Distance Learning

Dr. Robert Spinney teaches American history courses on Patrick Henry College’s Purcellville campus and also serves as Director of Distance Learning. After receiving a B.A. in Government and History from Harvard University, he earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in history from Vanderbilt University. In addition to ministering as a pastor for six years, he has taught at Trinity International University (Deerfield, IL), Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN), and Volunteer State Community College (Gallatin, TN). He has published two academic history books: a comprehensive history of Chicago and a history of Nashville during World War II. He has also published numerous ministry-related booklets, among them Did God Create Sports Also? Thinking Christianly About Sports, Peeking Into the Devil’s Playbook: Satan’s Strategies for Tempting Christians to Sin, and Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People? Thinking Biblically About the Problem of Sin in Our World.

Dr. Martin Erdmann studied theology in Columbia, SC (Master of Divinity in Missiology & NT Studies); Basel, Switzerland; and Aberdeen, Scotland (Master of Theology in Patristics & NT Studies). In 1999, he was awarded a doctoral degree in Modern American Church History from Brunel University, Uxbridge, England. In 1996, he founded Online Communication Systems, inc. in Columbus, Ohio, using it primarily for theological distance education. As Vice-President of Mustardseed Media, San Jose, CA, he participated in a project called Biblelands, an online-multimedia tour of Israel and the Near East. For four years he headed up the New Testament department of the Staatsunabhängige Theologische Hochschule Basel (State-Independent Theological Seminary), Switzerland. In his position as Senior Scientist at the University Hospital in Basel, he is currently involved in researching the ethical implications of nanotechnology. He is also the department head of Historical Theology at the Academy for Reformation Theology in Hannover, Germany, and Director of the Verax Institute (which specializes in Christian apologetics) in Basel, Switzerland. Dr. Erdmann is married to Joy and has two children, Estelle Chérie and Johannes Luc.

Dr. Jason Lantzer is an historian who is interested in the intersection of religion, politics, and law in American History. He has taught at Indiana University, Butler University, and Franklin College. His first book, on prohibition in Indiana, is forthcoming from the University of Notre Dame Press, and he is currently working on two other books (one a history of the Federal District Court for Eastern Pennsylvania, the other a study of American Mainline Christianity). His B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. are all from Indiana University.

Kurt Erhard earned his B.A. from Roberts Wesleyan College, an M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, and an M.A. in philosophy from the University of Miami. He is currently completing his Ph.D. in philosophy at Miami; Thomas Reid and Scottish Common Sense philosophy is the subject of his dissertation. Professor Erhard has also served in pastoral ministry since 1982, having pastored the same Maryland church for the past ten years. He and his wife, Lois, have been married for 27 years and have three daughters.

Erin Brown Conroy is a professional writer who has authored four books and scores of materials on parenting and healthy living. As a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), Erin coaches parents in leadership parenting and homeschooling, hosts numerous websites (see www.erinbrownconroy.com), and is quoted in print publications such as Parents and Parenting magazines, the Chicago Tribune, Dallas Morning News, and geoparent.com, iparenting.com, and familyresource.com. Erin has a bachelor’s degree in an educational field (1981) and master’s degree in rehabilitation (1991) from Western Michigan University. Since 2000, Erin has been teaching at Cornerstone University’s Professional and Graduate Studies division in Writing, Research, Leadership, Management and Organizational Development, Individual and Group Behavior, Communication and Motivation, and Health and Wellness. Erin and her husband, Shawn, are parents of thirteen children and live in Michigan, where they homeschool their nine still-at-home children.

Mark D. Filiatreau has taught English at Trinity Western University, Catholic University of America, Northern Virginia Community College, and Wichita State University. He earned a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Wichita State University and a Master of Christian Studies from Regent College (Vancouver). At Regent, his studies focused on theology, the role of imagination and faith, and the history of Christian spirituality. Books, films, writing stories, hiking, traveling, and people with a sense of humor are among his favorite things. He has served as a Bible study small group leader and Alpha group leader, preached sermons, and taught courses on the Christian imagination. He lives in Fairfax, Va., with his Ukrainian-Canadian wife Svetlana and their two daughters Sasha and Anna-Linda.

Dr. Stephen McRoberts is an Assistant Professor of Classics. He was previously at the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, where he was a lecturer of Classics. Dr. McRoberts holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Classics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; he also holds an M.A. in Theological Studies from Emory Candler School of Theology and a B.A. in History and Greek from Wheaton College. Dr. McRoberts has extensive college level teaching experience in Roman History, Greek and Latin.