Benjamin Hartley

What Dr. Ben Hartley most appreciates about being at Eden Theological Seminary is the strong sense of community one finds here, the prophetic tradition of alumni and professors who have studied and taught in this beautiful place, and the deep connections the seminary has with churches, other faith communities, and nonprofit organizations in the region. Having a robust engagement with context is important to this Professor of Contextual Education, Mission, and United Methodist Studies.

Dr. Hartley comes to Eden Theological Seminary after twenty years of serving on the faculties at Palmer Theological Seminary, the Seminary of Eastern University near Philadelphia (2005-2016), George Fox University in Oregon (2016-2020), and Seattle Pacific University in Washington (2021-2024). During his time in Philadelphia, he and his students collaborated to create a walking tour of early Methodism in Philadelphia (https://philawalk.org/). The walk features twenty-two Methodist-related sites within eight blocks of the Liberty Bell.

Dr. Hartley has authored, co-authored, and edited three books including Evangelicals at a Crossroads: Revivalism and Social Reform in Boston, 1860-1910 (2011) which received two national awards. He has published over thirty book chapters or scholarly articles in journals such as the International Bulletin of Mission Research, International Review of Mission, Missiology: An International Review, Current Anthropology, Methodist History, Quarterly Review, and Methodist Review. He blogs occasionally at https://missionandmethodism.net/blog/. Recent publications include a chapter on 18th century evangelical missions in India, the Caribbean, and South Africa for the Oxford Handbook of Early Evangelicalism (2022) and a chapter entitled “Pragmatic Internationalist: John R. Mott’s Negotiation of Nationalisms and Racism, 1895-1925” for a book on early twentieth century Christian Internationalism to be published by Brill (2024). He is grateful for grants he has received from the Louisville Institute, the American Philosophical Society, the Elmer L. Andersen Research Scholars Program, and the Rockefeller Archive Center for a biography of Nobel Peace Prize laureate John R. Mott (1865-1955), which he anticipates completing in 2027.

Dr. Hartley is a member of the American Society of Church History and the American Society of Missiology. For the latter organization, he has served in leadership roles on the Board of Publications and the Board of Directors. During the 2023-2024 academic year he served as President of the American Society of Missiology. His presidential address at the June 2024 annual meeting may be viewed here. Dr. Hartley is currently an ordained deacon in the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church where he served on the District Committee on Ministry. In 2025, he plans to transfer his membership to the Missouri Conference of the UMC. He currently represents the United Methodist Church on the steering committee of the Wesleyan Holiness Connection, an ecumenical body comprised of Wesleyan denominations.