Education
- B.A. Special in Religious Studies, University of Alberta, 1980.
- Teaching Certification in Secondary History and English, University of Victoria, 1983.
- M.A. in Religious Studies, McMaster University, 1986. Thesis: Pauline Mimesis: The Realization of an Ethic. Professor Ben F. Meyer, supervisor; Harry Lyman
- Hooker Fellowship (1984-85; Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1985-86).
- D.A.A.D. Visiting Student, Tübingen, 1989-90.
- Ph.D. in Religious Studies, McMaster University, 1992. Dissertation: A Second Best Voyage: Jesus and Judaism on Oaths and Vows. Professors Ben F. Meyer and Stephen Westerholm, supervisors; Social Science Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship (1986-89) Ontario Graduate Scholarship (1990-91).
Academic Employment
- Assistant Professor of New Testament, Canadian Mennonite Bible College, Winnipeg MB,
- Canada 1991-1993
- Professor of Bible and Religion, Goshen College, Goshen Indiana, 1993-present
- Honors Director, Goshen College, 1998-present
Courses and Programs Taught at Goshen
- Introduction to Biblical Literature
- Knowing the Bible
- Reading the Bible
- Paul and the Early Church
- Hebrew Prophets
- The Fourth Gospel
- The Revelation of John
- Religion Senior Seminar (Narrative Theology)
- Bible Senior Seminar
- An Examination of Feminist Theology
- Asian Religions/Thought
- Introduction to Philosophy
- Women in the Bible
- Biblical Themes of Peace
- GCAP Enduring Issues in Christian Perspectives
- German SST, Jena Summer 1999, 2007
Publications and Papers
- "'Biblical Interpretation: A Praxis of Discipleship?' Jo-Ann Martens responds to Lydia
- Harder," The Conrad Grebel Review 10 (1992) 217-221.
- "The Place of Mimesis in Paul's Thought," Studies in Religion 22 (1993) 285-300.
- Review of Moshe Halbertal and Avishai Margalit, Idolatry, Studies in Religion 22 (1993)
- 385-386.
- "Husband Hunting: Characterization and Narrative Art in the Gospel of John," Biblical
- Interpretation 4 (1996) 205-223.
- "Infelicitous Oaths in the Gospel of Matthew," Journal for the Study of the New
- Testament 63 (1996) 3-20.
- "How We Teach the Bible in the Classroom," The Word Among Us (Goshen: Goshen
- College Pinch Penny Press, 1996) 41-47.
- "Nicodemus, The Myrrh, and Other Oddities in Jesus’ Interment" presented at the
- annual meeting of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies, May 1996, Brock
- University, St. Catherines, Ontario.
- Review of David W. Shenk, Global Gods, Mennonite Quarterly Review 70 (1996)
- pp. 376-78.
- "Jesus' Prohibition Against Swearing and his Philosophy of Language," GC publications on
- the Web, 1997.
- “Is Reading the Gospel of John a Martial Art?” presented May 22, 1997 at “Trust and
- Suspicion: Hermeneutics in a Broken World” a conference hosted by the Institute for Christian Studies, Toronto, Ontario.
- "Hammering Out A Response from One Mennonite's Perspective" in Bible and Ethics of
- Reading, Danna Nolan Fewell and Gary A. Phillips, editors, Semeia 77 (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1997) 285-290.
- “Men in Black Skirts,” MCC Women’s Concerns Report 136 (Jan-Feb 1998) 10-11.
- "Divine Birth and Apparent Parents: The Plot of the Fourth Gospel" in Ancient Fiction and Early Christian Narrative. Ronald R. Hock, J. Bradley Chance and Judith
- Perkins, editors (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1998) 199-218.
- “Jesus Takes the Stage: Dramatic Technique in the Fourth Gospel” presented at the
- Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Orlando 1998.
- “Inheriting a Map without Territory: The Marks of the Church in Scripture,” in Without
- Spot or Wrinkle: Reflecting Theologically on the Nature of the Church,
- Karl Koop and Mary H. Schertz, editors (Elkhart, IN: Institute of Mennonite Studies, 2000) pp. 38-47.
- “The Sword the Stone and the Holy Grail” in Reclaiming the Old Testament: Essays in
- Honour of Waldemar Janzen, edited by Gordon Zerbe (Winnipeg: CMBC
- Publications, 2001) 165-174.
- Review of Swartley, Willard M., ed. Violence Renounced: René Girard, Biblical Studies
- and Peacemaking in The Mennonite Quarterly Review 77 (October, 2001) 536-58.
- Interview, "Salt of the Earth" on To the Best of our Knowledge, Wisconsen Public Radio, Program 02
- 05-05-A, 2002.
- Dialogue and Drama: Elements of Greek Tragedy in the Fourth Gospel (Peabody MA:
- Hendrickson, 2004).
- “Talking the Big Talk: Sounding, Flyting and Vaunting in the Gospel of John,” presented at
- the Annual Meeting of the CSBS, Winnipeg May 30, 2004.
