The Abilene Association of Congregations will have a special guest speaker for the April 24 meeting.

Zach Ingle, a visiting assistant professor of communication at Hardin-Simmons University, will talk about the history of Jesus films. The meeting, which is open to the public, begins with lunch at 11:45 a.m. in the parish hall of Holy Family Catholic Church, 5410 Buffalo Gap Road. A $3 donation is requested for lunch.

Ingle, whose wife Jemima teaches chemistry at Hardin-Simmons, earned a doctorate in film and media studies from the University of Kansas in 2015. His other degrees include a bachelor of arts in English, Christian Studies, and Communication from Howard Payne University in 2001, a master of divinity from Baylor University in 2003, and a master of arts in English and African American Literature from North Carolina A&T State University in 2008. The following is from his profile page on the Hardin-Simmons website:

“Ingle is a film and media studies scholar who specializes in such diverse topics as African American cinema, sports films, superhero media, Christian popular culture, and the intersection of religion and film. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Kansas, where he wrote his dissertation on Robert Rodriguez and changes in the American independent filmmaking landscape since the early 1990s. He also has graduate degrees in English and religion, writing his master’s thesis on Dostoevsky’s influence on Spike Lee, Woody Allen, and the Coen brothers.

He recently co-authored the book The 100 Greatest Superhero Films and TV Shows (Rowman & Littlefield, 2022). His previous books include Robert Rodriguez: Interviews (University of Mississippi Press, 2012); Identity and Myth in Sports Documentaries and Gender and Genre in Sports Documentaries (both Scarecrow, 2013); and Fan Phenomena: The Big Lebowski (Intellect, 2014).

Ingle loves writing for books, encyclopedias, and scholarly journals. His articles have appeared in Post Script, Journal of Sport History, and Literature/Film Quarterly. He also has chapters published in six different books, and is currently working on chapters on the horror film Mother! and the Rocky-Creed saga.

Before coming to Hardin-Simmons, Ingle taught in film, English, and religion departments at universities in Kansas and Virginia.

Ingle is originally from Loop, Texas, and is married to Jemima Ingle, Associate Professor of Chemistry. They are active members at First Central Presbyterian Church in Abilene where Jemima is a deacon, Zachary teaches Sunday School, and both sing in the choir.”