Ben Menghini he/him

Visiting Assistant Professor of Religion

• Email: benmenghini@augustana.edu
• Office: Old Main 032

Ben Menghini’s research and teaching focuses on theological ethics and theological method, and the way they mutually inform one another. His dissertation research investigated the perceived severity of orthodoxy, the proposed response of a generous orthodoxy, and how the development of a tragic disposition in academia and teaching could address our contemporary challenges. In the classroom Ben attempts to foster a “tragic pedagogy,” where we attune to the possibility of failure, turn conflict into productive disagreement, and practice reflexivity in ourselves and our work.

At Augustana Ben teaches a variety of courses in Christian Ethics and Theology. His favorite course to teach is Christian Ethics, where he encourages students to explore the ways that ethical reflection emerges from the experiences of ordinary life through the reading and discussion of a series of memoirs. He has also taught classes in Ecotheology, Christianity and Religious Pluralism, The Christian Tradition, and Sexual Ethics.

Ben completed his PhD in Theology at Emmanuel College and The University of Toronto in Spring 2026. He previously taught theology and religious studies at St. Norbert College in Northern Wisconsin. His wife Blakeley is a professional violist, chamber musician, and educator, and they live with their cat Concs.

Specializations: Theological ethics, Theological method, Anthropology and sociology of religion, Theological pedagogy