Steven R. Tracy, PhD
Professor, Theology and Ethics
- PhD, University of Sheffield, England
- ThM, Western Seminary
- MDiv,Western Seminary
- BA, Arizona State University
Experience
Dr. Tracy pastored in three different churches for 15 years before coming on staff full-time at Phoenix Seminary. He and his wife Celestia are the founders of Mending the Soul Ministries, a Christian nonprofit which provides written resources and training on abuse, trauma, and sexuality. Steve and Celestia are also on the staff of Global Training Network, a global mission agency. For the past several years Steve and Celestia have had the privilege of ministering to the broken and those who minister to them by conducting seminars and trainings in the US and around the world, particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, and Mexico. Steve taught classes on a part-time basis at Phoenix Seminary for six years and served as Vice President of Academic Affairs from 1999 to 2006. His work has been published in numerous books, magazines, and journals, including Journal of Psychology and Theology, Calvin Theological Journal, Themelios, Trinity Journal, Cultural Encounters, Africanus Journal, Priscilla Papers, and Christianity Today. Dr. Tracy’s research and ministry specialization is in gender, sexuality, and abuse. Dr. Tracy has served the state of Arizona on the Governor’s Commission for the Prevention of Violence against Women, and is also Director of Research and Curriculum for Mending the Soul Ministries.
Leadership Positions and Associations
- Founder and director of Research and Curriculum, Mending the Soul Ministries
- Staff member, Global Training Network
- Contributing editor of the journal Cultural Encounters
- Adjunct faculty member, Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (Christian Bilingual University of Congo), Beni, Demorcratic Republic of the Congo
- Member of the American Bible Society’s Trauma Healing Advisory Council
- Former member of the Governor’s Commission for the Prevention of Violence against Women
Published Books
- Forever and Always: The Art of Bonding (Wipf & Stock, 2011) (coauthored with Celestia Tracy)
- Mending the Soul Student Edition (co-authored with Celestia Tracy) (Zondervan/Youth Specialties, 2011)
- Princess Found: A Guide for Mentors of Sexually Exploited Girls (coauthored with Celestia Tracy) (Mending the Soul Ministries, 2011)
- Marriage at the Crossroads: Couples in Conversation about Discipleship, Gender Roles, Decision Making and Intimacy (IVP, 2009) (coauthored with Celestia Tracy and William and Aída Spencer)
- Mending the Soul: Understanding and Healing Abuse (Zondervan, 2005)
Select Published Essays and Articles
- “An Ugly Secret: Definitions, Prevalence, and Denial of Sexual Abuse.” In The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused (2011).
- “The Culture Wars Over “Family Values: Are Evangelicals Fighting the Wrong Battles in the Wrong Way and Losing Badly?” Africanus Journal (2011)
- “Abuse and the Gospel: Calling the Evangelical Church to Truth.” In Responding to Abuse in Christian Homes: A Challenge to Churches and Their Leaders (2011).
- “Abortion, the Marginalized, and the Vulnerable: A Social Justice Perspective for Reducing Abortion.” Cultural Encounters (2010)
- “Patriarchy, Abuse, and Heroism: Lessons from the Congo.” Mutuality Magazine (2008)
- “What Does ‘Submit in Everything’ Really Mean? The Nature and Scope of Marital Submission.” Trinity Journal (2008)
- “Patriarchy and Domestic Violence: Challenging Common Misconceptions.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (2007)
- “Chastity and the Goodness of God: The Case for Premarital Sexual Abstinence.” Themelios 31 (2006): 54-71.
