Associate Professor of Christian History & Director of Distributed Learning
Dr. Robertson’s research and publishing explores the Canadian context of the Christian faith. He works with church planting/missionary groups from around Canada and the United States highlighting the importance of historical awareness. He has published extensively in the areas of Canadian Church history and speaks frequently at popular and academic presentations. In addition to this, Dr. Robertson teaches the development of Christianity around the world, with a focus on the development of the faith during the Reformation and into the Modern Age. His focus on Church and War has brought him into dialogue with the military, inter-faith groups, and various peace organizations. He is also a past president of the Canadian Society of Church History.
Dr. Robertson also serves as the Director of Tyndale’s Distributed Learning Department. In this role, he oversees the development of online content and pedagogy for the entire University. In this capacity, Dr. Robertson looks for innovative and creative ways to bring video content and interesting tools to online education in this increasingly digital world. Distributed Learning is dedicated to figuring out the best ways to teach, build community, and develop spiritual formation with students who are unable to be physically present on Tyndale’s campus.
Courses
- Canadian Christianity
- History of Evangelicalism: 17th Century to the Present
- History of Christianity I: Jerusalem to the Late Medieval Period
- History of Christianity II: Reformation to the Present Age
- Women in Holiness Traditions
- Bonhoeffer as a Historical Figure
- Churches and War: Christian Responses to Violence from Jesus to the 20th Century
Education
PhD, McMaster Divinity College
MDiv, McMaster University
BRS, Rocky Mountain College
Select Publications
Book:
Overlooked: The Forgotten Origins Stories of Canadian Christianity. New Leaf Press, 2022. Also available as an audio book read by Dr. Robertson (Click HERE).
Other Publications:
“GenAI and the imago Dei: A Discernment Framework for AI Use in the Classroom” co-authored with Heather Birch. In Divine Design in the Classroom:The Role of imago Dei in Shaping Educational Praxis. Edited by Lisa Devall-Martin. Eugene OR: Wipf & Stock, (forthcoming 2027).
“Persona and Person: Barbra Heck, Ellen Hebden and the Influence of Female Revivalists Over Canadian Christianity, 18th – 20th Centuries.” Co-authored with Rohina Thomas. In Spirited Sisters: Women in the Holiness and Pentecostal Traditions. Edited by James Pedlar, Glen O’Brien, and Kimberly Ervine. University Park PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, (December 2026).
“Happy is the Land that Robs from God: Secularizing Canada in the Mid-Nineteenth Century.” Journal for Post-Christendom Studies 8 (2023-2024): 36-47. (Available HERE)
“Bible Buttons: Canadian Evangelical Attempts at Unity and Influence at the Dawn of the Twentieth Century” Journal for Northwest Institute for Ministry Education Research (2023). (Available HERE)
“University on Its Knees: Fundamentalist Education and the Collapse of Des Moines University” American Baptist Quarterly 39.4 (Winter 2020): 337-56.
Featured Videos
Podcasts
“Heavenly Minded Earthly Good” (co-hosted withe Anita Wing Lee) HERE
“Potlucks & Pulpits and Everything in Between” Ep. 2 History, Sociology, and Story HERE
“Ministry Forum” Interview S. 4 Ep. 4 HERE
“True North Theology Podcast” Interview with Dr. Patrick Franklin Ep. 8: The Evangelicals HERE