The Rev. Dr. Patrick S. Cheng, Assistant Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology, was appointed to the faculty of Episcopal Divinity School in 2010. He holds a PhD, MPhil, and MA from Union Theological Seminary in New York, a JD from Harvard Law School, and a BA from Yale College. Professor Cheng’s research interests relate to the intersections of sexuality, race, and theology. He is the author of Radical Love: An Introduction to Queer Theology (Seabury, 2011), and he is currently working on a book project entitled From Sin to Amazing Grace: Discovering the Queer Christ (Seabury). Cheng’s essays have appeared in a number of anthologies, including the second edition of Sexuality and the Sacred (Westminster/John Knox, 2010) and The Queer Bible Commentary (SCM, 2006). His articles have been published in a number of peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion; Journal of Technology, Theology, and Religion; Semeia; and Spiritus. Cheng serves on the steering committee of the Asian North American Religion, Culture, and Society group of the American Academy of Religion. In 2011, he delivered the fourth annual John E. Boswell Lecture at the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies in Religion and Ministry in Berkeley, California. Cheng is an ordained minister with the Metropolitan Community Churches, and he contributes to the religion section of the online Huffington Post. His website is http://www.patrickcheng.net, and his Twitter feed is http://twitter.com/patrickscheng.

Quote: St. Augustine of Hippo once described God's beauty as “ever ancient, ever new.” For me, the beauty of Christian theology lies in the ongoing synthesis of ancient scripture, creeds, and doctrines with exciting new disciplines such as queer theory and postcolonial thought. In my view, Episcopal Divinity School is an ideal community in which to live out this witness, both in terms of theory and praxis.

Faculty - Rev. Dr. Patrick S. Cheng