Kim Paffenroth, PhD

Professor of Religious Studies.

Contact Information
Iona College Department of Religious Studies
715 North Ave.
New Rochelle, NY 10801

Phone: (914) 637-2743
Fax: (914) 633-2248
E-Mail: kpaffenroth@iona.edu
Office hours:
Tuesday and Thursday 12 noon - 2:00 pm

Education
PhD Theology: University of Notre Dame, 1995.
MTS Biblical Studies: Harvard Divinity School, 1990.
BA Liberal Arts: St. John's College (Annapolis, MD), 1998.

Departmental Information and Courses
Dr. Paffenroth joined the department in 2001, after teaching at Villanova University and the University of Notre Dame. He teaches RST 101, Religion in the Contemporary World; RST 204, Catholicism in the Contemporary World: Christian Scriptures; RST 338, The Gospels; and RST 375, Wisdom Literature. He also teaches the first year of the Honors Humanities Seminar (HON 101 and 102).

Professional Interests
Dr. Paffenroth was trained primarily in the study of the New Testament and the Early Church, and he continues to publish in these areas. His work on St. Augustine (354-430 CE) is especially noteworthy. He also investigates how early Christian beliefs are expressed in more recent works of literature or other art – either in what used to be called "high culture" or in popular culture. In the latter area, he has focused his attention on what many would consider non- or anti-Christian genres, especially horror literature, films, and television. His zombie novels have enjoyed some success in the last several years, and been translated into German, Italian, and Russian.

Professional Affiliations
Society of Biblical Literature
Catholic Biblical Association of America
American Academy of Religion
North American Patristic Society
Dante Society of America
Chicago Society of Biblical Research
College Theology Society
Westar Institute
Horror Writers Association
Delta Epsilon Sigma

Professional Research and Publications

Books (non-fiction) (selected):

• Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth. Waco: Baylor University Press, 2006.
• The Truth Is Out There: Christian Faith and the Classics of TV Science Fiction. Co- authored with T. Bertonneau. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2006.
• The Heart Set Free: Sin and Redemption in the Gospels, Augustine, Dante, and Flannery O'Connor. New York and London: Continuum Publishing International, 2005.
• In Praise of Wisdom: Literary and Theological Reflections on Faith and Reason. New York and London: Continuum Publishing International, 2004.
• Judas: Images of the Lost Disciple. Louisville and London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001.

Creative Work (fiction) (selected):

• Dying to Live: Last Rites (novel). Permuted Press, 2011.
• Valley of the Dead: The Real Story of Inferno (novel). Limited Edition: Cargo Cult Press, 2009. Trade Paperback: Permuted Press, 2010. Italian edition: Nero Press, 2012.
Russian edition: Olma Media Group (forthcoming).
• The World Is Dead, ed. (anthology). Permuted Press, 2009.
• Dying to Live: Life Sentence (novel). Permuted Press, 2008. German edition: Festa Verlag, 2011.
• History Is Dead, ed. (anthology). Permuted Press, 2007.
• Dying to Live: A Novel of Life among the Undead (novel). Permuted Press, 2007. German edition: Festa Verlag, 2010. Reissued by Simon and Schuster, 2010.

Edited Volumes:,

• Augustine and Science. Co-edited with A. Goldstein and J. Doody. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books (forthcoming).
• Augustine and Psychology. Co-edited with S. Dixon and J. Doody. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books (forthcoming).
• The Undead and Theology. Co-edited with J. Morehead. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock (forthcoming).
• Augustine and Philosophy. Co-edited with P. Cary and J. Doody. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2010.
• Augustine and World Religions. Co-edited with B. Brown and J. Doody. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2008.
• Augustine and History. Co-edited with C. Daly and J. Doody. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2007. Augustine and Literature. Co-edited with R. Kennedy and J. Doody. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006.
• Augustine and Politics. Co-edited with J. Doody and K. L. Hughes. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2005.
• A Reader's Companion to Augustine's Confessions. Co-edited with R. Kennedy. Louisville and London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003.

Articles and Essays (selected):

• "For love is strong as death': Redeeming Values in The Walking Dead." In Triumph of The Walking Dead: Robert Kirkman's Zombie Epic on Page and Screen. Ed. J. Lowder. Dallas: Smart Pop / Ben Bella Books, 2011. Pp. 217-230.
• "The Funhouse: Physical Deformity and Spiritual Disease in Modern America." In Butcher Knives and Body Counts: Essays on the Formula, Frights, and Fun of the Slasher Film. Dark Scribe Press, 2011. Pp. 277-281.
• "Zombies as Internal Fear or Threat." In Generation Zombie: Essays on the Living Dead in Modern Culture. Eds. S. Boluk and W. Lenz. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011. Pp. 18-26.
• "Apocalyptic Images and Prophetic Function in Zombie Films." In Reel Revelations: Apocalypse and Film. Ed. J. Walliss. Sheffield Academic Press, 2010. Pp. 6-24.
• "Deadly Self-Deception and Life-Giving Revelation in Flannery O'Connor." Communio 32 (2005) 152-71.
• "Different Loves in Dante." The Downside Review 123 (2005) 17-44.
• "Pleasure and Success in Teaching Dante." In Universality and History: Foundations of Core. Eds. D. Thompson, D. Colson, and J. Scott Lee. Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002. Pp. 13-19.
• "Film Depictions of Judas." The Journal of Religion and Film 5 (October 2001) [http://www.unomaha.edu/~wwwjrf/judas.htm].
• "Famines in Luke-Acts." The Expository Times 112 (2001) 405-07.

Book Reviews:
Have appeared in Ars Disputandi: The Online Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Augustinian Studies, Biography, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Catholic Historical Review, Catholic Studies Online, Evolution: Education and Outreach, Horror Studies, Journal of Beliefs and Values, Journal of Biblical Literature, Journal of Early Christian Studies, Journal of Hebrew Scriptures, Journal of Religion, Pastoral Psychology, Religion and the Arts, Religious Studies Review, and Review of Biblical Literature.

Papers Presented to Learned Societies:
Have been read at the meetings of the Mid-Atlantic Region of the American Academy of Religion, the Mid-Atlantic Region of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Association for Core Texts and Courses, the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, the World Science Fiction Convention, and the Catholic Biblical Association.

Honors and Awards (selected):
Summer Seminar in Christian Scholarship, Calvin College, 2010
Finalist, Black Quill Award, 2008
Finalist, International Horror Guild Award, 2007
Silver Medal, Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year, 2007
Winner, Bram Stoker Award, 2006
Speaker, New York Council for the Humanities Speaker Program, 2003-2005
Summer Seminar in Christian Scholarship, Calvin College, 2004
Travel Grant, Devers Program in Dante Studies, University of Notre Dame, 2003
Louisville Institute Summer Stipend, 2003