Paula Barker teaches medieval and Reformation church history with a focus on developments in England. She holds a bachelor’s degree in music composition from the University of Michigan, a master of divinity degree from Yale University, and a Ph.D. in church history from the University of Chicago. She is excited about her recent work in theological aesthetics, which finds practical expression in her use of the arts to teach history, theology, and spirituality. Having studied mystical theology for many years, her research and writing now focus on how music has been understood theologically over the centuries as a means of experiencing the divine and how the connections between theology and music can be brought alive in the classroom. She continues to study voice and has begun to experiment again with musical composition. She also continues to work on developing resources from Christian spiritual traditions to strengthen communities and constructively engaging conflict. Formerly ordained in the United Methodist Church, Paula has been an Episcopal priest since 1993.

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