Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon will be joining Seattle University’s School of Theology and Ministry (STM) for the next three years as the Spehar-Halligan Visiting Professor of Ecumenical Collaboration in Interreligious Dialogue, beginning August 2012.

Dr. Kinnamon, from the Disciples of Christ faith community, has long been a friend of the School of Theology and Ministry, as one of its consultants for the school’s intentional commitment to ecumenical dialogue, including the curricular development of the course Theology in an Ecumenical Context. Dr. Kinnamon is looking forward to joining the unique learning community of STM, as an accredited seminary in partnership with more than 17 religious traditions, with a reputation for ecumenical and interreligious conversations surrounding global concerns and social justice. Dr. Kinnamon is a widely known scholar in ecumenical circles, both nationally and internationally. He has been a professor, scholar and leader in higher education for more than 30 years, being known as an important international voice in ecumenism and interreligious dialogue—most recently serving as General Secretary for the National Council of Churches.

Dr. Kinnamon has written extensively on the ecumenical movement, most recently, The Vision of the Ecumenical Movement and How it has Been Impoverished by its Friends (Chalice Press). Kinnamon has made important contributions to two other staples of ecumenical literature, The History of the Ecumenical Movement and the Dictionary of the Ecumenical Movement.

Kinnamon’s contributions to the already diverse faculty at STM will include course instruction, an annual lecture, and national and international engagement in scholarship that will advance STM’s intentional ecumenical and interreligious initiatives.