Howard Schaap

Howard Schaap is a Professor of English at Dordt University, where he teaches

• Advanced Nonfiction Writing
• Multicultural American Literature
• Environmental Literature and Ethics

. His pedagogy emphasizes language's role in shaping human understanding and faith.

Before joining Dordt, Schaap spent a decade teaching high school English. His research centers on

• Creative nonfiction
• Augustinian spiritual writing traditions
• Environmental ethics in literature

. He presented his work on faith and literature at Wheaton College's 2023 Midwest Regional Conference on Christianity and Literature.

His essays, like The Liturgical Lives of Pets (2025) and Living in Advent (2024), explore intersections of

• Daily practices and spiritual formation
• Christian waiting (Advent) and political anxiety
• Animal stewardship as liturgy

. These writings reflect his focus on how mundane routines shape theological perspectives.

Schaap holds advanced degrees:

• MFA in Creative Nonfiction (Seattle Pacific, 2014)
• MA in English Literature (South Dakota State University, 2008)

. He actively participates in institutional governance as an Academic Senate member and mentors new faculty and student writers through the campus writing club.