Dr. Uhley arrived at Grand Canyon University after 35 years of service to the Church as a pastor. He earned his Doctor of Ministry from McCormick Seminary in Chicago. Dr. Uhley is passionate about short–term mission projects and the relationship between Christian spirituality and addiction recovery.
“My greatest joy in teaching is hearing from students about how they are growing in their faith through the education we provide. Students often share stories of how broken they were before Christ showed his love to them and how they are finding hope and direction in their lives.”
Faculty Spotlight
Who am I and how did God lead me here?
I grew up in Southern California with a passion for surfing as a teenager and young adult. I arranged both my work and college schedules to make sure there was always time to catch some waves, which did not always help my academic career. I was blessed with Christian parents and after a period of rebellion and resistance, I accepted Christ’s call to follow Him. I experienced great joy in surrendering to Christ, as my attempts to find happiness and a meaningful life without Him had not been going very well.
My home church allowed me to do work with children and then in my college group I became hooked on ministry. It was fun and challenging and relationally satisfying. I went on to study youth ministry and Christian Education at Azusa Pacific College and then completed my Master of Divinity at Fuller Seminary. I worked in youth ministry for 15 years before I became a senior pastor, where I served for 25 years.
What do I enjoy most in the College of Theology and in my ministry?
My greatest joy in teaching is hearing from students about how they are growing in their faith through the education we provide. Students often share stories of how broken they were before Christ showed his love to them and how they are finding hope and direction in their lives.
At GCU, I teach online classes related to the Christian Worldview, introductory Bible classes and a course on spirituality and health care. I have also helped build a doctoral class and written a chapter for the new Christian Worldview textbook the school is rolling out.
What advice do I have for my theology students?
American culture is now highly resistant to the gospel. This is a direct result of various philosophies such as secular humanism, where skepticism surrounds all religious claims, and truth that has gained a dominant position in the media, at most universities and in society more generally. We are being programmed to live as if there were no God. Even those who believe in God tend to live as secular people.
I believe that the church and Christian institutions such as GCU need to be more creative and comprehensive in teaching the truth that is given to us in the self-revelation of God –Jesus Christ. As Christians we must work harder to gain a hearing for Christ by our service to the world.