Joseph S. Pettit

Education

Ph.D.   University of Chicago            1998 (Religious Ethics)

M.A.    University of Chicago             1992 (Divinity)

B.A.    Georgetown University          1989 (Theology)

Professional Academic Positions

• Acting Department Chair, August 2010 to present
• Associate Professor, Morgan State University, 2009 to present
• Assistant Professor, Morgan State University, 2004 -- 2009
• Adjunct Assistant Professor, Dominican University, Summer 2004
• Visiting Assistant Professor, DePaul University, 2002 – 2004 (full-time)
• Adjunct Instructor, DePaul University, Autumn 1999
• Adjunct Instructor, Illinois Wesleyan University, Spring 1999
• Adjunct Instructor, Indiana University Northwest, Autumn 1998
• Adjunct Instructor, DePaul University, Winter and Spring, 1997

Additional Professional Experience

• Director of Education and Outreach, Protestants for the Common Good (October, 1999 – June, 2002)

Protestants for the Common Good is a faith-based advocacy and education non-profit organization located in Chicago, IL.  During my three years at PCG, I led more than 150 presentations at congregations, including adult education and preaching, organized and led retreats with ministers, and wrote grant proposals that raised more than $500,000.  I also led the creation of Interfaith Open Communities, which brought Protestants, Catholics, Jews, and Muslims together to promote affordable housing advocacy and education in metropolitan Chicago.

• Conference Organizer and Speaker: “Challenges Facing Young African American Men, Their Families and Their Communities: The Role of Policy, Culture, and Faith” November 17, 2006, co-sponsored by the Religion, Public Policy, and Political Change Consultation, The Urban Institute, and the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.

• Co-Chair, Religion Public Policy and Political Change Consultation of the American Academy of Religion (2005-2008)

Publications

Papers in refereed journals

• “A Defense of Unbounded (But Not Unlimited) Economic Growth: The Ethics of Creating Wealth and Reducing Poverty,” The Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, 30.1 (2010): 183-204.
• “The Spoil of the Poor is in Your Houses: Profits and Prophets in a Disrupted Society,” The Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, 27.1 (2007): 33-55.
• “Five Rules for Teaching Social Justice,” Political Theology, 7.4 (2006): 475-489.
• “The Persistence of Injustice: Challenging Some Dominant Explanations,” The Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, 25.1 (2005): 197-218.
• “Religious Freedom and Islamic Identity: A View from Three Books,” Journal of Islamic Law and Culture, 8.1 (2003): 199-211.
• “Toward a Reformed Pragmatism,” American Journal of Theology and Philosophy, 17.2 (1996): 167-183.

Non-academic publications

• “The N-Word Isn’t The Issue,” Baltimore Sun Op-Ed, March 8, 2010, p. 13.
•  “Why We Still Need Black Colleges,” Baltimore Sun Op-Ed, January 21, 2008, p.13A
• “Bonobo Business,” Commonweal, December 23, 2007, pp. 23-25
• “Free At Last?” Commonweal, November 23, 2007, pp. 8-9
• “Why Do Americans Work?” Baltimore Sun Op-Ed, Sept. 3, 2007, p.7A
• “Can We Talk About Race? A Few Rules of Engagement,” Baltimore Sun Op-Ed, August 1, 2006, p.11A
• “Government Should Assign Equal Value To All Human Life,” Baltimore Sun Op-Ed, December 25, 2005, p.30A
• “Personal Problems, Political Solutions,” Baltimore Sun Op-Ed, September 22, 2005, p.19A

Book Reviews

• James W. Skillen, In Pursuit of Justice: Christian – Democratic Explorations, reviewed in The Journal of Religion, 87.1 (2007): 131-133
• Jeffrey Stout, Democracy and Tradition, reviewed in The Journal of Religion, 86.1 (2006): 135-136
• John B. Cobb, Jr., Postmodernism and Public Policy: Reframing Religion, Culture, Education, Sexuality, Class, Race, Politics, and the Economy, reviewed in The Journal of Religion, 84.2: 299-300
• Robert S. Corrington, Nature’s Religion, reviewed in The Journal of Religion, 80.1 (2000): 149-151
• Roger Trigg, Rationality and Religion: Does Faith Need Reason? reviewed in The Journal of Religion, 79.4 (1999): 684-685
• Douglas Ottati, Reforming Protestantism: Christian Commitment in Today’s World, reviewed in The Journal of Religion, 78.2 (1998): 277-279

Papers and Presentations

• “A Better Economy: The Ethics of Creating Wealth and Reducing Poverty,” presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics
• “The Rise of Human Capital: Three Lessons for Ethics,” presented at the 2007 Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Christian Ethics, Oxford University
• “Interfaith Open Communities: Faith-Based Affordable Housing Advocacy in Metropolitan Chicago,” presented at the November 2006 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion.
• “The Costs of Neighborhood Exclusion,” panel presentation at “Challenges Facing Young African American Men, Their Families, and Their Communities,” Washington, D.C., November 17, 2006.
• “The Evolution of Global Capitalism: An Interdisciplinary Study of the Common Good,” presented at the joint conference of Societas Ethica – the European Society for Research in Ethics, and the British Society of Christian Ethics, Oxford University, August, 2006.
• “The Spoil of the Poor is in Your Houses: Profits and Prophets in a Disrupted Society,” presented at the 2006 Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics.
•  “The Dignity of Politics: Religion, Philosophy, and the Consent of the Governed,” presented at the November 2005 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion.
• “Five Rules for Teaching Social Justice,” presented at the November 2004 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion.
• “Inevitable Injustice: Challenging Some Dominant Explanations,” presented at the January 2004 Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics.
• “Religion, Inequality, and the Common Good: Why Democracy Needs Religion,” presented at the November 2003 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion.
• “Housing and Hospitality: An Intersection of Theology and Social Crisis,” was scheduled to be presented at the 2001 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion but was canceled due to illness.
•  “Pragmatism, Democracy, and the Divine Good,” American Academy of Religion, Nov., 1999.
•  “Transcendental Ethics and the Pragmatism of Franklin Gamwell,” Society of Christian Ethics, January, 1999.
• “Pragmatism and Theism: A Question of Ethics,” American Academy of Religion, Nov., 1995.
• “Metaphysics and Subjectivity: A Critique of the Dominant Consensus in Ethical Theory,” American Academy of Religion, November, 1992.