Garrett Seminary Welcomes Three Distinguished Faculty Members 

Garrett Seminary is pleased to announce the appointment of three outstanding scholars and practitioners to its faculty, each bringing expertise, vocational commitment, and a shared passion for teaching and formation. The Reverend Dr. Angela N. Parker will join the biblical studies department as Associate Professor of New Testament and Womanist Thought. In addition, the rapidly-growing Master of Arts in Pastoral Care and Counseling program will be bolstered by the appointments of Dr. Arelis Benítez as Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology, Psychology, and Latiné Studies, and of The Reverend Dr. Michael Washington (G-ETS ‘05, ’24) who will serve as Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology and Chaplaincy Studies.

“These appointments reflect both the strength of Garrett’s programs and the vitality of our community,” said President Javier A. Viera. “In an increasingly competitive landscape, we’ve been able to attract three remarkable scholar-practitioners who are innovators in their respective fields. Their decision to join Garrett also speaks to the distinctive character of this place, its intellectual vigor, spiritual dynamism, and commitment to the formation of faithful leaders for a complex world. I’m delighted to welcome them to Garrett.”

Dr. Parker comes to Garrett from Mercer University’s McAfee School of Theology, where she has built a national reputation as a leading voice in womanist biblical scholarship and public theology. She has received multiple honors for her work and is the author of numerous book chapters and scholarly essays. She is the author of If God Still Breathes, Why Can’t I? Black Lives Matter & Biblical Authority (Eerdmans, 2021), and is currently completing two additional volumes exploring Christian faith, New Testament theology, and the challenge of Christian nationalism: Faith Un-Lynched: “Jesus-Faith as Paul’s Both/And Out of Christian Nationalism” (Eerdmans) and Bodies, Violence, and Emotions: A Womanist Reading of the Gospel of Mark (Wipf & Stock). Parker is also a co-editor of Bitter the Chastening Rod (Lexington Books/Fortress Press).

“Dr. Parker exemplifies the vocation of public scholar,” said Dr. Jennifer Harvey, Garrett’s Vice President of Academic Affairs. “Her work is both academically rigorous and widely accessible. She is able to speak not only to scholars but to communities of faith wrestling with urgent questions. Just as importantly, she brings a deep love of teaching and formation of students.”

Returning to Chicago is a homecoming for Dr. Parker, who completed her doctoral work at Chicago Theological Seminary. “When I visited for my on-campus interview, the diversity of the students and the excitement of the student body made it an easy decision to come to Garrett,” she says with a smile. “I can’t wait to join a faculty that hails from so many different countries across the globe, one which fosters such a range of theological conversations.” Amid this widespread diversity, her scholarship will continue to engage pressing questions at the intersection of biblical interpretation, race, and power. “For the past ten years, I’ve been wrestling with white privilege and supremacy—what it means to take seriously the lived experiences of Black women in this moment when Christian authoritarianism is on the rise,” she says. “As I enter Garrett, I’m thinking about what it means to add to that womanist canon, particularly in Pauline literature—because Paul is still so often that bastion of white male dominion in biblical scholarship.”

In pastoral care and counseling, Drs. Benítez and Washington bring complementary strengths that will expand the seminary’s capacity to form leaders across a broad spectrum of vocational contexts. “Our program draws a wide range of students—from those called to chaplaincy or pastoral care in parish settings to people who seek to become clinical practitioners or work in non-profits,” MAPCC degree director Dr. AHyun Lee explains. “Drs. Washington and Benítez expand our ability to serve all of them well—one a longtime pastor and chaplain passionate about how churches and ministers can better help people, the other a practitioner and scholar whose work will help students better understand the broader context in which care happens.”

Dr. Benítez joins Garrett from Vanderbilt University Divinity School, where she serves as Assistant Professor of the Practice of Religion, Psychology, and Culture and Director of Field Education. Her work explores how sociocultural realities shape experiences of suffering, healing, and care, with particular attention to migration, identity, and community.

“I’m always considering how context and community make a difference to people’s sense of wholeness, how they affect our ability to care for them in a time of suffering,” she explains. “As care providers, we’re also called to let our patients’ be our teachers, accepting the invitation to walk beside them in their suffering but always letting them retain their own agency and sense of control.”

Dr. Benítez brings a perspective deeply attentive to the ways identity and lived experience shape the possibilities for healing. Her forthcoming book, Reexistence and Return: Migration, Queer Identity, and Healing in Latiné Communities, explores these themes in depth. “I invite students to openly investigate the intersections of class, race, and sexuality,” she says. “I want to help them understand who they are and what they can bring to a care relationship.”

Dr. Washington returns to Garrett as both an alumnus and longtime educator. A graduate of both the MDiv and PhD programs, he taught courses at Garrett for the past four years while also working as board-certified chaplain and ACPE supervisor at Northwestern University Memorial Hospital. With more than a decade of experience in healthcare and parish ministry, he brings a deeply grounded approach to pastoral theology.

“Chaplaincy and congregational leadership have been my life’s work, but I’m excited to create pedagogical experiences that provide a way to offer care in many spheres and spaces,” he shares. “I’m energized by the ways that Garrett approaches caring as a collective practice. And I’m thrilled to join the faculty, to participate in what Garrett has always been doing and will keep doing by the grace of God.”

All three faculty members will begin their appointments in Fall 2026. Their arrival marks an important moment in Garrett’s continued growth and its commitment to forming leaders equipped for the challenges of ministry and public leadership today.

“As we look ahead to another academic year, I’m deeply encouraged by the gifts these new colleagues bring to our community,” President Viera said. “They will not only enrich our classrooms but also help shape the future of theological education at Garrett, as well as the lives of the students we serve.”