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The Rev. E. Ross Kane, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Theology, Ethics, and Culture and Director of Doctoral Programs

Ross Kane

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The Rev. E. Ross Kane, Ph.D. is the Associate Professor of Theology, Ethics, and Culture and Director of Doctoral Programs. His expertise includes ethics, theology, African Christianity, philosophy of culture, and ecclesial practices.

Dr. Kane works at the intersections of culture and moral decision-making. He hosts the podcast Love Your Neighbor and is author of The Good News of Church Politics (Eerdmans, 2024), both of which explore how healthy Christian politics starts in congregations and neighborhoods.

His first book, Syncretism and Christian Tradition (Oxford University Press, 2021), investigates how racism and Christian anxieties about revelation shaped the interpretation of religious mixture. His latest book is African Political Theology: Issues and Perspectives (Routledge, 2026), co-edited with Dr. Simeon O. Ilesanmi.

Born and raised in Virginia, Kane was ordained in 2009 in the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Before coming to VTS in 2017, Kane was the Senior Associate Rector at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Alexandria, VA. There he crafted innovative adult education offerings and played a leading role in launching and sustaining efforts to support Alexandria’s most vulnerable citizens. Before attending divinity school, he served in the Episcopal Church’s Young Adult Service Corps with South Sudanese peacemaking efforts.

Dr. Kane frequently presents lectures and seminars on topics such as:

  • religion and culture
  • everyday ethics
  • healthy church politics

Ph.D. Religious Studies, University of Virginia
M.Div. and Certificate in Anglican Studies, Duke Divinity School
B.A. Foreign Affairs with a minor in Religious Studies, University of Virginia

Linked Publications

Syncretism and Christian Tradition: Race and Revelation in the Study of Religious Mixture

Syncretism and Christian Tradition: Race and Revelation in the Study of Religious Mixture. Oxford University Press, 2020.

s.v. “Syncretism,” in Routledge Encyclopedia of African Studies, forthcoming. Article-length encyclopedia entry.

A Church Politics of Nondomination

A Church Politics of Nondomination”, Christian Century, July 2024 cover story

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“Should Episcopalians Repent? American Liberals in a Global Communion.”

“Should Episcopalians Repent? American Liberals in a Global Communion”, Christian Century, 133.4 (2016), pp. 32-36. Reproduced by permission of Christian Century.

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“I study theology and ethics because I’m fascinated by the intersections of culture and moral decision-making. How does this thing we call ‘culture’ shape our understanding of right and wrong, and how do does it shape our understanding of God’s work in the world?
Two experiences have especially shaped how I think about these questions—parish ministry and working with South Sudanese peacemaking efforts. These experiences led me to explore the shaping of moral identity and spiritual community and to examine how communities incorporate new and unfamiliar expressions of belief and practice.”
The Rev. Ross Kane, Ph.D.
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