Joshua J. Styles, JD
Associate Professor, Criminal Justice and Legal Studies864.663.0278
joshua.styles@ngu.edu
Unit: Criminal Justice and Legal Studies, College of Humanities and Sciences, Christian Studies
Location: Tigerville
“[T]o bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of His name among all the nations.” Romans 1:5 “Sanctify them in the truth; your Word is truth.” John 17:17 “Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Psalm 82:3-4
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Teaching & Education
You will learn with me when taking:
Courses in Criminal Justice and Legal Studies including:
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Law Enforcement Use of Force
- Ethics and Criminal Justice
- Terrorism
Courses in Christian Studies including:
- Old and New Testament
- Principles of Theological Research and Writing
- Hermeneutics
Degrees
- BA, Christian Studies, North Greenville University
- MA, Christian Ethics, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
- JD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Professional Experience
My experience includes working for the Raleigh Police Department (Raleigh, NC) from June 2008 to July 2009 (trained as a Recruit in the 91st Academy and worked in an administrative capacity thereafter). During law school (2009-2012), I served as a Research Assistant to the Assistant Dean for Legal Writing and Academic Success as well as a Judicial Extern for the Supreme Court of North Carolina. I have been teaching at North Greenville since January 2013, and I have served as a lay pastor at The Church at Greer Station (Greer, SC) since 2017.
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Selected Publications
“Should All Christians Wear Masks? A Plea for Humility and Charity.” Medium (July 2020).
“COVID-19 is Killing Us (But Not in the Way You Think).” Three-Part Series in the Greer Citizen (June 2020).
“What About Near-Death Experiences?” The Baptist Courier (August 2017).
“The Right to Bear Arms and the Abominable Snowman: How Six Inches of Snow Swallowed a Fundamental Right.” North Carolina Law Review Addendum (2012).
Let the TSA Go to the Dogs: Sniffing Out an Alternative to Intrusive Scans and Pat Downs, Kindle eBook (2012).
“What We Can Learn from Britt v. State: How Overcriminalization is Eroding a Fundamental Right.” Journal of Firearms and Public Policy (2011).
The Role of Christian Virtue in the Implementation of American Foreign Policy, Master’s Thesis (2008).
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Selected Awards Received
- 2016 – President’s Outstanding Service Award, South Carolina Citizens for Life
- 2016 – Chair, Resolutions Committee for the South Carolina Baptist Convention
- May 2014 – Member of the South Carolina Bar
- 2011-2012 – Comments Editor, North Carolina Law Review
- 2008 – Academic Award for highest GPA during the Raleigh Police Academy, 91st Session
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My Story
The Lord has led me down an interesting and grace-filled path since my graduation from North Greenville. I enrolled at Southeastern Seminary right after graduation with the intent of completing an M.Div. and a Ph.D. so that I could return to North Greenville to teach Christian Studies, but the Lord made several adjustments to these plans (Prov. 16:9; 19:21). I became very interested in public policy during my time at Southeastern, and I graduated with an M.A. in Christian Ethics in May 2008. My interest in public policy grew more intense during an internship with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and I entered the Raleigh Police Academy two weeks after graduating from Southeastern. I was (and still am) zealous to protect the weak and to defend the cause of the oppressed (Ps. 82:3-4; Isa. 1:17), but I sustained an injury during the Academy that prevented me from working as a sworn police officer. Providentially, however, God used my time with the Raleigh Police Department to lead me to the University of North Carolina School of Law, and He undoubtedly used my time at UNC to prepare me for my current role at North Greenville.
Favorite Course(s) to Teach:
I genuinely love teaching all of my courses, so this is an almost impossible questions to answer. I’m going to provide two favorite courses since I teach in two programs here at NGU.
For Christian Studies, I would say Old Testament, as I love helping students see how God’s character in the Old Testament is identical to His character in the New Testament. God always has been and always will be perfectly loving, perfectly just, and perfectly holy. Showing students how the Old Testament ultimately points toward Jesus Christ is also a tremendous privilege and joy.
For Criminal Justice, I would say Law Enforcement Use of Force is my favorite course. Not only is this the most hands-on course that I teach (we regularly perform simulated traffic stops and practice other use of force scenarios), but the content of this course is incredibly relevant today. I would love all criminal justice majors (as well as students from many other majors) to take this course so they can better understand use of force encounters when they are discussed in the media. All are welcome in this class!