SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE

Dr. Derek King is the Scholar-in-Residence at Lewis House. His role is both ministerial (he hangs with students) and academic (he hangs with nerds). He has a Ph.D. in Analytic and Exegetical Theology from the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Derek has published two books. His doctoral dissertation was published as The Church and the Problem of Divine Hiddenness with Routledge (2023). His second book explores related themes but at a popular level, called Faith Without Belief (Wipf & Stock, 2024). His current academic project is called Theological Attention, and it is under contract with Oxford University Press (2025). That book is the result of a grant in science-engaged theology from the John Templeton Foundation. In addition to his academic publications, Derek has published in various popular outlets, including Christianity Today, The Hedgehog Review, and Mere Orthodoxy.

Derek joined the University of Kentucky Christian Student Fellowship (CSF) staff after participating as a student. He took his first-ever theology class with CSF’s Christian Studies Center. While on staff at CSF, he completed a Masters of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary.

Derek and his wife, Bethany, were married in 2016. In 2020, they adopted embryos. They have two children: a son Lewis and a daughter Iona. Derek and Bethany are passionate about embryo adoption and encouraging others to consider it. As a couple, they especially enjoy cooking together, taking long walks, traveling, and reminiscing about their time living in Scotland.

In addition to spending time with his family, friends, and theological pursuits, Derek especially enjoys baseball, running, and reading—he’s a White Sox fan, a fair-weather runner with two half-marathons under his belt, and especially enjoys the fiction of Berry, Dostoevsky, Waugh, and Wodehouse.