Scott Gustafson

External PhD candidate

Scott Gustafson has extensive experience in the Middle East as a practitioner and consultant with faith-based charities and churches in humanitarian relief and mission work. He earned an MA in Intercultural Studies/Middle East Studies from Moody Graduate School, and a BA in Nursing and Biology from Western Michigan University. He studied Arabic at the University of Jordan and holds a certification through the Cultural Intelligence Centre as a CQ Certified Facilitator.

Scott is pursuing his PhD in Religion and Theology from the Vrije Universiteit through the International Baptist Theological Study Centre by researching the world-view change phenomenon among former Muslim refugees in the Levant and the de-radicalization of some violent extremists among them. He will explore factors that influenced changes in extreme beliefs and behaviors and attempt to garner insights that may be extrapolated for other fields of study.

Scott and his wife Lindsay have two teenagers and they live in Grand Rapids, MI.