Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is an award-winning author, and he has written or edited more than fifty books. Oord directs doctoral programs at Northwind Theological Seminary and the Center for Open and Relational Theology. He won the Outstanding Faculty Award twelve times and now speaks at institutions across the globe. Oord is known for his contributions to research on love, open and relational theology, queer issues, science and religion, and freedom and relationships for transformation.
Oord was raised on a farm in Othello, Washington. He attended Northwest Nazarene College and, after four years in pastoral ministry in Walla Walla, Washington, Oord attended Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. Upon graduating, he attended Claremont Graduate University in Southern California, where he earned a Masters of Arts in Religion and a Ph.D. While pursuing graduate studies, he was a part-time associate pastor in Bloomington, CA.
Oord taught philosophy at Eastern Nazarene College for three years. In 2002, he returned to the Northwest to teach theology and philosophy at his undergraduate alma mater. He taught at Northwest Nazarene University for sixteen years.
In 2015, Oord endured a theological trial conducted by the university president and was dismissed from his teaching position. In 2020, Oord began directing doctoral programs in Open and Relational Theology at Northwind Theological Seminary. He lectures and teaches at other institutions around the globe.
In 2024, Oord was taken to trial in the Church of the Nazarene for being queer-affirming. The trial verdict removed his ministerial license and membership in the denomination. He’s now affiliated with the Curian Network, a new denominational space that centers love.
Thomas Jay Oord speaks often at churches, conferences, universities, and other settings. He serves in various consulting and administrative roles for academic institutions, scholarly projects, and research teams. Oord and his wife, Cheryl, have three daughters, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren.
Want to hear some of Dr. Oord’s views? Check out his more than 100 podcast interviews.
Want to learn more about Open and Relational Theology? Check out Dr. Oord’s ORTShorts podcast.
Contact Dr. Oord or his assistant at tjoord (at) my.nnu.edu or connect on social media.
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Thomas Jay Oord is a theologian, philosopher, and scholar of multi-disciplinary studies. He is the author or editor of more than twenty books and professor at Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, Idaho.
