The Department of Philosophy at the University of Delaware notes with sorrow the passing of Jeff Jordan, long-time Professor of Philosophy, on February 14, 2025, after a three-year battle with cancer. He was 66.

Jeff Jordan was born in 1959 in Wichita, Kansas.  He received a B.A. from Hardin-Simmons University and a post-graduate degree at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary before completing a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Purdue University in 1989.  After a one-year position at the University of Notre Dame, he came to the University of Delaware in 1990.  He was promoted to full professor in 2006 and was, all told, at the University of Delaware for 35 years.

Dr. Jordan’s scholarly work was primarily in the philosophy of religion, with a special focus on pragmatic reasons for belief and on the problem of evil.  He was the author of Pascal’s Wager: Pragmatic Arguments and Belief in God (Oxford 2006), the editor of Gambling on God: Essays on Pascal’s Wager (Rowman and Littlefield 1994) and the co-editor (with Daniel Howard-Snyder) of Faith, Freedom and Rationality: Essays in the Philosophy of Religion (Rowman and Littlefield 1996).  He was the author of more than 50 articles in philosophical journals and volumes.  He was, as well, an active member of the society of Christian Philosophers and the Society for Philosophy of Religion and he served on the editorial boards of Religious Studies and the International Journal for the Philosophy of Religion.

Beyond his scholarly work, Dr. Jordan was a much-beloved teacher, able to command the attention and respect of large lecture classes of many generations of students.  He was a recipient of the University of Delaware’s highest teaching honor—the Excellence in Teaching award.  He also led study-abroad programs in Italy for over a decade.  He was a passionate advocate for strong faculty governance and academic freedom and served as president of the University of Delaware Faculty Senate and for several years, and on the Committee on Faculty Welfare and Privileges.

Outside of his academic roles, Dr. Jordan had a great interest in history and loved the great outdoors, spending many holidays on hikes and exploration of historical sites in the United States and abroad.

He is survived by his wife, Julia Jordan, and a son, Jacob Jordan, in addition to extended family.

A visitation for family and friends will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025, from 5-7 p.m. at Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Home, 121 West Park Place, Newark, Delaware, and a celebration of his life will begin at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025, at White Clay Creek Presbyterian Church, 15 Polly Drummond Hill Road, Newark, Delaware.

To read his complete obituary or leave online condolences, visit Spicer-Mullikin Funeral Homes.