Joel Mayward, PhD

Portland Seminary alumnus Joel Mayward joined the university in 2021 as an assistant professor of Christian ministries, theology, and the arts. He was promoted to associate professor of Christian ministries, theology, and cinematic arts in 2026, a year in which he was the undergraduate recipient of the Faculty Achievement Award for Research and Scholarship.

He arrived from the Institute for Theology, Imagination and the Arts (ITIA) in the School of Divinity at the University of St Andrews in Scotland, where he earned a PhD in divinity (theology, philosophy and film studies) in 2021. Within theology, Joel's areas of academic and teaching expertise include: Christian ministry leadership, theological aesthetics, theology and film, liberation theologies, continental philosophical theology, spiritual formation, and youth ministry.

In cinematic arts, Joel’s areas of expertise are in film theory and film criticism, U.S. and European film history, and film-philosophy. He serves as the co-chair of the steering committee for the “Religion, Film, and Visual Culture” Unit in the American Academy of Religion.

Joel is the author of six books, including: The Dardenne Brothers' Cinematic Parables: Integrating Theology, Philosophy, and Film (Routledge, 2022), an academic monograph that examines the filmography of Belgian filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s filmography in consideration of theological aesthetics, Christian ethics, phenomenological film theory, and continental philosophy; Theology and the Films of Christopher Nolan: Cinematic Transcendence (Fortress Academic, 2025), a work of theological film criticism which provides an analysis of filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s filmography from Following  (1998) to Oppenheimer  (2023); and Sufjan Stevens’ Carrie & Lowell (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025), a theological analysis of musician Sufjan Stevens’ acclaimed 2015 album Carrie & Lowell published in the popular 33 ⅓ series. He currently has five more book projects under contract, including Religious Cinema for Non-Believers: Film Criticism as Spiritual Practice (Cascade Books, forthcoming 2026) and Theocinematics: Film as Theology (Fortress Press, forthcoming 2027).

Beyond authoring books, Joel has published articles in refereed academic journals such as Pro Ecclesia, Horizons, Theology, ARTS, Journal of Youth and Theology, Journal of Religion and Film, and Journal for Religion, Film and Media, as well as popular magazines like Christianity Today. For several years he has been a professional freelance film critic as a member of the Online Film Critics Society and a “Tomatometer approved critic” for Rotten Tomatoes. He also runs a film criticism website, cinemayward.com.

Previously, Joel served as director of high school ministry at Lake Grove Presbyterian Church in Lake Oswego (2015-17); pastor of youth and young adult ministries at North Langley Community Church in Langley, British Columbia (2012-14); a junior high and high school pastor at Red Mountain Community Church in Mesa, Arizona (2007-12); and the director of middle school ministries at Hinson Church in Portland (2005-07). Joel, his wife Katie, and their three children currently live in Newberg.

Academic Background

PhD, Theology, Philosophy and Film Studies, School of Divinity, University of St. Andrews, UK 
MA, Theological Studies, Portland Seminary
BS, Biblical Studies and Youth Ministry, Multnomah University