Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Religion (Theological Studies)
Vanderbilt University
1994
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Faculty
Faculty
Frederick L. Ware
Professor of Theology
Department/Office
- Theological Studies, Divinity
School/College
- School of Divinity
Biography
Frederick L. Ware, Ph.D., is Professor of Theology at Howard University School of Divinity. He began teaching at the School of Divinity in 2003. Recent courses that he has taught include Systematic Theology I & II, Philosophy of Religion, Black Theology, Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr., Religious Thought of Howard Thurman, Theology of the Holy Spirit, and Theological Responses to Atrocity.
Prior to Dr. Ware’s appointment to the faculty of the School of Divinity, he served as Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Other schools at which he served as adjunct or visiting faculty are United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia, Memphis Theological Seminary, the University of Memphis, and Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ware is lead editor of the T&T Clark Handbook of African American Theology. He is author of African American Theology: An Introduction and Methodologies of Black Theology. In addition to these monographs, he has published numerous essays in African American Theology and explored the intersections of Pentecostalism with race, culture, healthcare, and the religion-science dialogue.
Recently, Ware directed a pilot project in systematic theology to engage climate sciences and climate crisis. This work in science-engaged theology was preceded by two cutting-edge initiatives. From 2014-2017, he directed the Science for Seminaries Project at Howard University School of Divinity, which was one among ten schools selected for participation in Phase I of a grant-funded initiative in curriculum development, designed to improve theological engagement with science in core courses of the Master of Divinity degree program. From 2018-2022, he served as an advisory board member for the Phase II and Seed Grants of the Science for Seminaries Project which included several cohorts that together totaled 44 theological schools.
Ware earned his Ph.D. degree in religion, with a concentration in theological studies, from Vanderbilt University. From Vanderbilt University Divinity School, he earned the Master of Divinity degree. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy from Memphis State University (now the University of Memphis).
Ware is an ordained minister (Elder) in the Church of God in Christ, presently with membership in the Maryland Eastern Shore Jurisdiction. For many years, he has enjoyed the privilege of affiliation with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. Over the course of his ministerial career, he served congregations in Memphis and Lebanon, Tennessee, and participated in the Joint Consultative Group between the World Council of Churches and Pentecostals and is now involved in the dialogue between scholars representing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches of North America.
Education & Expertise
Education
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Religion (Theological Studies)
Vanderbilt University
1999
Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
Ministry & Theology
Vanderbilt University
1991
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Philosophy
Memphis State University
1986
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Philosophy
Memphis State University
1984
Expertise
Systematic & Philosophical Theology
Philosophy of Religion
Pentecostal Studies
Academics
Academics
THEO 305. Systematic Theology I
THEO 310. Systematic Theology II
THEO 340/546. Theology of Martin Luther King, Jr.
THEO 385. M.L. King, Jr., and Malcolm X
Research
Research
Specialty
Theology, Philosophy of Religion, Cultural StudiesFunding
Project Director; October 2023-September 2024. Chair's Award, a grant for recruitment and supervision of replacement lecturers in Sacred Texts at Howard University. Project budget: $29,920: National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH).
Project Director; January 2022-May 2023. "Climate Change, Human Migration, and Practices of Environmental Stability— For the Healing of the Nations," a curriculum development pilot project and event series to engage climate sciences and climate crisis, at Howard University School of Divinity. Project budget: $10,000: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Advisory Board Member; February 2018-2022, with duties including reviews of proposals and participation in events for project faculty at various theological schools. Science for Seminaries Phase II, the Dialogue on Science, Ethics and Religion (DoSER) Program of the AAAS. Project budget: $6,182,109, from John Templeton Foundation
Featured News
Featured News
Read: Religion News Service | Seminaries prompt students to ask: Can AI write a sermon?
Read: Science for the Church | Science and Spirit: An Interview with Fred Ware
Listen: Homebrewed Christianity Podcast | An Introduction to African American Theology with Frederick Ware
Watch: PBS | Science for Seminaries
Read: Houston Chronicle | Rapture film to debut in Houston theaters
Read: Deseret News | Mayan calendar aside, end times theology has meaning for many Americans
Read: The Washington Post | With King in mind, pastors help the needy and preserve the dream
Publications and Presentations
Publications and Presentations
Books
Dark Matters: Creation, Science, and Faith in African American Theology. (In Progress).
This book examines late 19th century and early- to mid-20th century African American cultural criticism and theology on the topic of science and technology in society. The study focuses on creation, that is, beliefs not only about origins but also religious interpretations of the natural world and religious attitudes regarding science as a means of studying our world. Historicizing this relationship between faith and science is crucial for my sketch of a contemporary constructive science-engaged theology in dialogue with this long tradition of African American religious thought.
T&T Clark Handbook of African American Theology. Co-edited with Antonia Michelle Daymond and Eric Lewis Williams.
Intended as a concise guide and informative introduction to African American theology, this collection of more than 30 essays by established and emerging scholars engages Christian faith from various disciplinary approaches and from different contexts of experience in the United States.
African American Theology: An Introduction.
Based on more than 16 years of teaching, this publication is a comprehensive text that focuses on the history, sources, methodology, and multiple themes of African American theology.
Methodologies of Black Theology
1 of 10 finalists in Foreword Magazine’s 2003 Book of the Year Award in the field of religion. This book was featured, as a best-selling title in theology, in the Fall/Winter 2002-2003 issue of Theological Best Books. In 2015, the book was listed in The Huffington Post’s report on The 40 Essential Books for Any #BlackChurchSyllabus.
Initiation (Water Baptism) in North American Pentecostalism
Initiation (Water Baptism) in North American Pentecostalism
As Pentecostal theology grows in appreciation of sacramental theology, this Catholic-Pentecostal dialogue represents an immense opportunity for Pentecostals. Previous iterations of dialogue identified infant baptism and believer’s baptism as topics of interest. Through a series of questions, this article identifies several challenges to baptism of both kinds. The complexity of issues is explored through contrasting Pentecostal experiences of water baptism and Pentecostal denominational and constructive theological interpretations of water baptism.
Impactful Mentoring across Race and Gender
Race, Religion, and Science
Examining the concept of race within the context of white-Black relations in the United States, this article demonstrates how religion and science have perpetuated separately and jointly the use of race in the interpretation of the origins and nature of humans and our relationships with one another.
Recent Articles
Multimedia
Jude 3 Project | Are Faith & Science At Odds?
Can faith and science coesxist? In this episode of the Jude 3 Project podcst, Dr. Frederick Ware discusses the intersection of theology and science, tackling topics like evolution, miracles, and historical black church perspectives.