Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Religion (Theological Studies)
Vanderbilt University
1999
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Faculty
Faculty
Frederick L. Ware, Ph.D.
Professor of Theology
Department/Office
- Theological Studies, Divinity
School/College
- School of Divinity
Biography
Frederick L. Ware, Ph.D., is a professor of theology at Howard University School of Divinity. He began teaching at the School of Divinity in 2003. From 2018 to 2025, he served as associate dean for academic affairs and, in spring 2023, as acting dean of the School of Divinity. His courses include Systematic Theology I and II, Philosophy of Religion, Black Theology, Theology of Martin Luther King Jr., Religious Thought of Howard Thurman, Theology of the Holy Spirit, Theological Responses to Atrocity and Democracy: Theological Perspectives.
Prior to joining the faculty at the School of Divinity, Ware served as an assistant professor of religion and philosophy at Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He also has served as an adjunct or visiting faculty member at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia, Memphis Theological Seminary, the University of Memphis and Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ware is the lead editor of T&T Clark Handbook of African American Theology. He is the author of African American Theology: An Introduction and Methodologies of Black Theology. In addition to these monographs, he has published numerous essays on African American theology and explored the intersections of Pentecostalism with race, culture, health care and the religion-science dialogue.
Recently, Ware directed a pilot project in systematic theology focused on engaging climate science and the climate crisis. This work in science-engaged theology was preceded by two initiatives. From 2014 to 2017, he directed the Science for Seminaries Project at Howard University School of Divinity. Howard was one of 10 schools selected to participate in Phase I of the grant-funded curriculum development initiative, which was designed to improve theological engagement with science in core courses of the Master of Divinity degree program. From 2018 to 2022, he served as an advisory board member for Phase II and the Seed Grants of the Science for Seminaries Project, which included several cohorts totaling 44 theological schools.
Ware earned a Ph.D. in religion, with a concentration in theological studies, from Vanderbilt University. He earned a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt University Divinity School and 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 and is currently a member of the Maryland Eastern Shore Jurisdiction. For many years, he has also maintained an affiliation with the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. During his ministerial career, he has served congregations in Memphis and Lebanon, Tennessee. He also participated in the Joint Consultative Group between the World Council of Churches and Pentecostals and is now involved in 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
1994
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
Areas of Expertise
Theological Studies
Specialty Areas: Systematic & Philosophical Theology, Philosophy of Religion, Pentecostal Studies
Academics
Academics
THEO 305. Systematic Theology I
THEO 310. Systematic Theology II
THEO 325. Modern Theology
THEO 370. Religious Thought of Howard Thurman
THEO 456. Ecumenism: Dialogue & Theology
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: John Templeton Foundation.
Project Director, August 2014 – May 2017. “Oh So Human, Yet So Divinely Complex: Science and Theology in the Exploration of Human Identity, Community and Purpose,” a curriculum development project and event series, at Howard University School of Divinity. Project budget: $140,081: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Research Team Member, June 2006 – June 2010. “Science and the Spirit: Pentecostal Perspectives on the Science/Religion Dialogue,” a research initiative co-directed by James K.A. Smith and Amos Yong. Seminars in Christian Scholarship Program at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Project budget: $162,078: 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: African American Perspectives on Faith and Science. (In Progress).
Using the scientific term “dark matter” metaphorically to emphasize invisible yet consequential materials, this project recovers underexamined perspectives, too often “hidden in the dark,” that challenge the conventional “conflict thesis” regarding religion and science, revealing a rich tradition of meaningful dialogue on scientific developments, for example, in evolutionary biology, nuclear technology, space exploration, cosmology, and artificial intelligence. This project explores African American religious and moral thinkers’ contributions to dialogue on these issues in science and technology from the late 19th century to the present. Drawing on archival sources and recent scholarship, the project expands the history of science and the study of religion through an investigation of rare but significant historically situated religious perspectives that affirm the humanities’ vital role in addressing the ethical implications of science and technology in the complexity of American society.
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
Impactful Mentoring across Race and Gender
More and more, mentorship is being recognized as a key to the success and retention of diverse faculty members and administrative leaders. In this piece, four members of the 2022-2023 cohort of ACAD Fellows reflect on their personal journeys, the mentors who helped them along the way, and the obligations that they now feel to pay it forward. There are four contributors here: Christie Chung, Kim Davis, Roberto Sánchez, and Frederick Ware.
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.