Philip Hefner is an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and has spent his career teaching in Lutheran seminaries in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Chicago. He has attempted to balance a concern for the theology of the Christian tradition and that of Lutheranism, with attention to contemporary culture, particularly the arts and the natural sciences. He has been concerned with science and religion issues for more than 40 years. He has been closely involved with the Zygon Center for Religion and Science for many years and served at its president from 1988-2003.

He is the author of six books and more than 150 scholarly articles. Among his books are The Promise of Teilhard  (Lippincott, 1970); (with Robert Benne), Defining America: A Christian Critique of the American Dream  (Fortress Press, 1974); The Human Factor:  Evolution, Culture, Religion  (Fortress Press, 1993); and Technology and Human Becoming (Fortress Press, 2003). Trinity International Press will publish his 2002 Rockwell lectures, delivered at Rice University, on the theme of the "Created Co-Creator." Hefner has taught and lectured widely in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He is a member of the Academic Board of the Metanexus Institute.