Henry Burt
Faculty

Henry Burt

Teaching Post Doctorate

Contact

Cuna 114

Department

School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Henry Burt is a postdoc teaching fellow in the Philosophy and Religion department as well as in the Core Experience. In addition to teaching, Henry works with Flagler's Center for Religion and Culture.

Henry hails from a liberal arts background, majoring in both Psychology and Exercise Science at St. Olaf College. He received a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological directly thereafter, after which he was ordained as a Lutheran (ELCA) pastor. While completing his PhD in the psychology of religion at Princeton Theological Seminary, Henry served congregations in Newark, greater New York City, Philadelphia, and Minnesota. His research focuses on religious caregiving approaches to fostering post-traumatic growth, particularly for those who have suffered from clinical-degree perfectionism.

Henry has published articles in the Journal of Religion and Health, Pastoral Psychology, and the Journal of Pastoral Theology. His dissertation, “The Weariness of the Perfectionist Self: A Pastoral Theological Approach to Healing," is a forthcoming book.

In his free time, Henry enjoys running, singing in choir, karaoke, trivia, and watching live sports. He serves as a faculty mentor to the Flagler men's and women's cross country and track and field teams.

Professional Profile

PhD in Pastoral Theology, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2025
Dissertation: “The Weariness of the Perfectionist Self: A Pastoral Theological Approach to Healing”

Master of Divinity, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2019, Concentration in Lutheran Studies 

B.A. in 1) Psychology and 2) Exercise Science, St. Olaf College, 2016

Teaching

Fall 2025 Courses

Core 184: Virtue in Life, Text, and Film

Research

Areas of research: spiritual care of perfectionism; positive and negative religious coping; intrapsychic struggles; spirituality, embodiment, and athletics; Lutheran pastoral care; human flourishing; identity crises; Anzaldúan pastoral theology; theo-poetics; spiritual care of clergy and seminarians; spiritual care of men and boys; masculinity and loneliness.

Selected Works

  • Burt, Henry. “Haydn’s Creation: The Significance of the Oratorio Form and the Composer’s Maturational Development for a Disconnected 21st Century.” Lecture given at Princeton University’s Richardson Auditorium. Nov. 10, 2024.
  • Burt, Henry. “Perfectionism and the Threat of Grace: Reimaging Theological Principles for Healing.” Published in Journal of Pastoral Theology 34(1) Nov. 23, 2024. DOI 10.1080/10649867.2024.2406667.
  • Burt, Henry. “When the Darkness Overcomes It: Pastoral Chums for Men So Lonely They Could Cry.” Paper presented at the 2022 Philadelphia Group for Pastoral Care of Boys and Men. May 2024
  • Burt, Henry. “A Pastoral Caregiving Response to Male Emotional Breakdown.” Paper presented at the 2023 Philadelphia Group for Pastoral Care of Boys and Men. June 2023.
  • Burt, Henry. “Running as Righteousness: Fitness as a Variety of Religious Experience.” Paper presented at the 2022 Philadelphia Group for Pastoral Care of Boys and Men. June 2022. Published in Journal of Pastoral Psychology 72(1) Dec. 27, 2022. DOI:10.1007/s11089-022 01043-x
  • Co-editor and co-contributor for Mooney, Margarita. The Wounds of Beauty: Seven Dialogues on Art and Education. Providence, RI: Cluny Media. 2022. 2
  • Co-editor and co-contributor for Mooney, Margarita. The Love of Learning: Seven Dialogues on the Liberal Arts. Providence, RI: Cluny Media, 2021.
  • Wang, K. T., Xie, Z. Y., Parsely, A. C., & Johnson, A. M. “Religious Perfectionism Scale among believers of multiple faiths in China: Development and psychometric analysis.” Journal of Religion & Health. Published online February 28, 2019. doi: 10.1007/s10943-019-00784-z
  • Burt, Henry and Veltri, Carlo O.C. “Maladaptive Correlates of Common Elements of Perfectionism, Rigidity, and Orderliness.” Presentation at American Psychology Association 2016 National Convention.