Olivet Nazarene University

William Dean

Dr. Bill Dean is professor of world history. He earned an associate of arts degree at a Bible college before completing his B.A. at Asbury College in history. He pursued the M.A. at Portland State University in medieval and renaissance history, with special emphasis on the social context of religious reform. His studies leading to the Ph.D. took him to the University of Iowa, where his doctoral work was divided between church history in the School of Religion and political and social studies in the history department. His interests lay in understanding the interconnections and reciprocal influences between Christian faith and western societies. The interdisciplinary nature of his studies is revealed in his book The Church at Risk: The Encroachment of American Society on the Church, published in 1991, where issues raised in the Epistle to the Hebrews resonate with the challenges facing Christian communities in modern culture.

Dr. Dean is also an ordained minister, and prior to coming to Olivet served congregations in Ky., Ore., England, Ala. and N.C. He is a member of the Conference on Faith and History (an affiliate of the American Historical Association) and of The Historical Society. He continues to be active in the training of pastors both in the U.S. and overseas. He has also served as an ESL facilitator for Ukrainian public school teachers and as an adjunct professor for the Caribbean Nazarene College satellite program in Jamaica.

Encouraging students to take advantage of study abroad semesters during their college years is one of Dr. Dean’s passions. His own extensive experience overseas, including his two years as a pastor in the Methodist Church in Great Britain and the beneficial impact that living abroad had on his own family, supports his contention that young Christian leaders in a global economy need to put their feet down among people who see the world through different sets of lenses.

In 2007, Dr. Dean was a participant in the Oxford Roundtable at Jesus College in Oxford.

He enjoys building furniture, extensive home remodeling and writing. He has a wife, two sons, and five grandchildren.