Dr. Paul Sanchez

Assistant Professor of Religion
Assistant Director of Honors

Office Location Mabee Learning Center, 321
Phone (Office) 405.585.4245
Email paul.sanchez@okbu.edu

The writings and opinions expressed on social media platforms are those of the authors, and may not necessarily reflect those of OBU.

Curriculum Vitae

Biography

Sanchez is a native of California, born and raised in San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay Area. He enjoys watching professional sports, especially football, baseball and basketball. He enjoys studying history, principally because of its power to provide context to our lives and to uncover deeper layers of God's providential story in our world. He counts it a privilege to serve students and is thrilled to do so in a Christian liberal arts setting.

Education

  • Ph.D., Major: Church History and Historical Theology, Minor: Biblical Spirituality, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020
  • Th.M., Historical and Theological Studies, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2020
  • Th.M., Church History and Historical Theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2014
  • M.A., Theology, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, 2012
  • B.A., Major: Bible and Theology, Minor: History, Evangel University (formerly Central Bible College), 2009

Subjects Taught

  • Biblical Studies
  • Theology
  • Ethics
  • History

Professional Memberships

  • Evangelical Theological Society
  • Baptist History and Heritage Society
  • Conference on Faith and History
  • Southern Historical Association

Awards and Honors

  • Central Bible College: Outstanding History Student Award, 2009
  • Archie K. Davis Fellowship of the North Caroliniana Society, April 2019-February 2020

Selected Publications

  • California Dreaming: Evangelical Christianity and American Culture in the Golden State (forthcoming with Eerdmans Publishing)
  • Chapter: “The Latino Church: A Story of Complexity and Its Challenges Today” in Confronting Racial Injustice: Theory and Praxis for the Church. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022
  • “To Love the Souls of the People: Andrew Fuller and the Virtue of Love in Pastoral Ministry.” Bulletin of Ecclesial Theology, Vol 9.1 (2022): 87-101
  • Keith Harper, ed. Southern Baptists Re-Observed: Perspectives on Race, Gender, and Politics, in Journal of Southern History 89.4 (November 2023): 786-787
  • James C. Ungureanu, Science, Religion, and the Protestant Tradition: Retracing the Origins of Conflict, in Fides et Historia 42.2 (Summer/Fall 2022): 178-180
  • J. Stanley Lemons, Retracing Baptists in Rhode Island: Identity, Formation, and History, in The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 24.3 (Fall 2020): 167-170
  • Darren E. Grem, Ted Ownby, and James G. Thomas, Jr., eds, Southern Religion, Southern Culture: Essays Honoring Charles Reagan Wilson, in Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry 16.2 (Fall 2019): 104-106
  • The Spirituality of Love in Andrew Fuller’s Ordination Sermons. Louisville, KY: Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies, 2018

Selected Presentations

  • Presentation: “Loving Your Neighbor in a Complex World: Insights from the Latino Church,” Neighbors Conference, Oklahoma City, OK, October 14, 2023
  • “Reflections on the Latino Church: A Story of Complexity and Its Challenges Today” Breakout session, Center for Pastor Theologians Annual Conference, Oak Park, IL, October 19, 2021

Selected Lectures

  • “Facing the Challenges of Modernity: William L. Poteat and Augustus H. Strong in Contrast.” Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, San Antonio, TX 
  • “The Mission of Social Righteousness: the Social Gospel Impulse among Southern Baptists.” Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, Denver, CO (November 15, 2022)
  • “A Spirituality of Love: Andrew Fuller and the Virtue of Love in Pastoral Ministry.” St. John Symposium, Center for Pastor Theologians, June 8, 2021
  • “A Southern Prophet for Evolution: Early Theistic Evolution Among Southern Baptists.” Southeastern Regional Conference of the Evangelical Theological Society, virtual meeting, March 19, 2021
  • “The Triumph of a Southern Baptist Liberal: William Louis Poteat and the Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy in North Carolina.” Evangelical Theological Society, virtual meeting, November 16, 2020
  • “Pentecostalism’s Pioneering Doctrine: Charles Parham’s Theology of Holy Spirit Baptism.” Delivered at the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society, Denver, CO, November 14, 2018