About Erik C. Carter, DMin, PhD

As a professor in the School of Religion at Loma Linda University, I teach courses in practical theology, pastoral care, and spirituality. Since most of my students are pursuing degrees in the health sciences (e.g., medical, dental, nursing, allied and public health, etc.), I seek to make my areas of expertise as relevant as possible, helping them to integrate religious and spiritual perspectives into their personal lives and respective fields of training. I also teach students enrolled in the MS in Chaplaincy program—a groundbreaking degree that is charting a new course for chaplaincy education in North America.

As a practical theologian, I am a scholar-practitioner, engaging the worlds of both scholarship and clinical practice. My educational background consists of undergraduate and graduate degrees in theology and religion from Southern Adventist University and Andrews University. Additionally, I have obtained doctoral degrees from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary (DMin), and Claremont School of Theology (PhD). My publications can be found in various academic and church-related journals, and reflect my interest in the confluence of Christian and Jewish spirituality, and pastoral care, in the context of practical theology and Adventism. Please consult my vita or "professional activities" for specific bibliographic information.

In terms of the practitioner side of the scholar-practitioner equation, I am an ordained minister in the Seventh-day Adventist Church with pastoral experience in urban, suburban, and rural settings. I am also a clinical member of the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). Serving in these ways, I have worked with churches, hospitals, agencies, families, couples, and individuals in seeking healing and wholeness. With a deep concern for the faithfulness of the church, I speak regularly around the country and abroad on matters of theological and spiritual renewal.