James K. Stewart

About Rev. Dr. James K. Stewart

Rev. Dr. James K. Stewart is a retired Presbyterian minister, biblical scholar, novelist, and screenwriter whose writing reflects a lifetime of studying Scripture, exploring history, and questioning conventional interpretations.

Stewart holds a Master’s degree from the University of Toronto, a theological diploma from Knox College, and a doctorate from Ashland University in Ohio. His passion for biblical history and the people who shaped our faith inspired his eight-novel series, Ghosts of the Shephelah, which brings ancient characters and events to life through historical fiction.

His other works include Biblical Themes, a Bible study resource; Tenacity & Spirit, which he co-authored; the screenplay The Death Train; and Blacklisted: A Greek Style Apology, a provocative examination of biblical traditions, religious interpretations, and the original Hebrew and Greek Scriptures.

Stewart's writing frequently challenges the male bias that has influenced the telling and interpretation of biblical stories. His approach combines historical investigation, biblical exegesis, imagination, and a willingness to ask questions that others might prefer to leave unanswered.

His life has been anything but confined to books and theology. Before entering university at the age of fifty, Stewart spent much of his working life as an ironworker in southern Ontario. Inspired by the television series Sea Hunt, he became a Master Scuba Instructor. He has also enjoyed sailing the Caribbean, diving, fishing, and exploring the natural world.

Married to the same woman for fifty-seven years, Stewart has two children and five grandchildren. His varied experiences have given him an appreciation of human nature, its virtues, its failings, and the remarkable similarities between people living thousands of years apart.

Above all, Stewart believes that faith should never be afraid of honest examination. As he puts it:

“If you examine your faith and discover it to be false, you have gained the truth. If you examine it and find it sound, your faith has been strengthened. Either way, you have gained.”