About
Matthew G. Whitlock is an Associate Professor of New Testament at Seattle University, located in the College of Arts & Sciences' Department of Theology and Religious Studies. He holds a PhD from The Catholic University of America (2008). His research focuses on Acts of the Apostles, Pauline literature, New Testament poetry, and critical theory intersections with early Christian texts. He is the editor of Early Christianity and Critical Theory (2022), which applies theories of Walter Benjamin, Deleuze, Badiou, and Butler to early Christian scholarship. Whitlock’s current projects include examining Benjamin’s concepts of technological reproducibility and dialectical images in relation to Jesus’ historical reception and Pauline writings juxtaposed with Philip K. Dick’s science fiction.
His edited volume features interdisciplinary analyses blending biblical studies with philosophy, addressing themes like gentrification, revolutionary movements, and non-human bodies. Contributions from eleven international scholars explore modern theoretical frameworks (e.g., queer theory, set theory) alongside early Christian texts such as Revelation, Paul’s letters, and Irenaeus’ writings. Whitlock’s work challenges traditional theological categories, emphasizing estrangement of texts to resist assimilation into dominant paradigms.
Publications include peer-reviewed articles in Catholic Biblical Quarterly and Deleuze and Guattari Studies, and he is developing a book analyzing PKD’s science fiction alongside Pauline exegesis. His teaching integrates critical theory with religious studies, offering innovative perspectives on ancient texts’ contemporary relevance.
