Anglican Scholar Accused of Falsifying Academic Credentials, Hiding Criminal Past
Brandon Meeks claimed a PhD from prestigious University of Aberdeen
Brandon Meeks was a rising star among conservative and Christian intellectuals. His essays appeared in First Things, Mere Orthodoxy, The North American Anglican, Ad Fontes, The American Conservative, and other publications. His book “The Foolishness of God: Reclaiming Preaching in the Anglican Tradition” has been influential among American Anglicans.
Brandon Meeks preaching Sept. 2024 / Video screenshot
He had also developed an active social media audience. His “X” account (@nojesuittricks) had 37,000 followers. Until December the website of All Saints Anglican Church in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, listed him as “theologian-in-residence.” He claimed to have a Ph.D. from the prestigious University of Aberdeen.
But his impressive resume took a hit this week when Brian Mattson published an essay claiming he had misrepresented his academic credentials and was convicted of a sex crime in 2017.
Mattson, a senior scholar of public theology at Center for Cultural Leadership, did not start out to investigate Meeks. In fact, he had become a fan of Meeks’ work. Mattson says he and Meeks shared many interests—including music and (Mattson thought) their shared history at Aberdeen, where Mattson earned his Ph.D.
“Over the years,” Mattson wrote, “I had read Brandon Meeks’ work with profit and appreciation. I knew a few things about him: musician, literature lover, Anglican, excellent writer, with a doctorate from my very own alma mater: King’s College, Aberdeen. Aside from obvious physical differences, it was almost like we were twins separated at birth.”
However, some aspects of Meeks’ story did not add up. Mattson’s time at Aberdeen overlapped with when Meeks claimed to be there, but their paths never crossed, and when Mattson started asking former students and professors if they knew Meeks, they said they did not. Further, Mattson could find no record of Meeks’ doctoral dissertation.
Mattson also uncovered another curiosity. Though Meeks sometimes tweeted multiple times a day, from 2017 to 2019 the account had no activity.
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Mattson did further research and discovered what he thought could be the reason for the gap in his social media postings: In 2017 a “James Meeks” was convicted on July 21, 2017, of a sex crime — “carnal knowledge with a juvenile” — in Louisiana. According to records from the Louisiana State Police, Meeks was “released” on March 8, 2019.
MinistryWatch contacted Meeks to confirm that the “James Meeks” in this report is indeed J. Brandon Meeks. In a telephone interview, Meeks confirmed that it was him. “I was accused and took a plea,” Meeks said. “No admission of guilt. All of that is factual.”
He also confirmed to MinistryWatch that he did not complete his Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Aberdeen.
Since that conversation, Meeks has disabled his X account, and the website of All Saints Anglican Church has taken down some but not all reference to Meeks as “theologian-in-residence.” A September 2024 newsletter still available on the church’s website included this promotion of Meeks’ work: “Did you know that our Resident Theologian, Dr. Brandon Meeks, has a blog? He writes about life, people, religion, and shares whimsical stories that will make you laugh. You can find his work on an app called Substack, or simply Google ‘No Jesuit Tricks.’”
Meeks told MinistryWatch that he was now simply “trying to live a private life” under the authority of his local church’s leadership. He further said, “all videos are coming down” that show him preaching. However, his sermons are still available on the church’s YouTube channel.
MinistryWatch made multiple attempts to reach his church to ask if it knew of Meek’s background before naming him “theologian-in-residence,” but we have so far received no reply.
Meeks’ church is a part of ACNA, the Anglican Church in North America. We reached out to ACNA to learn what, if any, denominational safeguards are in place to prevent such misrepresentation of background and credentials. Neither the church nor ACNA responded to our questions.
Mattson continues to assert that Meeks is “talented” and has “literary gifts,” but that the misrepresentation of academic credentials is not a “victimless offense.”
He continued: “Brandon Meeks gained a great deal of reputational currency with his fraudulent credentials. It went a long way to paving the way for publication in myriad magazines and journals. Brandon Meeks stole prestige and credibility from the University of Aberdeen…and thoroughly disrespected the many who invested great toil to obtain the…Doctor of Philosophy degree from an elite and storied institution founded in 1495.”
He concludes: “My earnest hope and prayer is that Brandon would fully repent, both privately and publicly as appropriate, and seek the path of righteousness and, eventually, restoration.”
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