LSTC Announces Robert O. Smith as Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs

The Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago (LSTC) is pleased to announce the appointment of The Rev. Robert O. Smith, Ph.D, as the seminary’s new Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, effective January 12, 2026.

Dr. Smith currently teaches at the University of North Texas (UNT), where his scholarship focuses on the intersections of race, religion, and Indigeneity. An enrolled citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and an ordained minister in the ELCA, Smith brings to LSTC an exceptional combination of academic breadth, theological depth, and commitment to justice-centered education.

His vocation has long been shaped by both rigorous academic inquiry and deep engagement in global ministry. His formation includes significant service within ELCA Global Mission, where he held several key leadership roles. Between 2007 and 2014, he served as Continental Desk Director for Europe and the Middle East, and as Area Program Director for the Middle East and North Africa. During this time, he also served as Coordinator of the Peace Not Walls campaign for Middle East Justice and as Theological Content Developer for Global and Domestic Mission, helping the ELCA articulate commitments to peacebuilding, accompaniment, and justice-focused global engagement. These experiences inform his approach to theological education, intercultural formation, and equity-centered leadership.

Smith has served in many different ministry contexts throughout the ELCA. He has been the solo pastor of a rural parish in Texas, the Lutheran campus pastor at the University of Chicago, and an Associate to the Bishop for the Northern Texas–Northern Louisiana Synod. On the international level, Smith served as co-moderator of the World Council of Churches’ Palestine-Israel Ecumenical Forum and as Special Advisor to the President of the Lutheran World Federation when that position was held by Bishop Dr. Munib A. Younan.

A widely respected interdisciplinary scholar, Smith’s work draws on critical race theory (CRT), decolonial theory, and political theology to examine the historical forces shaping contemporary political and religious life. His groundbreaking research on the political ideology of Christian Zionism includes the monograph More Desired than Our Owne Salvation: The Roots of Christian Zionism (Oxford University Press, 2013) and the edited volume Comprehending Christian Zionism: Perspectives in Comparison (Fortress Press, 2014).

He is currently publishing a set of three books—co-researched and co-written with his wife, Dr. Aja Y. Martinez—that recontextualize the history of CRT. The first of these, The Origins of Critical Race Theory: The People and Ideas that Created a Movement, was published in March by NYU Press. The next two will be published in 2026. These books challenge recent misconceptions about CRT while exploring the movement’s contributions to legal theory, educational policy, and cultural theory. Collectively, these works promise to reshape national conversations on race, public life, and religion.

In addition to his responsibilities as Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs, Smith will serve as Associate Professor of Authentic Diversity, Justice, and Public Church, a role that reflects LSTC’s deep commitments to equity, intersectionality, and the church’s public witness.

A significant part of Smith’s portfolio includes oversight of LSTC’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice commitments. He will guide programming priorities and supervise staff for both the Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice and the Pero Center for Intersectionality Studies. In doing so, he will ensure that the values and commitments of these centers inform LSTC’s academic life and institutional culture—including through human resources policies, the Antiracism Transformation Team, and the Reparations Task Force, which specifically focuses on support for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities.

Reflecting on his new role, Dr. Smith situates LSTC’s mission within the broader narrative of Chicago’s formation and diversity. He writes: 

“I am mindful of how Chicago itself informs the nature of the communities LSTC is called to serve. Chicago was founded through the joint efforts of Kitihawa, a Potawatomi woman, and her husband, Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a migrant from Haiti. In the late 1700s, their combination of Indigenous and Afro-Caribbean ingenuity developed into a farm and trading post at the junction of Lake Michigan and the Chicago River, the very foundation of the city we love today.

Building on that foundation, Chicago is home to layered histories of immigration, migration, and racial formation—from Scandinavian Lutherans in the 1880s, to Black families fleeing white supremacist terror in the South, to Mexican, Puerto Rican, and other Latiné communities—all of which combine to shape the city’s culture.

Chicago is a model of the authentic diversity to which we are called, both as a seminary and as a denomination. In a moment when efforts to foster intersectional diversity and inclusion are under assault, the Holy Spirit calls us to work for the flourishing of all human and non-human communities even as we recognize the infinite diversity of God’s gifts throughout all creation.”

Dr. Smith’s academic preparation includes a Bachelor of Arts from Oklahoma State University, a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Islamic Studies from Luther Seminary, and a doctorate from Baylor University.

LSTC will benefit from Dr. Smith’s years of work in multi-racial, ecumenical, and interfaith contexts. He brings a vision for theological education focused on strengthening the entire church—lay leaders, administrators, and rostered ministers alike—to navigate the changing needs of their communities. 

As we move forward together, we give thanks for Dr. Linda Thomas’s service as Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs and look forward to her continued contributions as the Bernard, Fischer, Westberg Distinguished Professor of Theology and Anthropology. We look with hope and anticipation to the leadership Dr. Robert Smith will bring to LSTC’s next chapter.