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

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

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