Chris Huebner

Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy

Chris approaches the disciplines of philosophy and theology as they were approached in the world of ancient philosophy and early Christianity—namely as ethical enterprises that give expression to embodied ways of life. He is particularly interested in questions that arise at the intersection of epistemology and ethics. His current book project is an interpretation of the emphasis in the Christian tradition on the interrelationship between martyrdom, knowledge, and the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity. In his book A Precarious Peace, he examined how issues of violence and peace come to be embedded in debates about the nature of Christian theology, theories of knowledge, and questions of selfhood and identity.

In addition to regularly teaching introductory courses in theology, ethics, and philosophy, Chris also offers numerous upper-level seminars addressing topics of contemporary concern. Recent seminars have explored the topics of animal life, the invention of "nature," the concept of the secular, and the problem of pain. One of his favourite things about teaching is to take challenging theoretical texts and help students try to make sense of them.

Chris graduated with a PhD in Theology and Ethics from the Duke University Department of Religion in 2002. He earned and MA in Philosophy from the University of Manitoba and has undergraduate degrees in both Philosophy and Theology. Before coming to CMU, he taught courses at Duke University and Meredith College in Raleigh, NC. He returned to Duke University in 2008-09 as a visiting scholar.

Chris was born and raised in Winnipeg, but came to appreciate the complexity of the world during a two-year period in Jerusalem in the early 1980s. Chris and his wife Rachel have three children. They attend Charleswood Mennonite Church.

Areas of Teaching

Theology, Ethics, Philosophy

Education

PhD, Duke University, 2002; MA, University of Manitoba, 1995; BA, University of Manitoba, 1992; BTh Canadian Mennonite Bible College, 1992

Work in Detail

Teaching

Chris teaches in both the Biblical & Theology Studies and Philosophy Departments. He has also offered courses in English, Peace and Conflict Studies Transformation Studies, and Sociology. In addition, he regularly teaches seminars in the Graduate Program in Theology and Ministry and has supervised numerous students in the BTS Honours and Interdisciplinary Studies programs.

Sample courses:

• PHIL 1000 – The Task of Philosophy I: The Question of Reality
• PHIL 1010 – The Task of Philosophy II: The Question of Knowledge
• BTS 2000 – Introduction to Christianity
• PHIL/BTS 2020 – Postmodern Philosophy
• PHIL 2030 – Aquinas & Wittgenstein
• PHIL 2110 – Popular Philosophy
• BTS 2580 – Saints, Martyrs, and Heretics: Exploring Theological Lives
• BTS 2740 – Christianity and Art
• BTS 2750 – Introduction to Christian Ethics
• BTS 2760 – The Martyrs Mirror 
• BTS 2800 – Theology of Peace and Justice
• PHIL 2950 – Spinoza, His Mennonite Friends, and Contemporary Heirs
• PHIL/ENVS 2950 – Philosophy in the Forest: The Question of Nature 
• PHIL/ENGL/BTS 3120 – Dante: The Divine Comedy
• PHIL/BTS/SOCI 3700 – The City and the Soul: Encountering Winnipeg through The Wire
• PHIL/ENGL 3750 – Shakespeare, Philosophy, and Religion
• PHIL 3895 – Pain
• PHIL 3950 – Animal Life: Philosophical and Theological Investigations
• PHIL/BTS 4895 – The Secular

Research

Current research projects:

• In the Book of Martyrs - an examination of 17th Century Dutch Mennonites, focusing on the intersection of three different strands during the years 1630 - 1685: (1) the Mennonite martyrological tradition from Hans de Ries to the Martyrs Mirror; (2) the group of Mennonites who were close friends of the philosopher Benedict Spinoza, and who gathered in a bookshop called "In the Book of Martyrs" (In 't Martelaarsboek); (3) martyr dramas and tragic plays written by Mennonite poets and dramatists such as Joost van den Vondel, Reyer Anslo, Joachim Oudaen, and Karel Verlove.
• Wisdom and Her Daughters: Martyrdom, Knowledge, and the Theological Virtues - a reflection on the intersection of epistemology and ethics by means of a reading of the 10th Century German martyr drama Sapientia by Hrostvit of Gandersheim and three plays by Shakespeare: King Lear, Othello, and The Winter's Tale.

Publications:

As author or editor, Chris has published five books as well as numerous essays and book chapters. Some recent publications include:

Books:

• Suffering the Truth: Occasional Sermons and Reflections. Winnipeg: CMU Press, 2020.
• A Precarious Peace: Yoderian Explorations on Theology, Knowledge, and Identity. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2006.
• The New Yoder. Edited with Peter Dula. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010.

Selected Essays:

• "From Raisins to Reason: Mennonites, Spinoza, and the Question of Religion." Direction 53:1 (2024): 39-50.

• "Hoping Against Hope: Imagining a Christian University that is Not Faith-Based." In A Time of Reckoning: Telling the CMU Story. Edited by Paul Doerksen. Winnipeg: CMU Press, forthcoming.

• "Remembering the Martyrs of Bloemkamp: A Ghost Story." Vision: A Journal for Church and Theology 25:1 (Spring 2024): 41-51. [read here]
• "To  Burn or Not to Burn: Representations of Martyrdom and the Question of Peace and Violence." In A Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace: Global Mennonite Perspectives on Peacebuilding and Nonviolence. Just Peace, vol. 2. Edited by Fernando Enns, Nina Schroeder-van 't Schip, and Andrés Pacheco-Lozano, 238-253. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2023.
• "Absent Fathers, Invisible Mothers, and the Theological Dance of Knowledge and Love." Conrad Grebel Review 39:3 (2021): 192-213. [read here]
• "The Apocalyptic Body of Christ: Reflections on Yoder and Apocalyptic Theology by Way of David Foster Wallace." Pro Ecclesia 23:2 (2014): 125-131.
• "Make Us Your Laughter: Stanley Hauerwas's Joke on Mennonites." Mennonite Quarterly Review 84 (July 2010): 357-373.
• "The Work of Reading: Hauerwas, MacIntyre, and the Question of Liberalism." In Unsettling Arguments: A Festschrift on the Occasion of Stanley Hauerwas's 70th Birthday. Edited by Charles R. Pinches, Kelly S. Johnson, and Charles M. Collier. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010, pp. 284-299.

Community

Chris enjoys lecturing on ethical and social issues and on the role of religion in contemporary culture. He also enjoys the opportunity to deliver the occasional sermon.

He has participated in several ecumenical and inter-faith dialogues, including the Mennonite - Muslim Dialogue with Shia scholars from Iran. 

Chris is significantly involved in the Winnipeg cycling community. He was co-chair of the Canadian Cyclocross Championships in 2014 and 2015, and continues to organize MennoCross, a cyclocross race held at CMU during the annual Fall at CMU event. He was also the lead organizer of CMU's team in Hot Pursuit 2010, a bike race from Vancouver to Winnipeg.

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