Academic Dean & Assistant Professor of Theology and Humanities
Zach Howard currently serves as Academic Dean and Assistant Professor of Theology and Humanities at Bethlehem College and Seminary, where he has been a faculty member since 2016. He earned his PhD in historical theology under Lewis Ayres at Durham University, United Kingdom, with a dissertation titled Augustine on Imagination in his Pastoral Theology. He researches and writes at the intersection of patristic theology, imagination in spiritual formation, and pastoral care. He is also a graduate from Hillsdale College (BA), Bethlehem College and Seminary (MDiv), and St. Thomas University (MA).
He loves pressing further up and further in to see how all things cohere in Christ as he seeks to order his loves Godward and calls others to do the same. He counts it a distinct privilege to lead a faculty of friends at the school, and to serve as an active member at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis.
Zach and his wife, Betsy, have been married since 2010, and God has blessed them with four daughters.
Selected Publications
- “Desire Without Ceasing: How Longing Fuels a Life of Prayer.” Desiring God, January 2025.
- “Imitation, Discipleship, and Curiosity in Saint Augustine.” Podcast interview with Mindset, February 27, 2024.
- “Did Augustine Get Justification Wrong? Reading the Father with the Reformers,” invited academic feature article at DesringGod.org, September 2022.
- “Confessions: A Reader’s Guide to a Christian Classic.” Desiring God, January 2021.
- Review of Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader’s Guide to a More Tranquil Mind by Alan Jacobs in Themelios Journal, Vol. 45, Issue 3, Dec. 2020.
Selected Sermons and Talks
- “Engaging the Sages of Our Age: Augustine as Guide to Plundering Modern Egyptians.” A public lecture at South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD, February 2025.
- “From Delight to Study and Back Again.” Sermon delivered at Bethlehem College and Seminary Chapel, Minneapolis, MN. October 2, 2024.
- “Hope for the City (Jeremiah 29:1-14).” Sermon delivered at Bethlehem Baptist Church, MN. August 11, 2024.
- “Foundations for Lifelong Learning: Six Habits of Mind & Heart.” A breakout session at the national Society for Classical Learning conference, Washington DC, June 2024.
Academic Credentials
- B.A., Hillsdale College
- M.Div., Bethlehem College & Seminary
- M.A., University of St. Thomas
- Ph.D., Durham University