Who We Are
Faculty Board Members
Keith D. Stanglin
Keith (Ph.D., historical theology, Calvin Theological Seminary) is Executive Director of the Center for Christian Studies in Austin, Texas, and Professor of Historical Theology at Harding School of Theology in Searcy, Arkansas. He previously taught at Harding University, Austin Graduate School of Theology, and Heritage Christian University.
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Dr. Stanglin has taught at the university and seminary levels since 2004. His academic interests are in church history, Reformation and post-Reformation theology, the history of biblical interpretation, moral theology, biblical studies, and Arminianism. He has taught upper-level graduate courses in theology, comparative dogmatics, biblical hermeneutics, ethics, and all periods of historical theology. His teaching also includes introductory courses in biblical, philosophical, liturgical, and moral theology, as well as Koine Greek.
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Dr. Stanglin has written or edited more than a dozen books and many scholarly and popular articles and reviews. He is editor of the Journal of Christian Studies. His most recent books are A Voice in the Wilderness (2025; co-edited with Todd Hall), and Super-Abundant Grace: Reflections on Romans (2022).
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He is the minister at University Avenue Church of Christ in Austin. He has previously served on the ministry staff for churches in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Michigan, and Texas, and he has preached in many states and foreign countries.
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M. Todd Hall
Todd (Ph.D., education, Texas State University) served as Associate Professor and the Director of the David Worley Library at Austin Graduate School of Theology. He served in local church ministry before undertaking biblical studies at the Center for Christian Education and, later, at Austin Graduate School of Theology (BA, MATS). He then completed a MS in Library Science at University of North Texas and a PhD in education at Texas State University. Todd has published several articles in Christian Studies and the Journal of Christian Studies. He was the managing editor of Christian Studies, and is now the managing editor of the Journal of Christian Studies. In 2025, Todd co-edited A Voice in the Wilderness: An Anthology in Memory of Michael and Libby Weed with Keith Stanglin.
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Todd taught Bible, Spiritual Formation, and Theological Bibliography at Austin Graduate School of Theology from 2006 to 2021. His primary research and writing interests are sociology of religion and spiritual formation.
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Todd and his wife, Cara, live in San Marcos, Texas, where Todd serves as the minister of the Holland Street Church of Christ.
Board of Directors
Chairman: Nathan Guy
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Nathan Guy (PhD, University of Cambridge) is the preaching minister for the West Side Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas. He has also served as an adjunct instructor for Harding University, Heritage Christian University, and St. Louis University. He is the author of Finding Locke's God: The Theological Basis of John Locke's Political Thought (London: Bloomsbury, 2019) and The Mars Hill Story: 150 Years of Love, Mercy, Peace and Truth (Florence, AL: Mars Hill Press, 2020). Nathan received his graduate training in philosophy, theology, New Testament studies, and ethics from the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, and the London School of Economics & Political Science. For 13 years he taught on the Bible faculty of Harding University, then served for 3 years as the President of Mars Hill Bible School--a Christian academy in Florence, Alabama, with roots stretching back to Mars Hill Academy, founded by T. B. Larimore in 1871. He has served in ministry for over 20 years in 5 states and 2 countries. Nathan and his wife, Katie, have one daughter, Grace, who is the joy of their lives.
Treasurer: Becky Blake Stewart
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Becky earned a BA in Education and Psychology from the University of Iowa and MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Austin. She is retired from a career in education, having spent decades teaching in elementary and middle school, supervising student teachers, and mentoring faculty. For over 30 years she focused on writing curriculum and teaching students from a Christian perspective at Brentwood Christian School in Austin, Texas. Becky was the first to receive the Texas Christian Schools Association’s Teacher of the Year for outstanding contribution to Christian education. She served on the review committee for the Timeless Psalter project. Becky grew up in Iowa and Nebraska attending small congregations of the Church of Christ. She now attends Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin where she teaches women’s and children’s classes. Her late husband Bill Stewart was an active supporter of Christian Studies. They have a son and two grandsons.
