Matthew Anderson, D. Phil
Assistant Professor of Ethics and Theology Associate Director, Baylor in Washington
Education
D.Phil., Oxford University
M.Phil, Christian Ethics, Oxford University
B.A., Humanities/Philosophy, Biola University
Biography
Matthew Lee Anderson, D.Phil., is an Assistant Professor in the Honors Program at Baylor University and is the Associate Director of Baylor in Washington. He is an Associate Fellow at the McDonald Centre for Theology, Ethics, and Public Life at Oxford University. He completed a D.Phil. and M.Phil. at Oxford in Christian Ethics and is a Perpetual Member of Biola University's Torrey Honors College. Dr. Anderson's scholarly interests include pro- and anti-natalism, political theology, and bioethics. He is the author of several books and has written for First Things, the Washington Post, Mere Orthodoxy, and elsewhere. He also founded and organized 100 Days of Dante, the world's largest reading group of the Divine Comedy. He is currently working on a project on the 'ethics of reputation.' In his spare time, Dr. Anderson enjoys playing piano, reading Anthony Trollope, and beating fourth graders at basketball. You can learn more about him at his personal website.
Selected Writings
“‘Moral Thinking’: Response to Chapter Two,” Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology, 33-1, Spring 2015, 74-78.
“Is Religious Liberty Under Threat? An Introduction to the Symposium,” Studies in Christian Ethics, 33-2, May 2020, 141-146.
“What the State Owes ‘Bastards’: A Modest Criticism of Modest One-Child Policies,” Journal of Applied Philosophy, 37-3, July 2020, 393-407.
“The Effect of Religion on Mental Health among Prisoners in South Africa: Explanations and Gender Differences,” with Sung Joon Jang, Byron Johnson, and Karen Booyens, Justice Quarterly 38:6, 2021, 1154-1181.
“Stability, Natural Rights, and the Limits of Prudence,” The Anglican Theological Review 103:4, November 2021, 402-408.
“Indexing Burdens and Benefits of Treatment to Age: Revisiting Paul Ramsey’s ‘Medical Indications Policy,’” Christian Bioethics, 27-2, August 2021, 183-202.
“The Imago Dei and the Infinite Value of Human Life,” in Bioethics in Real Life: Lessons We’re Learning from Covid-19, Matthew Eppinette et al., eds., (Bannockburn: Center for Bioethics and Human Dignity, 2022).
“(When) Is There a Christian Responsibility to Gossip?,” Journal for the Society of Christian Ethics 42:1, Spring/Summer 2022, 135-152.
“Religion and Responsibility-Taking among Offenders in Colombia and South Africa: A Qualitative Assessment of a Faith Based Program in Prison,” primary author with Jason Burtt, Karen Booyens, Sung Joon Jang, Byron Johnson and Michael Joseph, International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 67:1, January 2023, 66-88.
“Giving Thanks for the Gift of Life: Karl Barth on Gratitude to God for One’s Own Life,” Religions 13:10, 2022, 959.
“Bringing Body and Soul (Back) Together Again: Robert P. George, Oliver O’Donovan, and the Place of Resurrection in Body Ethics,” in Social Conservatism for the Common Good: A Protestant Engagement with Robert P. George, Andrew T. Walker, ed., (Wheaton: Crossway Press, 2022).
“Introduction to the Second Edition,” Begotten or Made? 2nd Edition, Oliver O’Donovan (The Davenant Press, 2022).
“Ectogestation and Humanity’s Whence? An Exploration with Saint Augustine and Karl Barth,” forthcoming at Christian Bioethics
“Anti-Abortionist Action Theory and the Asymmetry between Spontaneous and Induced Abortions,” forthcoming in Journal of Medicine and Philosophy,
“Gratitude for (One’s Own) Life,” forthcoming at American Philosophical Quarterly.
“Parenthood, Patient as Person, and Research with Children,” forthcoming in Paul Ramsey: The Man, His Thought, and a Groundbreaking Approach to Bioethics, Routledge.
Confidence in Life: A Barthian Defense of Procreating, forthcoming from T&T Clark