fbpx

Jon Showalter

TiM Instructor; Adjunct Faculty
Course(s): Anabaptist History & Theology (TiM); Core Christian Beliefs I; Western Civilization; Christian Apologetics; Contemporary Christianity
B.A. Ohio State University; M.A. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; doctoral studies, Ohio State University
Jon Showalter is the instructor for the Anabaptist History & Theology course that is part of the Training in Ministry program at Rosedale Bible College. He also teaches a few courses on campus. From the start, you will notice Jon’s experience, passion, and knowledge. Married to Dawn, Jon and his wife live in Rosedale Ohio, at least most of the time. Along the way, they have also lived in China, Morocco, and Costa Rica. They are the parents of four young adult sons—all married—and recently became grandparents for the first time. Showalter became interested in the history and theology of Anabaptism as he grew up in a family and church that took their Mennonite identity seriously. While a student at Rosedale Bible College in 1977, Jon participated in their first Anabaptist history study tour to Europe, and his interest developed further from that point. After Rosedale Bible College, an undergraduate degree in philosophy at Ohio State University opened windows to a broader world of ideas. Church planting with Rosedale International in Ecuador raised questions about if and how Anabaptist identity matters outside of the Mennonite enclaves into which Jon was born. Jon would go on to study theology and church history at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he asked new questions regarding how the Mennonite tradition has been shaped by the controversies which unfolded among American fundamentalists and evangelicals in the twentieth century. Jon returned to Ohio, to study at Ohio State University, for additional study at the doctoral level. His doctoral studies focused on the Protestant Reformation and the world in which Anabaptism first emerged. While at OSU, an invitation to teach one course at Rosedale Bible College opened the door to what turned into twenty-five years of teaching courses in history, theology, and ethics. All of these courses are connected by the common thread of shared questions: how did the ideas so unique to Anabaptism in the Reformation era develop in the centuries which followed? To what extent do those themes continue to shape Mennonites and other groups in the twenty-first century? And perhaps most importantly, why and how does any of this matter?

About Rosedale

Academics

Contact Us

Talk to Us

New Programs Coming September 2020!

Rosedale School of Business and Leadership

Preparing kingdom workers to engage the marketplace with excellence and integrity.

Training in Ministry Distance Learning

An innovative approach to using distance learning tools to equip believers and churches for more effective ministry.
Bell.

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Click here to read our privacy policy or update your preferences.