013
Memberships
Association of Practical Theology (since 2012)
American Academy of Religion (since 2013)
American Theological Library Association (since 2016)
Baptist History and Heritage Society (since 2014)
College Theology Society (since 2016)
