Marc Cortez, Ph.D.
Professor of Theology | Wheaton College
Wheaton, IL, UNITED STATES
Dr. Cortez is a leading theologian who loves helping people think more clearly and carefully about what it means to be human.
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Biography
Marc Cortez is a leading expert in theological anthropology, an area of theology that focuses on what Christians believe about human persons. He has written multiple books on the subject, including Theological Anthropology: A Guide for the Perplexed, a leading textbook used by many colleges and seminaries to introduce students to some of the difficult questions involved in understanding humanity: the image of God, the mind/body relationship, free will, and sexuality. Dr. Cortez also writes and lectures on race and racism, death and dying, and work and vocation.
Although Dr. Cortez is fascinated by anything related to theological anthropology, his particular area of interest has focused largely on the relationship between Christology and anthropology, specifically the question of what it means to say that Jesus reveals what it means to be truly human. He has pursued this question through a wide-ranging dialog with diverse thinkers like Gregory of Nyssa, Julian of Norwich, Martin Luther, Friedrich Schleiermacher, James Cone, and most importantly, Karl Barth.
More recently, Dr. Cortez's research has shifted toward the imago Dei in particular and the doctrine of creation more broadly. He is currently working on books in each of those areas, one exploring the idea of "divine presence" as it relates to human persons and another that will offer a theological introduction to the doctrine of creation.
In addition to his theological work, Dr. Cortez has always loved being involved in ministry. He worked as a youth pastor for almost a decade, and has since remained actively involved as a volunteer youth worker for both middle and high school ministries. He also preaches whenever he gets the chance and regularly serves on his church's worship team.
Education (4)
University of St. Andrews: Ph.D., Theology 2007
Western Seminary: Th.M., Theology, Church History, Hebrew, Old Testament 2004
Western Seminary: M.A., Theology, New Testament 2002
Multnomah Bible College: B.A., Theology, Greek 2000
Areas of Expertise and Research Interests (13)
Theological Anthropology
Systematic Theology
Christian Doctrines
Philosophy
Jesus Christ
Global Theology
Contextual Theology
Gregory of Nyssa
Karl Barth
Historical Theology
Christology
Jonathan Edwards
Augustine
Professional Affiliations (3)
- Evangelical Theological Society
- Evangelical Philosophical Society
- American Academy of Religion
Links (2)
Presentations and Event Appearances (4)
Being Human in a Dehumanizing World: The Image of God and Christian Anthropology
Ancient Evangelical Future Conference Trinity School for Ministry
2018-06-08
"The Appearance of Reckless Divine Cruelty": Animal Pain and the Problem of Other Minds
Colloquium on Creation and the Problem of Evil, Chicago Theological Initiative Wheaton College
2018-03-23
Nature, Grace, and the Christological Ground of Humanity
Los Angeles Theology Conference Fuller Seminary
2018-01-17
The Natural, the Supernatural, and the Meaning of Creation
Henry Center Scripture & Ministry Lecture Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
2017-10-26
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
Academics and Published Research (2)
Courses Taught
- Advanced historical theology seminars on Augustine, Greek Fathers, Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, and Karl Barth - Advanced seminar on theological anthropology Introductory classes in systematic theology covering all the major doctrines - Church history survey - Introduction to philosophy for theologians and biblical scholars - Introductory classes on Greek grammar, syntax, and exegesis
Research
- Theological Anthropology (esp. the image of God, the body/soul relationship, human sexuality, race/culture, and theologies of work) - Contemporary Christology (esp. the incarnation and the humanity of Christ) - Philosophical Theology (primarily the relationship between metaphysics and systematic theology) - Global and Contextual Theology (the nature of culture, the impact of cultural context on theology, particular expressions of contextual theology) - Theological studies on Gregory of Nyssa, Karl Barth, and Jonathan Edwards
Select Articles, Chapters, Reviews, and Other Publications (4)
A Spirit-ed Account of the imago Dei: Reconnecting Pneumatology and Christology in Contemporary Theological Anthropology
Third Article Theology: A Pneumatological Dogmatics
Marc Cortez
2016
The Madness of Our Method: Christology as the Necessary Starting Point for Theological Anghropology
Ashgate Companion to Theological Anthropology
Marc Cortez
2015
The Human Person as Communicative Event: Jonathan Edwards on the Mind/Body Relationship
Ashgate Companion to Theological Anthropology
Marc Cortez
2015
As Much as Possible: Essentially Contested Concepts and Analytic Theology; A Response to William J. Abraham
Journal of Analytic Theology
Marc Cortez
2013
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