Chase Mitchell

Like many of my colleagues on this site, I was raised in a Christian home but in my early-twenties lost my faith when faced with doubt, then unbelief, and ultimately antagonism toward the Christian God. In my precociousnesses, I came to believe that faith, and especially Christian faith, was an intellectual crutch, a fairy tale, for those who couldn't handle the real world. There were so many other diverse and wonderful stories that seemed to make better sense of the world; I could find "higher truth" and "beauty" in other things, couldn't I? For a while, I thought so, but ultimately I was to be disappointed with what the world had to offer. I grew up in a small-middling Appalachian town, but had the opportunity to travel abroad and experience other cultures during my formative years. These experiences didn't just chip away at my faith, they destroyed it (or so I thought!). Staying in school for as long as we "academics" do, too, reinforced what my preconceptions about the nature of reality and my place in it. In hindsight, God used those times in my life to model distorted truths, broken fragments that subsequent revelation would transfigure in the light of Christ. But it wasn't until I offered (not willingly, of course) what He ultimately requires of us all---a broken spirit---that those insights came. Out of the brokenness He's continued to reshape and reform me. One of the most humbling thoughts I can muster about God's ways is that He is always and simultaneously judging, redeeming, and using His children in the fulfillment of His perfect Will.

My Life

Favorite Quote

To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable in others, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you. -C.S. Lewis, "The Weight of Glory"

My hobbies

spending time w/my wife Mott and our dogs (Bigfoot and Fuzzle); reading; hiking; watching British comedies

Fantasy dinner guests

John, the Beloved Apostle

Best advice I ever received

Pick up your cross and follow Me.

My undergrad alma mater

King College (now King University)

Favorite coffee

black, and lots

Current Research

My primary research interests lie within media ecology. My current project is the study of the popular website The Bible Project; specifically, the theological implications of how that organization deploys digital genres such as explainer videos to exegete scripture. I also write a monthly blog for the Christianity & Communication Studies Network called "Image to Image: Musings on Faith, Media, and Story," in which I explore old and new ideas about media ecology from a Christian perspective---what it means to bear God’s image and faithful witness in a mediated world. Additionally, I occasionally contribute to Christian Scholars Review's Christ Animated Learning Blog. My secondary research interests include multimedia pedagogy, rhetoric, and technical communication.