I grew up in a small town in southern Oklahoma. When I was 18 years old, I set up three guidelines for how I was going to choose my college: 1) I didn’t want to go to a small school; 2) I didn’t want to go to a Christian college; 3) I wanted to go to school in the South. Well, those three criteria added up perfectly to land me at Wheaton College—a small, Christian college in the Chicago area.
Upon graduation, I moved further north and spent the next year in Minneapolis where, among other things, I apprenticed through The Bethlehem Institute at Bethlehem Baptist Church. This proved to be a significant time of spiritual growth and development for me. Most importantly, it was during my time in Minneapolis that I developed a biblical and theological understanding of the role of the local church in God’s eternal plan for redeeming humanity.
After a year, I returned to Chicago and started graduate school. I did an MA in Biblical Exegesis at Wheaton — and failed my first semester of Hebrew because I was spending more time with Katie than I was studying vocabulary. I guess it paid off well, because I passed Hebrew the second time around and landed Katie as my wife (the third time around)
After finishing my Masters degree, I spent some time in Downers Grove, IL. making friends while working @ Starbucks and participating with a community of people planting a church in the western suburbs (see my store).
After two years in Downers Grove, Katie and I felt called to leave coffee, the community, and the country (well, not necessarily) to pursue further graduate work. I spent two years during my coursework for a ThM in theology at Regent College while Katie delivered babies at Richmond Hospital.
My primary research interests include biblical theology, theology of culture and ecclesiology (doctrine of the church). I am currently working on my thesis, which explores the ecclesiology of Karl Barth. Specifically, my thesis is an analysis and critique of Barth's doctrine of election as it relates to the doctrine of the visible church.
In the summer of 2007, the Cawleys moved again-- this time to Little Rock, AR-- when Kevin accepted the invitation to be a church planter in residence with Fellowship Associates. In April of 2008 the Cawleys moved yet again, to start a new church in the urban core of Kansas City.
I spend the majority of my spare time reading, walking with Katie and taking photographs (a hobby Katie got me interested in during our stint in Canada).
Recent Comments