Rev. Cooper began teaching at the American Lutheran Theological Seminary in 2016 in the area of Systematic Theology. He has taught the following courses: Doctrine I, Doctrine II, Apologetics, Lutheran Confessions I, and Lutheran Confessions II. After four years of teaching, he was elected as the Seminary President. He servied in this role until June of 2024.
Along with his calling in the seminary, Dr. Cooper is the Executive Director of the non-profit theological education ministry Just and Sinner. He hosts a podcast, oversees a Lutheran publishing house, and runs a YouTube channel with over 30,000 subscribers. He also remains actively involved in campus ministry where he serves as a Pastoral Associate at the G.K. Chesterton House at Cornell University.
Education
- Ph.D. South African Theological Seminary, 2018. Dissertation: A Defense of the Lutheran Scholastic Theological Method and Critique of Radical Lutheranism.
- Was awarded the Frederick Buechner Award for Excellence in Writing for this dissertation.
- M.A. South African Theological Seminary, 2017. Thesis: A Defense of the Orthodox Lutheran Doctrine of God’s Law and Critique of Gerhard Forde.
- MTS. American Lutheran Theological Seminary, 2016.
- M.Th. Wittenberg Institute, 2012. Thesis: An Evaluation of Early Patristic Soteriology in Light of the New Perspective on Paul.
- B.A. Geneva College, 2010. Major: Biblical Studies.
Publications:
Articles
“From Plato to Christ” (Book Review). Sapientia: A Periodical of the Carl F. Henry Center for Theological Understanding. (2022).
“The Fullness of Deity in Bodily Form: A Lutheran View of the Incarnation.” Modern Reformation (2020).
“Luther Contra Scholasticos?” Modern Reformation (2020).
“The Use of Linguistic and Relational Ontology in Contemporary Lutheranism.” Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary. no. 27 (2019).
“The Use of Classical Greek Philosophy in Early Lutheranism.” Conspectus: The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary. no. 26 (2018).
“Predestination, Grace, and Free Will in the Thought of St. Prosper of Aquitaine and C.F.W. Walther: A Comparison and Evaluation.” LOGIA: A Journal of Lutheran Theology (2013).
“The Lutheran Doctrine of Original Sin in Light of Other Christian Traditions.” LOGIA: A Journal of Lutheran Theology. no. 4. (2013:13-20).
“A Lutheran Response to Justification: Five Views.” LOGIA: A Journal of Lutheran Theology (2012).
Books
In Defense of the True, the Good, and the Beautiful: On the Loss of Transcendence and the Decline of the West. Ithaca, NY: Just and Sinner, 2021.
Union with Christ: Salvation as Participation. A Contemporary Protestant Scholastic Theology Volume 6. Ithaca, NY: Weidner Institute, 2021.
Prolegomena: A Defense of the Scholastic Method. A Contemporary Protestant Scholastic Theology Volume 1. Ithaca, NY: Weidner Institute, 2020.
Liturgical Worship: A Lutheran Introduction. Watseka, IL: Just and Sinner, 2018.
Lex Aeterna: A Defense of the Orthodox Lutheran Doctrine of God’s Law and Critique of Gerhard Forde. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2017.
Hands of Faith: A Historical and Theological Study of the Two Kinds of Righteousness in Lutheran Thought. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2016.
Baptized into Christ: A Guide to the Christian Life. Watseka, IL: Just and Sinner, 2016.
The Great Divide: A Lutheran Evaluation of Reformed Theology. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2015.
Christification: A Lutheran Approach to Theosis. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2014.
The Righteousness of One: An Evaluation of Early Patristic Soteriology in Light of the New Perspective on Paul. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2013.
Contributor
“Does God Forgive Past, Present, and Future Sins at the Moment of Conversion? A Lutheran Perspective,” in The Cleansing Flood. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock (upcoming).
“Obedientia Christi Activa: The Imputation of Christ’s Active Obedience in the Lutheran Tradition and Scripture,” in Justification. Theological Essays from the Weidner Institute. Ithaca, NY: Weidner Institute, 2021.
Encyclopedia of Martin Luther and the Reformation. Edited by Mark Lamport. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2017.