Faculty Spotlight: Paul Lynch, Ph.D.

Saint Louis University’s College of Arts and Sciences is proud to announce that Paul Lynch, Ph.D., associate professor of English, has been awarded the 2024 Religious Communication Association (RCA) Book Award for his monograph "Persuasions of God: Inventing the Rhetoric of René Girard." This prestigious honor bestowed by the RCA recognizes significant contributions to the fields of communication and rhetoric, particularly in their intersections with religion.

Lynch’s "Persuasions of God" is a groundbreaking rhetorical study of René Girard, the renowned French-American theorist whose work reimagined the relationship between religion, violence and human culture. By exploring Girard’s unique perspectives, Lynch offers readers a compelling examination of how rhetoric shapes and redefines understandings of faith and sacrifice.

Lynch said he was “thrilled” to win the award. “RCA is exactly the people I was hoping would like the book,” Lynch said, “because if they don’t like the book, no one is going to like it. The fact that they seemed to is really gratifying.”

At SLU, Lynch specializes in rhetoric and composition. He earned his Ph.D. from Purdue University and teaches a wide array of courses that engage with rhetoric, literature, and interdisciplinary approaches to understanding faith and culture. His scholarship has been widely recognized, and his work continues to inspire students and peers alike.

The College of Arts and Sciences congratulates Lynch on this well-deserved recognition and celebrates his contributions to the academic community at SLU and beyond.