Allan McNicol
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Allan is originally from Queensland, Australia. An Emeritus Professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Austin Graduate School of Theology – Lipscomb University Austin Center, he graduated from Abilene Christian College and Yale University before gaining a PhD in New Testament from Vanderbilt University. A former church elder, Allan is a member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, an international community of New Testament scholars. His published works include: Beyond the Q Impasse: Luke’s Use of Matthew, co-editor (Bloomsbury, 1996); Preparing for Baptism: Becoming Part of the Story of the People of God (Christian Studies Press, 2001); The Conversion of the Nations in Revelation (T&T Clark, 2011); and The Persistence of God’s Endangered Promises: The Bible’s Unified Story (T&T Clark, 2018). Allan is married to Patricia, a musician, and they are members of Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin, Texas.
Benny Tabalujan
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Benny is married to Pauline, a certified counsellor, and they have four adult children. Educated in Jakarta, Singapore, and Melbourne, he previously worked with law firms in Australia and Hong Kong before becoming a lecturer at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. From 2003-2025, Benny and family were based in Australia where he was a visiting faculty at the graduate business school and law school in the University of Melbourne. During this period, he co-founded a Christian ministry, Klesis Institute, and served as a lay elder with Belmore Church of Christ, Melbourne. In 2025, after retiring from consulting work and college teaching, Benny & Pauline relocated back to Singapore where they are now members of Citivision Church of Christ.
Benny read economics and law at Monash University and obtained a PhD in law from the University of Melbourne. He also gained a Graduate Diploma in Divinity from the Australian College of Theology (now Australian University of Theology) and a MTh from the University of Glasgow.
His law books include: Indonesian Company Law - A Translation and Commentary (Sweet & Maxwell Asia, 1996) and Singapore Business Law, 10th edition (Thomson Reuters, 2025). His Christian writings include: God on Monday - Reflections on Christians @ Work (Klesis Institute, 2005) and Renewal Through Restoration - An Uncommon Call to Christian Discipleship (Klesis Press, 2021).
Secretary: Adam Kelso
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Adam is a software developer in Austin, Texas and received his BA from Oklahoma Christian University. Over the last 14 years he has worked in many industries related to software from bank security to video conferencing. He brings experience with online publishing and other digital systems to the board and an outside perspective to the education goals of CCS. Adam also helps teach adult classes at Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ, primarily for the Young Adults group, and also serves on the tech team that runs and livestreams worship services. He is married to Aimee, who serves on the Women’s committee at Brentwood Oaks. Aimee is also a teacher of physical therapy at the University of St Augustine in Austin and a cofounder of Tesoro Project, a non-profit that organizes medical mission trips to Guatemala.
Founding Board Members
Mary Elisabeth (Libby) Weed, October 17, 1944 – May 3, 2023
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Libby earned a BS in Education, MA in English Literature, and PhD in Educational Administration from the University of Texas at Austin. She completed a career as a classroom teacher, biblical worldview teacher trainer, and school administrator, culminating in thirty years as principal of Brentwood Christian School. Most recently, Libby served as a part-time consultant to the school and also as a teacher of children and adults at Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ. Libby was on the review committee for the Timeless Psalter project. She and her husband Michael Weed co-authored the Bible Handbook: A Guide for Basic Bible Learning, and she edited the Read ‘N’ Grow Picture Bible. Michael was the founding editor of Christian Studies; Libby assisted him in editing and proofreading the journal. Michael and Libby are the parents of two children and grandparents of six.
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Libby fell asleep in the Lord on May 3, 2023. We mourn her passing, but look forward to the reunion of resurrection.
Advisory Council
Michael R. Young (M.S., M.Div., Biblical Studies, ACU; M.A., Ph.D., Philosophy, U. of Dallas)
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Mike previously served as a minister in churches in Texas, New Mexico, and Connecticut as well as a missionary in Santiago, Chile. He currently teaches in the Ph.D. Humanities Program at Faulkner University.
Robert Bluethman (BSEE, MSEE, Rice University)
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Robert Bluethman and his wife, Karen, are longtime members of the Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ (BOCC) in Austin, Texas. At BOCC, Robert teaches in the adult education ministry and previously served as an elder. Robert worked for many years in product development and is now retired.
Deanna Munger (BS Chemical Engineering, Univ. of Arizona; MATS Austin Graduate School of Theology)
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After working in semiconductor engineering, Deanna Munger returned to school to study theology. She is now a writer, speaker and teacher. Deanna, her husband James, and their two sons are longtime members at University Avenue Church of Christ in Austin, Tx. Deanna teaches adult Bible classes at church and online.
