About Lisa

Lisa Powell is a theologian, professor, author, and speaker. She has given invited lectures in the US, the UK, Canada, and Germany.

Dr. Powell's teaching and research examine the contributions of non-dominant communities to the development of Christian thought and action. Her most recent book, The Disabled God Revisited: Trinity, Christology, and Liberation (T&T Clark, 2023), draws from contemporary debates on the theology of Karl Barth and discourse in Black liberation theology, feminist, queer, and disability theology to amplify the theological argument of The Disabled God (1994) by Nancy Eiesland. Dr. Powell's books have been reviewed by numerous academic journals including: The International Journal of Systematic Theology, The Journal of Religious Ethics, and the Journal of Disability & Religion.

Dr. Powell's current research project, tentatively titled The Vulnerable Creator, builds upon the arguments she made in The Disabled God Revisited to consider the nature of God's relationship with creation with particular attention given to diverse embodiment and the interconnection and interdependency of all life. Some elements of this research can be seen in her article in Studies in Christian Ethics, entitled "Punishment and Prison: Barth's Doctrine of Reconciliation and the Abolition Spirit." 

Dr. Powell received her Ph.D. in Theology, Ethics, and Politics from Princeton Theological Seminary, where she also received her M.Div. She currently resides in Iowa with her family, 3 pet snakes, and their rescued Great Pyrenees-mix, Hero.