Fun facts about religion faculty
Dr. Kristin Van Heyningen earned a B.A. in political science/international relations with a minor in Russian from Texas Christian University. She earned a master's and Ph.D. in religious ethics from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. At Augustana, she teaches Christian Ethics.
Q: What's one piece of advice you would give to an undergraduate?
A: Learn all you can about everything that is interesting.
Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
A: I would be able to be in two places at one time (like Hermione in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban").
Q: Do you have any go-to jokes?
A: A string walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Hey, get out of here, we don't serve your kind here." So the string goes outside, unravels a bit of his end, wraps himself up and pulls tight. He walks back into the bar and orders a drink. The bartender says, "Aren't you the string that I just kicked out of here?" To which he replies, "No, I'm a frayed knot."
Q: Do you have any quotes that you think of when you need inspiration?
A: "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." Martin Luther King, Jr.
Q: If you could give a speech to the U.S. Congress about any topic, what would you choose?
A: "The Art of Compromise, Cooperation, and Constructive Conversation"
Q: What meal do you cook the best? Or have you had any cooking disasters?
A: Breakfast is my best meal. I make great French toast, apple pancakes, quiche, and scrambled omelettes.
Dr. Christopher Jones got his B.A. from Oklahoma Baptist University, MTS from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He teaches Jewish and Christian Scriptures, and Interpreting the Bible (with a focus on the book of Ezekiel).
Q: What are you excited for in your winter term class(es)?
A: Ezekiel is my white whale. I'm excited for my students to encounter his obsession with divine technology and the bizarre Promethian legacy that he spawned in Judaism, in Christianity, and in the contemporary Nation of Islam.
Q: What's a life lesson you earned while pursuing your degree(s)?
A: Cooperation is much better than competition, and much more satisfying than winning.
Q: What's one piece of advice you would give to an undergraduate?
A: Prepare to live, not to work. Nobody has a single career anymore. The most important skill you can cultivate in college is a magnetic and engaging personality.
Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
A: The ability to remember anything and everything unless I chose not to.
Q: Name your favorite movie or book from your childhood.
A: "The Trumpet of the Swan" by E.B. White.
Q: What meal do you cook the best? Or have you had any cooking disasters?
A: Lasagna with homemade noodles and family secret sauce and ricotta filling recipes.
Brenna Anglada earned a B.A. in mathematics from College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and a master's in international peace studies from the University of Notre Dame. She teaches Prayer, Community, and Transformation.
Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
A: Fly. I've tried it in my dreams — nothing is more amazing.
Q: Name your favorite movie or book from your childhood.
A: "Bridge to Terabithia."
Q: Do you have any quotes that you think of when you need inspiration?
A: "All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well" by Julian of Norwich.
Q: If you could give a speech to the U.S. Congress about any topic, what would you choose?
A: The moral imperative of returning all land immorally acquired from native nations to those from whom it was taken, or at least addressing the need for a monumental discussion around what reparations could look like.
Q: What meal do you cook the best? Or have you had any cooking disasters?
A: I love to cook food I have helped to raise, using the gifts of that season. Butternut squash soup is a favorite!
Dr. Brandon Bruning earned a B.S. from Butler University and an MTS and Ph.D. from Notre Dame. He teaches Jewish and Christian Scriptures.
Q: What’s a life lesson you earned while pursuing your degree(s)?
A: Hobbies: who needs them? Apparently sane people do. This excludes most Ph.D. candidates. Ask me how I’m doing with relearning how to be human.
Q: What’s one piece of advice you would give to an undergraduate?
A: Talk to your professors. Don’t wait till there is a crisis. Write a question down in class or while reading to ask them later, or just ask them something random. I like to hear students wondering about things, pondering something that does not have a resolution but is worth the pondering nonetheless, and thinking for the sheer joy of it.
Q: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
A: The ability to read, write, and converse fluently in any language
Q: Name your favorite movie or book from your childhood.
A: “The Pokey Little Puppy.”
Q: Any "guilty pleasure" songs?
A: Bilbo’s traveling song, to a tune I believe my dad made up. The entire Chris Thiele and Mike Marshall album “Into the Cauldron.”
Q: If you could give a speech to the U.S. Congress about any topic, what would you choose?
A: If only they would listen, I would ask them to welcome refugees from the bloodshed in Syria and Iraq, and to stop the destruction of antiquity — of so many of our memories of what it is to be human — there as well, to fund big ideas like space exploration and historical and natural conservation, to invest in peace and nationwide passenger rail service, to cancel student debt… Maybe I would just invite them to join us for Symposium Day.