Jim Martin MDiv. (ACU); D.Min. (HST)
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Since January 2014, Jim Martin has served as the Vice President of Harding School of Theology in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to this appointment, he served various congregations in Alabama, Missouri, and Texas as a preaching minister for 36 years. Most recently he served the Crestview Church of Christ in Waco, Texas for 20 years (1993-2013).
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Jim has a passion for mentoring and developing Christian leaders and other Christ followers. He has regularly led mentoring and coaching groups for Christian leaders throughout the United States. He also spends much time coaching, mentoring, and encouraging individual ministers. He serves as a partner with Hope Network Ministries.
Jim and his wife, Charlotte, enjoy spending time with their three grandsons, Brody, Lincoln, and Sully and one granddaughter, Elsie.
Harold Shank (PhD, Marquette)
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Harold Shank preached for the Memphis Highland Church of Christ for 20 years. He has been involved with over a dozen church plants and promoted urban ministry and concern for at-risk children. Currently Harold serves as an elder at Memorial Road Church of Christ in Edmond, Oklahoma, and works as a faith consultant.
Barry Newton (B.A., FHU; M.A., MDiv. ACU)
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After participating in a church plant in Florianópolis, Brazil, Barry has served churches in California and Texas. He writes for both English and Portuguese readers. He currently serves as an associate minister of adult education and missions in San Antonio, Texas. Barry and Sofia are the parents of two young men.
Our Education Team
Center for Christian Studies Fellows
Fellows of the Center for Christian Studies are experts in their respective academic fields but also teachers and writers in their congregational contexts, for the sake of the church.
Our Mission
Scholarship for the Church
The mission of the Center for Christian Studies is to help Christians better understand, practice, and pass on their faith and to train teachers of teachers (2 Timothy 2:2). We pursue biblical and theological understanding in conversation with the historic Christian tradition and with all who call upon Jesus as Lord.
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CCS makes quality theological and biblical resources available to churches and Christian leaders. These materials are intended to help Christians and churches grow in biblical literacy, theological understanding, thoughtful worship, spiritual formation, and ethical living, each of which is essential to the renewal of the church.
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CCS resources are produced by scholars who are both experts in their respective fields and active leaders in their churches. We engage in scholarship for the church, in order to equip Christians for service in the church and the world.
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CCS shares its research and instruction with the broader Christian community through publications, online videos, and live and in-person seminars. The Journal of Christian Studies, issued three times a year, features timely articles on relevant themes. Streaming video series provide instruction and study guides on important biblical and ethical topics.
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The Center for Christian Studies is a nondenominational, nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity. Our board are members of Churches of Christ, and we are in conversation with all who call on Jesus Christ as Lord.
What We Believe
God:
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We believe in one God who has revealed himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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Jesus Christ:
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We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s unique Son, our Lord, of the same essence as God, God from God, light from light, who became man, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried, and descended to the grave. On the third day, he rose again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, from where he will come to judge the living and dead. Only through him can there be restoration of creation to God.
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The Holy Spirit:
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We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and Son, who inspired the prophets and apostles as recorded in Scripture, and who now fills and sanctifies believers in love, conforming them to the image of Christ.
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Salvation:
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We acknowledge that, although the good creation has fallen from its creator, in his great mercy God has saved his people by grace through faith, forgiven their sins, and empowered them to do good works. God loves everyone and wills that all people be saved.
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The Church:
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We believe that God has created, called, and redeemed a people for himself who are in the world, but not of it—the one, holy, universal, and apostolic church. The communion of saints assembles to worship the holy God, to listen to God’s written word, and, by extension, to encourage one another. The church acknowledges one baptism for the remission of sins, shares the Lord’s Supper, proclaims the gospel, and practices discipline.
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Last Things:
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We expect the bodily resurrection of the dead and restoration of all things to eternal fellowship with God.
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Scripture:
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We acknowledge the Bible as the primary authority for Christian faith and practice.
In continuity with the Restoration tradition of Christian faith and practice, in matters of faith we seek unity; in matters of opinion, liberty; in all things, charity.