Philip O. Hopkins is a professor of missions and chair of the Missions and Intercultural Studies Department at Gateway Seminary. He earned Ph.D. in applied theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (Wake Forest, North Carolina) and a second Ph.D. in Iranian history from the University of St. Andrews (Scotland). Along with his appointment at Gateway Seminary, He is also the associate editor of the IRAN: Journal of the British Institute of Persian Studies. Prior to coming to Gateway, he taught at Southeastern Seminary and Southwestern Seminary and was research associate for the Centre of World Christianity at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He has published with Brill, Palgrave Macmillan, Broadman and Holman, and others.

Since the spontaneous candle light vigil in Tehran, Iran, right after 9/11, Hopkins has worked to develop connections with Iranians to promote dialogue on substantive issues related to culture, history, philosophy and religion. His research focuses on the history of Christianity in Iran during and after the Pahlavi era, specifically on ethnic Christian communities in Iran (mainly Armenians and Assyrians), ideology and nationalism among Christians in Iran, and perceptions of Western Christian missions by Iranians. With the rise of American influence during the latter half of the twentieth century, he has a keen interest in American Christian missionary activity in Iran.