Stackhouse began teaching at the
International Teams School of World Missions and then
Wheaton College, both in suburban
Chicago, during his doctoral studies. His first full-time position was as an assistant professor of European history at
Northwestern College in
Orange City, Iowa (1987–90). From there, he went to teach Modern Christianity (history, sociology, philosophy, and theology) in the Department of Religion at the
University of Manitoba, in
Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada, rising to the rank of professor in 1997. One year later, he left for
Regent College in Vancouver (1998–2015), where he served as the Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology and Culture at Regent College, in the position formerly held by
J. I. Packer. In 2015, Stackhouse headed east to become the inaugural Samuel J. Mikolaski Professor of Religious Studies at
Crandall University and that university's first Dean of Faculty Development. In 2018 he received that university's Stephen and Ella Steeves Award for Excellence in Research.
Termination for alleged sexual harassment In November 2023, Crandall University announced that it was terminating Stackhouse's employment following a six month independent investigation into allegations that he sexually harassed students. He had faced a similar investigation at Regent College, the year before his departure from that institution. Why he left Regent is shielded by a
non-disclosure agreement. On 8 December 2023, Stackhouse sued Crandall University claiming he was wrongly terminated and that the firing damaged him. In reply, Crandall denies any and all liability to Stackhouse and requests the court dismiss his claim with costs. In an attempt to clear his name, Stackhouse sued CBC for defamation in the amount of $10.35 million in 2023 . Ontario's Superior Court dismissed this defamation suit in lieu of little evidence from the plaintiff. Instead, the defendant, The CBC, reported 'meticulously' and without malice to uncover the truth of these allegations and their findings were deemed founded. Following the suit's dismissal in May 2024, Stackhouse was ordered to pay the CBC $115,000.
Writing Stackhouse appeared on the editorial masthead of
Christianity Today from 1994 until 2018, and served as a contributing editor for
Books & Culture and
Christian History & Biography magazines. He is a former columnist with
Christian Week and the
Winnipeg Free Press, and resumed his column with
Faith Today in 2009. He served as senior advisor to the Centre for Research on Canadian
Evangelicalism from its genesis in 2008 to 2010. He wrote over 200 weekly web columns for "Context: Beyond the Headlines," a Canadian Christian public affairs television program, until 2020. He writes occasionally for the Religion News Service, "Sightings" (produced at the University of Chicago Divinity School). He also serves on the editorial board of the
Anglican Journal in Canada and as a Fellow of the Centre for Public Christianity in Australia. Stackhouse's writing has covered the topics of theology, ethics, the history of Christianity, and both the sociology and philosophy of religion. He has edited four books of academic theology, authored eleven books, and co-authored four more. ==Personal life==