Dr. Lanta Davis joined the John Wesley Honors College in 2016 and teaches “Rhetoric and the Sacramental Imagination,” “What Is Beauty?,” and “Great Texts” for the JWHC.  

She believes education is learning—over and over—the gift of wonder. Both outside and inside the classroom, she aims to help others see the world for the wild, wonderful, strange thing that it is. Researching the role of the imagination means she gets to continually enter new worlds, see with new eyes, and discover new ways of thinking.  She loves learning not only about literature, but about art, architecture, and ancient history; about virtues and vices; about myths and medieval monks. 

Her book, Becoming by Beholding (Baker Academic, 2024), considers the role of the imagination in spiritual and character formation.  How do we become the person we called to become? How do we align our emotions with our beliefs? How might beauty help persuade the heart to do what we ought to do? She also studies Irish literature and art, especially novels about the Troubles, and received a Fulbright Award to Northern Ireland. She has written for publications such as Christian Century, Christ and Pop Culture, Christian Scholar’s Review, International Journal or Christianity and Education, Religions, and Renascence.

You can check out some of Dr. Davis’s writing here.