John Lyden
Professor of Religion
Dr. John Lyden became a Dana faculty member in 1991. He earned his bachelor's degree in philosophy from Wesleyan University, his master's degree in theology from Yale University and a Ph.D. in theology from the University of Chicago. His dissertation was entitled: “Karl Barth’s View on the Knowledge of God and its Relation to the Philosophical Epistemology of Immanuel Kant.”
Dr. Lyden teaches courses in Introduction to Religion, Christian Thought, History of Christianity, Reformation Era, Contemporary Theology, Major Religions, Philosophy, Ethics, Liberal Arts Senior Seminar (director of the course), Religion and Film, and Science Fiction.
He is currently Chair of Dana College Faculty Senate, Chair of Religion Department, Director of Liberal Arts Senior Seminar and serves on the General Education and Promotion and Tenure Committees.
Lyden is the chair of the Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Group of the American Academy of Religion. He has published two books: Film as Religion: Myths, Morals, and Rituals (New York: NYU Press, 2003) and Enduring Issues in Religion, ed. (San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1995).
He has also had numerous articles published in books and journals, including the Journal of Religion and Film; Dialogue and Alliance; Religion and Public Education; Journal of Ecumenical Studies.
Lyden is currently at work editing A Companion Volume on Religion and Film (London, Routledge Press, 2009), which will be a comprehensive collection of original essays introducing the reader to the field of Religion and Film and its history.
In May 2007, he was interviewed for the History Channel documentary Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed, on the religious influences of the Star Wars films.
His current research deals with the ways in which popular culture, especially film, influences attitudes and values that intersect or contrast with religious ideas.
“Dana has allowed me to teach and study across disciplinary lines, and this is what I value the most about being here,” Lyden says. “I was trained in Christian theology, but I have not been limited to only teaching that. Instead, I have been able to relate Christian thought to other religions, philosophy, ethics, and popular films. Students also enjoy seeing connections between the movies they see, religious texts, and contemporary social and political issues, and this makes the study of religion (and of all liberal arts) more relevant to them.
“I consider myself a co-learner with students rather than someone who has all the answers, and I believe in the human search for meaning within religion, culture, the arts—wherever meaning is sought, and questions are asked and answered. The world we live in is endlessly fascinating, and once students realize that, they join the ranks of those who can link faith, values, and critical thinking about all that they experience. I teach to see students “wake up” to that sense of wonder and critical understanding.”
Outside the classroom, Lyden plays jazz clarinet, and play whenever time allows. He is married to Elizabeth Lyden, a statistician at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. They have three children: Karl, Grace, and Clara, with whom they share a love of books, music, and movies.
Contact Dr. Lyden by phone at 402.426.7247 or via email at jlyden@dana.edu. His office is DC 211.
