The Religion Major | Degree Requirements | Course Descriptions
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Philip N. LaFountain • Assistant Professor • Religion & Philosophy
M.Div., Nazarene Theological Seminary
B.A., Eastern Nazarene College
Professor LaFountain is both a full-time professor and a full-time pastor. He has taught in Eastern Nazarene’s Adult Studies program since 1996, and full-time in the undergraduate program since 2003. Before entering college, Prof. LaFountain served in the Air Force, from 1975-1981, from where he was called into the ministry. He works as the director of a chaplain program for Marketplace Ministries, based in Dallas. There are 12 chaplains under his direction that serve the employees of Bess Eaton Donuts, a Christian-owned company that has 60 locations in New England. LaFountain is pastor of Emmanuel Church of the Nazarene in Pawtucket, R.I., where he lives with his wife and three children.
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William H. Malas Jr. • Assistant Professor • Religion • Religion & Philosophy Division/Department Chair
Ph.D. Biblical Studies, Union Theological Seminary
M.Div., Nazarene Theological Seminary
M.A., B.A., Olivet Nazarene University
Dr. Malas has been at ENC since the fall 2002 semester and received an ENC professional achievement award in 2005. Before ENC, he taught Greek for two years at Nazarene Theological Seminary and pastored Richmond Trinity Church of the Nazarene for four years. Dr. Malas is a member of several scholarly societies including the Society of Biblical Literature, at whose annual meeting in 1997 he presented a paper on the Book of Acts; the Wesleyan Theological Society; and the Catholic Biblical Association. Dr. Malas is committed to promoting, in his words, "academic, intellectual growth alongside spiritual growth." He lives in Quincy with his wife and two children.
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Eric Severson • Assistant Professor • Religion
Ph.D., ABD, Boston University
M.Dv., Nazarene Theological Seminary
B.A., Northwest Nazarene University
Though he began full-time in the fall of 2004, Professor Severson was no stranger to ENC. He previously taught in the religion department, offering such classes as "Christian Tradition" and "Issues in Youth Ministry." He has expanded his course selection and now teaches "Living Issues," "Senior Theology," and team-teaches "Science and Religion" with Dr. Karl Giberson. He belongs to the Wesleyan Theological Society, the American Academy of Religion, and the Wesleyan Philosophical Society. He is also currently in a Ph.D. program at Boston University. He received an ENC teaching excellence award in 2005 and 2006 and an ENC professional achievement award in 2007, at the end of his first year teaching full-time at the college. He lives in Quincy with his wife, daughter, and son.
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Mary Lou Shea • Assistant Professor • Religion
Th.D., Boston University School of Theology
B.A., Ohio Wesleyan University
Professor Shea has taught in the Adult Studies program since 1997, and became a full-time professor in the undergraduate program in 2002. Her specializations are in church history and missions, and she has taught these courses in addition to "Philosophical Quest," a part of ENC’s core curriculum, and others. She has previously participated in the Wesleyan Theological Society annual meetings, having presented papers on the subject of missions to fellow Wesleyan theologians on several occasions. She has also been visible as a speaker at ENC chapels and at the Wollaston Church of the Nazarene, where she has given a three-week series on how, in her words, "the gospel is a gift to all peoples and cultures." She completed here Th.D. at Boston University in 2006 and is the director of the DeFreitas Mission Program. She lives with her daughter in Quincy.
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Jeffrey T. Barker • Instructor • Religion
Pastor/Scholar Program, Boston University
M.Div., Nazarene Theological Seminary
B.A. Religion, Eastern Nazarene College
From student to professor, basketball player to chaplain, Professor Barker is ingrained in the community of the college. He pastored in Maine for five years before coming back to ENC in 2002. While teaching, he served as the interim pastor at Bethel Church of the Nazarene in Quincy before taking the position of chaplain at ENC, which entails responsibility for a variety of campus and community ministries. He also supervises all religion majors in their off-campus ministry experiences, such as internships at churches. He loves ENC because of "the freedom I have to enter into the journeys and stories of many students." He received an ENC teaching excellence award in 2004. Professor Barker is a member of the Wesleyan Theological Society, Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality, and the Society for the Study of Psychology and Wesleyan Theology. He lives in Quincy with his wife, Stacey, a social work professor at ENC, and their daughters.
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Religion Department
Eastern Nazarene College | 23 East Elm Avenue
Quincy, Massachusetts 02170
