Dr. Charles Bellinger Q&A

Teaching in the MLA since:				2008
Specialty/Area of Research:				Violence in Human Culture
MLA Courses Taught:				Religion and Violence Peacemaking in a Violent World Religion and Ethics in a Polarized Age The Abortion Debate, Jesus in American History and Culture Racism and Christian Social Ethics

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How many years have you been teaching in the MLA program and what class or classes have you taught?

I can’t remember when was the first class I taught for the MLA program; it was probably about 2008 or so. I have taught Religion and Violence, Peacemaking in a Violent World, Religion and Ethics in a Polarized Age, The Abortion Debate, Jesus in American History and Culture, and Racism and Christian Social Ethics.

 

Tell us a little bit about your specialty or area of research?

I’m on the faculty at Brite Divinity School where I have taught Introduction to Theological Ethics, Religion and Violence, Theology and Human Rights, History of Christian Ethics, and other courses. Most of my research and writing has focused on the phenomenon of violence in human culture, which is at the same time complicated, fascinating, and emotionally fraught.

 

"If what is called the “real world” is just having a job and earning money, then one’s horizons are limited. It is not just beneficial to be able to have intelligent conversations with one’s fellow workers about a variety of subjects, it is also beneficial to the quality of the workplace to have employees who have practice at perceptive reading, critical thinking, and creative problem solving."

- Dr. Charles Bellinger

 

How does your background inform your teaching and scholarship?

I became interested in the subject of violence when I was in college, first in the form of ethical debates about just war theory and pacifism, and then transitioning to looking at social scientific approaches to understanding the psychology of violence. I am a very interdisciplinary thinker, drawing not only on religion and philosophy, but also history, political science, psychology, and literature.

 

How do you try to make the material in your class engaging considering most students complete their MLA degree 100% online?

When I teach in-class I don’t do much lecturing; I focus mainly on discussion of the assigned texts. That approach translates well to online courses, which are mainly set up, in my approach, as threaded discussions of texts. Since Covid, I have also incorporated some Zoom meetings each semester, which the students seem to appreciate. Online only can be somewhat impersonal if you never see the faces and hear the voices of the other students.

 

"I am a very interdisciplinary thinker, drawing not only on religion and philosophy, but also history, political science, psychology, and literature."

-Dr. Charles Bellinger

 

What advantages do you think there are to getting a Master’s Degree in the Liberal Arts? How can it be helpful in the “real world”?

If what is called the “real world” is just having a job and earning money, then one’s horizons are limited. It is not just beneficial to be able to have intelligent conversations with one’s fellow workers about a variety of subjects, it is also beneficial to the quality of the workplace to have employees who have practice at perceptive reading, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.

 

Tell us about your most recent publication and tell us about any upcoming publications you are working on.

I recently published a book called The Tree of Good and Evil: Or, Violence by the Law and Against the Law. It examines the idea that violence in human culture comes not only from criminal acts, but also from the direction of “law and order” in the form of slavery (which used to be “legal”), or lynching (which was “quick justice” in the eyes of the mob), the death penalty, and the high profile killings by police officers in recent years, such as that of George Floyd. I also have a long chapter on mass shootings, and examine the psychology of the killers. I seek to stimulate my readers to think about these issues that they may not have considered before. My current project is an extension of these ideas under the tentative title The Sacred Task of Policing. This will give me the opportunity to not only discussion cases of unethical killing by the police, but also to articulate a positive philosophy of how policing ought to be conducted as an important institution within our society.