r.dalton@tcu.edu
817.257.6812

TCU Box 298130
2855 South University
Office 118
Fort Worth, TX 76129
 

Russell W. Dalton

Associate Professor of
Christian Education

Russell W. Dalton joined the faculty of Brite Divinity in the fall of 2004 as Associate Professor of Christian Education. Before coming to Brite he served as the G. Ernest Thomas Professor of Christianity and Communication at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio and Director of United's Master of Arts in Religious Communication degree program. He holds degrees from Central Michigan University (B.A), Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Harvard Divinity School (Th.M.), and Union Theological Seminary and The Presbyterian School of Christian Education in Richmond, Virginia (Ed.D.). An ordained American Baptist minister, Dalton served several congregations prior to pursuing doctoral studies. He is the author of Faith Journey through Fantasy Lands: A Christian Dialogue with Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings and Video, Kids, and Christian Education, as well as numerous articles and columns. He has led a number of national and regional conferences and workshops in Christian Education and Religious Communication.
M.Div., Gordon-Cromwell Theological Seminary, 1988.
Th.M., Harvard Divinity School, 1990.
Ed.D., Union Theological Seminary and the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, 1998.
American Baptist Churches, U.S.A.
books and articles
  Marvelous Myths: Marvel Superheroes and Heroic Living in the Real World. St. Louis, MS: Chalice Press, forthcoming 2010.
Faith Journey Through Fantasy Lands Faith Journey through Fantasy Lands: A Christian Dialogue with Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Lord of the Rings. Minneapolis: Augsburg-Fortress press, 2003.
Video, Kids, and Christian Education Video, Kids, and Christian Education. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2001.
 
  “Peter Jackson and the Temptations of Film at the Cracks of Doom,” in The Ring and The Cross: J.R.R. Tolkien and Religion. Madison, NJ: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, forthcoming.
  “Forming Theology through Options, Actions and Reflection,” Seminar paper published in 2009 REA: APPRRE Proceedings: Reconsidering the Power of Story, published by REA: APPRRE, 2009.
  “Miraculous Readings: Using Fantasy Novels about Reading to Enhance the Reading of Sacred Texts,” Religious Education Volume 104, Number 4, July-September 2009, pages 378-392.
  “Perfect Prophets, Helpful Hippos and Happy Endings: Noah and Jonah in Children’s Bible Storybooks in the U.S.,” Religious Education Volume 102, Number 3, June 2007, pages 298 – 313.
  "Aslan is on the Move: Images of Providence in Narnia," in Revisiting Narnia: Fantasy, Myth and Religion in C.S. Lewis' Chronicles. Dallas: BenBella Books, 2005.
  Introduction." In Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2004.
  "A Christian Dialogue with Popular Media." Disciples World 2, no. 9 (2003): 3-5.
Comprehensive Bibliography
Courses
research interests
Dr. Dalton's current research includes Children's Bible Storybooks in the United States and the Use of the Bible in the Church.
suggested reading
Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, Let the Children Come: Reimaging Childhood from a Christian Perspective (Jossey-Bass, 2003).

Karen Marie Yust, Real Kids, Real Faith: Practices for Nurturing Children's Spiritual Lives (Jossey-Bass, 2004)

Kenda Creasy Dean, Practicing Passion: Youth and the Quest for a Passionate Church (Eerdmans, 2004).