Dennis graduated in 1991 from Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, with a Bachelor of Arts in theology. He earned a Master of Divinity in 2000 from Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Dennis has taught at the University of South Carolina Upstate since 2012. He has also taught at the University of North Carolina Asheville, Gaston College, Gardner Webb University and Belmont Abbey College. Dennis' fields of interest include Islamic theology and history, theology of religion, interreligious dialogue and relations, American religious history, and the New Testament. Dennis has taught various courses at USC Upstate, including Comparative Religion, The Future of Faith in America and Satan in America.