Rate My Professor Wolfgang Vondey

Professor Wolfgang Vondey is the Professor of Christian Theology and Pentecostal Studies in the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Birmingham, where he directs the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies. A classically trained systematic theologian with a background in philosophy, linguistics, and ethics, he was born and raised in Germany, completing an MA in Japanese Studies, Japanese Linguistics, and Media Science at Philipps University Marburg in 1994. He lived in Japan during the 1990s, studying at Keio University and serving as Coordinator for International Relations in Okinawa. In 1996, he moved to the United States to pursue theological studies, earning an MDiv from Pentecostal Theological Seminary in 1999 and a PhD in systematic theology and ethics from Marquette University in 2003. Following a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Boston College, Vondey joined Regent University Divinity School in 2005 as assistant professor, advancing to associate professor in 2010 and receiving a chaired professorship in 2015. He subsequently took up his current position at the University of Birmingham.

Vondey's primary expertise lies in Pentecostal and Charismatic theology, with research interests encompassing theological method and hermeneutics, pneumatology, ecclesiology, ecumenical studies, theology and science, and ritual and liturgical studies. His prolific scholarship includes recent books such as The Liturgy of the Gospel: Theological Hermeneutics in Pentecostal Perspective (Cascade Books, 2025) and The Scandal of Pentecost: A Theology of the Public Church (Bloomsbury, 2023). Notable articles feature 'A Political Theology of Glossolalia: Reconciling the Tongues of Babel, Jerusalem, and Corinth' (Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 2024), 'Synodality and Charisms: A Pentecostal Perspective on Hierarchical and Spiritual Gifts in the Life and Mission of the Church' (Theological Studies, 2024), and 'Corporate Embodiment as the Pedagogical Foundation of the Pentecostal Tradition' (Zeitschrift für Pädagogik und Theologie, 2024). He co-edits the Christianity and Renewal – Interdisciplinary Studies series with Amos Yong (Palgrave Macmillan) and the CHARIS series. Vondey is the founding chair of the ecumenical studies group of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, a member of the American Academy of Religion, and supervises a large cohort of PhD students on topics in Pentecostal theology, political theology, and related fields. He has organized interdisciplinary conferences and delivered public lectures, including his inaugural lecture at Birmingham in 2019.