Faculty and Administration

Dr. Knowles has taught at McMaster Divinity College since 1997, offering courses in pastoral theology, preaching, and biblical studies in a way that seeks to integrate sound biblical exegesis, Christian spirituality, and practical application for the life and ministry of the Christian community.

Practical Ministry Experience
Ordained in the Anglican Church of Canada since 1982, Dr. Knowles previously served at St. Paul’s Anglican Church, Halifax, Nova Scotia, as well as at the Church of the Messiah and St. James (Humber Bay), Toronto, Ontario. He is currently on staff at St. Paul’s (Westdale) Anglican Church in Hamilton.

Research Interests
Dr. Knowles’ research and teaching interests focus on the biblical and theological foundations of the church’s ministry. Specific areas include:

• Homiletics
• New Testament models for preaching
• Cruciformity and resurrection in relation to preaching
• The Gospel of Matthew
• Pauline spirituality
• Prayer and worship
• Biblical theology of the divine character

Monographs

• Jeremiah in Matthew’s Gospel: The Rejected-Prophet Motif in Matthaean Redaction. Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement Series 68. Sheffield: JSOT, 1993. Reprint: Bloomsbury Academic Collections. London: Bloomsbury, 2015.
• The Folly of Preaching: Models and Methods (editor). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.
• We Preach Not Ourselves: Paul on Proclamation. Grand Rapids: Brazos, 2008.
• The Unfolding Mystery of the Divine Name: The God of Sinai in Our Midst. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2012.
• Of Seeds and the People of God: Preaching as Parable, Crucifixion, and Testimony. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade, 2015.
• Good News Church: Celebrating the Legacy of Harold Percy. Edited by John Bowen and Michael Knowles. Burlington, ON: Castle Quay, 2018.
• Third Voice: Preaching Resurrection. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade, 2021.

Current and Recent Projects

• “Prayer as Mission and the Mission of Prayer.” In Singing Into Splintered Places: The Rhythms of Mission and Spiritual Discipline, edited by E. Janet Warren, 31–43. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2022.
• “Preachers in the Hands of a Gracious God.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 65.2 (2022) 225–37.
• “‘Immortal, Invisible’: Christian Theology and the Art of the Unseen.” In The Arts and the Bible, edited by W. Porter. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, [in press].
• “‘Like Father, Like Son’: Characterization of God the Father in Matthew’s Gospel.” In Character Studies in the Gospel of Matthew, edited by Craig Evan Anderson and Matthew Ryan Hauge. Library of New Testament Studies; London: Bloomsbury T. & T. Clark, [forthcoming].
• “E-Word: Baudrillard, Simulacra, and Verisimilitude in Preaching” [in preparation].