I came to Carbondale in August, 2003 from St. Petersburg, Russia, where I taught church history and theology for four years at a Russian Lutheran seminary.
A native of St. Louis, I received my B.A. in Russian from Purdue University, and went to seminary at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. I continued my graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago and was awarded a Ph.D. in Russian history in 1999. My area of interest is Russian Orthodox Church history.
In 1984 I studied for a semester at the Pushkin Institute in Moscow, USSR, where I met my wife, Helen, then a student from the UK. We were married in 1986 and have three children, Andrew, James, and Marian.
I have an ongoing interest in ecumenical relations. While in Russia I was involved with an ecumenical center that brought together Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, and Armenian Orthodox churches. I also led worship for the Anglican Chaplaincy of St. Petersburg in the absence of a regular Chaplain.