Our Staff

Philip O. Hopkins holds dual doctorates: a Ph.D. in Applied Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, North Carolina) and a Ph.D. in Iranian History from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). Before joining Gateway Seminary, he taught at Russian-Armenian University in Yerevan, Armenia, Southeastern Seminary, and Southwestern Seminary. He also served as a research associate with the Centre of World Christianity at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

Hopkins has published with academic presses including Brill, Palgrave Macmillan, I.B. Tauris, and Broadman & Holman. He is currently completing a chapter titled “The Subversive Nature of Christianity in Modern Iran” for the forthcoming I.B. Tauris Handbook of State and Society in Modern Iran (2026). Additionally, he is co-authoring A History of Christianity in Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa with Kambiz Saghaey of Southeastern Seminary, under contract with Broadman & Holman Academic (2028).

He is the host of From Here to Eternity, a podcast dedicated to thoughtful Christian engagement with global and cross-cultural issues. He also serves as a vice president of the Evangelical Missiological Society and as an associate editor of IRAN, the journal for the British Institute of Persian Studies.

Since the spontaneous candlelight vigil in Tehran following the events of 9/11, Hopkins has worked to foster meaningful dialogue with Iranians on topics of culture, history, philosophy, and religion. His research focuses on the history of Christianity in Iran during and after the Pahlavi era, with particular attention to ethnic Christian communities (especially Armenians and Assyrians), Christian nationalism and ideology, and Iranian perceptions of Western Christian missions. He is especially interested in the influence of American Christian missionary activity in Iran during the latter half of the twentieth century.

Phil is married to Mary Ann, a linguist fluent in several languages. He continues to encourage her to pursue doctoral studies. Mary Ann homeschools their son, and the family is actively involved in their local church and community.

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Degrees
Ph.D., University of St. Andrews
Ph.D., Southeastern Seminary
M.A., Southeastern Seminary
B.A., The King’s College