DR. JACOB HICKS
College of Theology
Years at GCU: 3
Academic degrees:
- Bachelor of Arts in Ministry, The Baptist College of Florida (2007)
- Master of Divinity in Christian Ministry, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (2011)
- Doctor of Philosophy in American Religious History, Florida State University (2017)
What is your most notable accomplishment in your field, and why was it important? I do not know if I can pick out “the most” notable accomplishment in my field. However, one that I am really proud of is when I was still a doctoral student at Florida State University, and I led a team in developing a course from scratch that I taught twice in the 2016 academic year called “Religion and the U.S. Presidency.” A few colleagues and I thought that it would be a fascinating course to teach during a presidential election year. Being in another presidential election year reminded me of that great experience and makes me want to teach an updated version of that course for 2020!
What are you most passionate about in your field and why? As you may be able to tell from my previous response, I am passionate about the complex relationship between religion and politics in the United States. I even did my dissertation on religious liberty in the Founding Era. Ever since I was a child in my Baptist church growing up, I was always captivated by the seemingly God-approved voting guides that the church freely distributed to members that explained why we should always vote for candidates in one political party versus the other political party.
What is a memorable moment you had in class? I do not have just one specific memorable moment in my class that I can point to. However, at GCU I teach CWV 101: Christian Worldview online. As a result, I get to share the Christian Gospel with all of my students. It is extremely gratifying to me and a huge answered prayer when students understand the truths of the Gospel for the first time and want to know more. God uses CWV 101 to draw people into a relationship with Himself.
What do you like to do for fun in your spare time? As a full-time online professor and a full-time caregiver for a chronically ill family member, I do not really have much spare time. In the off chance that I get a little free time, I enjoy reading non-fiction books and watching sci-fi, particularly anything "Star Trek" related.
What is something interesting about you that most people don't know? Though my family and some close friends know this, most people do not know that I am a chocoholic! Whereas pizza or a steak is the favorite food for many people, my absolute favorite food is chocolate. I’m particularly partial to dark chocolate, chocolate mousse and chocolate ganache. I probably eat some sort of chocolate at least a couple of times a day.