- “Camera as Character in Philip Saville’s “The Gospel of John,” presented at the Annual
- Meeting of the SBL, November 21, 2004.
- “A Sure Thing: Death and Eternal Life in the Gospel of John,” in Vision 5 (2004) 62-65.
- “Mimesis and Dramatic Art in Ezekiel the Tragedians' Exagoge,” in Ancient Fiction: The
- Matrix of Early Christian and Jewish Narrative (edited by Jo-Ann A. Brant, Charles W. Hedrick and Chris Shea; SBL Symposium Series; Atlanta: Scholars
- Press, 2005) 129-147.
- Principal Editor, Ancient Fiction: The Matrix of Early Christian and Jewish Narrative,
- with Charles W. Hedrick and Chris Shea; SBL Symposium Series (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 2005).
- Review of The Art of Reading Scripture by Ellen F. Davis in Conrad Grebel Review 24
- (2006) 105-106.
- Review of Covenant of Peace: The Missing Peace in New Testament Theology and
- Ethics by Willard Swartley in Mennonite Quarterly Review 81 (2007) 470-472.
- “Emotion and Cognition in the Fourth Gospel” presented to the Theology Faculty of the
- University of Århus, Denmark, September 21, 2006.
- “Tragic Dialogue and Comic Sketches in the Fourth Gospel,” presented at the Annual
- Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Washington DC, November 18,
- 2006.
- “Written to Amaze and Astound: The Impact of Greco-Roman Spectacle and Theater on
- Johannine Narrative,” presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical, San Diego, 2007.
- “Agonistic Insults in the Fourth Gospel: Performance, Transgression and Resistance,”
- presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical, San Diego, 2007.
- Forthcoming “The Camera as Character in Philip Saville’s The Gospel of John” in
- Images of the Word: Hollywood's Bible and Beyond edited by David Shepherd
- (Atlanta: Scholars Press, 2008) 149-164.
- Current Research Project: A Commentary on the Gospel of John for the Baker Academic Paideia: Commentaries on the New Testament series, edited by Mikeal C. Parsons and Charles H. Talbert.
Professional Associations, Committee and Volunteer Work
- Goshen Centennial Conference on the Church and Higher Education planning committee (1994-1995)
- Faculty Development Committee 1995-1997.
- Common Experience Committee 1994-1997 Chair 1996-1997
- Dean’s Advisory Committee on General Education 1997-1998
- Dean’s Advisory Committee 1998-99
- Chapel Committee 1996-99
- Search Committee Member, English Professor 1998
- Search Committee Member, Social Work Professor, 1999
- Chair, Bible Religion and Philosophy Department, Goshen College, 1998-01, 2003-04, and Spring 2007
- Honors Director 1998-present
- Planning Committee, Believers Church Conference on John Howard Yoder 2001-02
- Committee to Coordinate Review Process 2002-03
- Search Committee Member for Plowshare’s Director 2002
- Advancing Goshen College and Strategic Planning Committee 2003-05
- Rank and Tenure Committee 2003-present
- Search Committee Member, President of Advancement, 2006
- External Examiner for Kasper Bro Larsen, doctoral dissertation defense, Recognizing the Stranger: Recognition Scenes in the Gospel of John, University of Aarhus, Denmark, September 2006.
- Program Volunteer, Loveway Horseback Riding Center, 1998-2007
- Program Committee SBL Ancient Fiction and Jewish and Christian Literature 1999-present, co-chair 2003- present
- International Education Committee 2007-present
- Member Canadian Society of Biblical Studies 1987-present
- Member Society of Biblical Literature 1992-present
Major Church Presentations and Workshops Since 2002
- 2003
- Atlanta Mennonite Youth Convention “Loving Our Enemies: Radical
- Hospitality” July
- Goshen Bible Institute, “The Fallacy of Redemptive Violence and the
- Film, Gladiator” March 16
- Amigo Snow Camp: Gal 3:28 “In Christ there is neither Jew
- nor Greek, Male nor Female, Master nor Slave,” January 17-19
- 2004
- College Mennonite Church Men’s Bible Study Series on the Gospel of John
- Know Jesus, Junior High Retreat: “Too Cool for Cooties”
- 2005
- Weekend program at Orville Mennonite Church on Jesus in Film
- with a sermon on Philippians 2:6-11, March 19-20
- MSEC Administrators presentation, “A Dialogue on Popular Culture and
- Christian High Schools,” April 1
- Charlotte Mennonite Youth Convention: “There and Back Again: Why Christians
- Read Fantasy Literature” and “Watching Versus Reading the Gospel” July
- 2006
- College Mennonite Church Sermon "A Daughter of Christ not a Diagnosis" May 7
- 2007
- Senior High Snow Camp Friedenswald: “Themes of Self Sacrificial Love in
- Popular Motion Pictures,” January 12-14
- 2008
- CMC Four Part Sunday School Series on Principles of Biblical Interpretation,
- June 22-July 13
-