Dr. Don, as he is called, ( Donald H. Matthews) received his Ph.D. from The Divinity School at The University of Chicago (Religion and the Human Sciences: The Sociology and Psychology of Religion). He is an ordained Methodist minister (Pacific School of Religion, MDIV), Chaplain; ACPE, and Speech and Language Pathologist (Northwestern University  B.S., M.A.)  His first book, “Honoring the Ancestors: An African Cultural Interpretation of Black Religion and Literature,” was published by Oxford University Press. He has written numerous books, articles, and papers, and has taught at several universities and seminaries, including Central Michigan University (Religion and Philosophy Dept.), Temple University (Religious Studies Dept), Chicago Theological Seminary, (Tenured in Religion and Society),The  University of California at Santa Cruz, (Visiting Professor American Studies}, Colgate-Rochester-Crozier Divinity School, Rochester, NY (History and Black Church Studies), and St. Louis University (Tenure in the Department of Sociology). He was The Director of the Black Studies Program at The University of Missouri Kansas City and Coordinator of The Master of Divinity Program at Naropa University. He currently resides in Tacoma, Washington where he has served as an Adjunct Professor at The University of Puget Sound, Tacoma and Pierce County CC.