"Living abroad showed me how different cultures practice their faith," says DeLashmutt. "So many of our beliefs come from our stories—they are not purely derived from sacred texts or rituals we engage in. There is so much more, including the stories we tell about ourselves and that we encounter in others."

Michael DeLashmutt and his wife spent their two-month honeymoon at a Pentecostal seminary in Tanzania. Later, he decided to pursue his Ph.D. in Scotland. They sold their home, their cars and most of their possessions, and left the U.S. with only four suitcases in hand. For the next nine years, they moved between Scotland and England, and traveled as much as possible.

"Living abroad showed me how different cultures practice their faith," says DeLashmutt. "So many of our beliefs come from our stories—they are not purely derived from sacred texts or rituals we engage in. There is so much more, including the stories we tell about ourselves and that we encounter in others."

In addition to cultures beyond our physical borders, DeLashmutt is fascinated by popular culture, which he believes plays an important role in how we now find and define our spirituality. In one way, he says, it is the common language we speak, at least in the West. "Culture is any kind of human act—the things we make, the things we do," he says. "The cultural context we find ourselves in may—without our even knowing it—be shaping the way we feel about ourselves religiously. "DeLashmutt has lectured and written much about pop culture and theology, and plans to teach courses on these in the future. "Culture is very important for theologians to take seriously. I use pop culture," he says.

Most recently the director of studies and deputy principal at Sarum College in Salisbury, England, DeLashmutt also taught and lectured at the University of Exeter, in England, and the University of Aberdeen, in Scotland. He earned a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice from the University of Exeter, a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Glasgow and a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. He received his Bachelor of Arts from Northwest University.

As associate dean for first theological degrees at Luther Seminary, DeLashmutt works to support effective teaching and learning across the first theological degree programs. He oversees academic assessment projects and supports distributed learning. He also teaches two courses each academic year.