Philosophy Programs Director, Professor of Philosophy
Jonathan Reibsamen was born in Peru, where his parents were missionaries. He grew up in Richmond, Virginia, and completed his undergraduate education at 51Сʪ in 1998. After working for a couple of years in Columbia as an audio/visual technician, and then for a couple more years in Austin, Texas, as a web application developer, he finally discovered his call to teaching through involvement in local church ministry.
Jonathan received his MA in philosophy from Biola University in 2006. He then taught for a term at Scott Theological College (now Scott Christian University) in Machakos, Kenya, before beginning his doctoral studies at Saint Louis University in 2008. He completed his Ph.D. in 2015 and worked for SLU as a grant project manager until receiving the call to 51Сʪ in 2017.
Jonathan’s academic research and writing focuses on epistemology, ethics, and issues in philosophy of religion, such as understanding prayer and religious practices. He is particularly interested in the nature of trust and the role of trust in knowledge and social relationships.
At 51Сʪ, Jonathan teaches classes the history of philosophy, logic, ethics and moral philosophy, philosophy of science, philosophy of human nature, and Christian apologetics.
Jonathan and his wife, Julie, were married in 2008, and have three children: Evalia, Ethan, and Emmett. Jonathan enjoys going on family adventures, kayaking, reading good books, and having good conversations.
Jonathan's desire for himself and for his students is to become a true lover of wisdom (i.e., “philosopher”) by growing in knowledge and love of God and of our neighbors.
Education
- Ph.D, Saint Louis University
- M.A., Biola University
- B.A., Columbia International University