Rufus Burrow, Jr. was appointed to the faculty in 1984. He majored in Criminal Justice at Anderson University, and received the Ph. D in Theological Social Ethics, with a minor in Philosophy of Religion, from Boston University in 1982.
An active member in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Dr. Burrow is a frequent contributor to major professional publications such as: Encounter, The Western Journal of Black Studies, The Journal of Religious Thought, The Personalist Forum (now The Pluralist), and The Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center. In addition, he is author of thirteen books: James H. Cone and Black Liberation Theology (McFarland & Co., Inc., 1994); Personalism: A Critical Introduction (Chalice, 1999); The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr: The Boundaries of Law, Politics, and Religion (University of Notre Dame Press, 2002, with Lewis V. Baldwin et al.); God and Human Responsibility: David Walker and Ethical Prophecy (Mercer University Press, 2003); Daring to Speak in God’s Name: Ethical Prophecy and Ministry (The Pilgrim Press, 2003, with Mary Alice Mulligan); Standing in the Margin: How Your Congregation Can Minister with the Poor (The Pilgrim Press, 2004, with Mary Alice Mulligan); God and Human Dignity: The Personalism, Theology, and Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr. (University of Notre Dame Press, 2006); Martin Luther King, Jr. for Armchair Theologians (Westminster John Knox Press, 2009); The Domestication of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Cascade Books, 2013, ed. with Lewis V. Baldwin); Extremist for Love: Martin Luther King, Jr., Man of Ideas and Nonviolent Social Action (Fortress Press, January 2014); A Child Shall Lead Them: Martin Luther King, Jr., Young People, and the Movement (Fortress Press, August 2014); Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Theology of Resistance (McFarland & Co., December 2014).
Under Professor Burrow’s leadership students explored the role of Christians and the church in the modern world through courses such as: “Prophetic and Ethical Witness of the Church;” “Theological Ethics of Martin Luther King, Jr.;” “Gandhi, King, and Terrorism;” and “Theology and Ethics of Pastor Reinhold Niebuhr.”
