Education
- Ph.D., Christian Theology (Biblical Studies), McMaster Divinity College, 2019
- M.A., Old Testament & Semitic Languages, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2014
- B.A., Philosophy & Religion (Biblical Studies), Liberty University, 2010
Courses Taught
- Biblical Literature
- Prophetic Books
- Elementary Hebrew
- Biblical Theology
- Psalms and Wisdom Literature
- Pentateuch
Research Interests
- Old Testament
- Creation/Nature Themes
- Awe and Wonder in Spiritual Formation
- Ecology and Environmental Ethics
- Psalms, Prophets, and Wisdom Literature
- Spiritual Disciplines (Sabbath)
- Priestly Kingdom Themes
- Theology of Eating and Food!
Biography
Before joining the School of Theology and Vocation in 2023, I served as a history and Bible teacher in North Carolina and as an author studying natural wonders according to science and Scripture. We are truly wired for wonder! I grew up in Florida but also lived in Virginia, Illinois, Canada, and North Carolina before Texas. Ask me about my visits to Mozambique, Israel, or Iceland sometime. Given my passion for the great outdoors, languages, and the Old Testament, you can be sure that most of my classes will include nature themes, puns, and references to food as God's gift to the world! I get excited about the mission of Jesus to restore us and the entire universe to wholeness! As those who bear the image of the triune God, we are called to find our identity in trusting him and in giving ourselves to his mission, whether in engineering or ecology, computer science or counseling, business or Bible, aviation or accounting! From Spring 2024 through Spring 2026, I served as the university's first Faculty in Residence, a role where I mentored students, spoke at events, and hosted meals and game nights.I am now married to the love of my life, Miranda!
Publications
“It’s a Jungle in Here: Wild Animals, Plants, and Places in the Book of Amos.” In Crossing Borders between the Domestic and the Wild: Space, Fauna, and Flora, edited by Mark J. Boda and Dalit Rom-Shiloni, 9–30. Dictionary of Nature Imagery of the Bible Supplements 1. New York: T. & T. Clark, 2024.
“Priests of Creation, Not Only Ambassadors.” Sapientia: Plundering Eden: A Book Symposium. Henry Center for Theological Understanding, March 26, 2021.
https://henrycenter.tiu.edu/2021/03/priests-of-creation-not-only-ambassadors/.
“Claus Westermann and His Contributions to Biblical Theology and Form Criticism.” In Pillars in the History of Biblical Interpretation, edited by Stanley E. Porter and Zachary K. Dawson. 3:263-84. McMaster Biblical Studies 6. Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2021.
“The Ethos of the Cosmos in Amos: Creation Rhetoric and Character Formation in Old Testament Ethics.” PhD diss., McMaster Divinity College, 2019.
“Heaven Has No Sorrow That Earth Cannot Feel: The Ethics of Empathy and Ecological Suffering in the Old Testament.” Canadian Theological Review 4, no. 2 (2015): 19–34.
“Hearing Hallelujahs at the End of the Septuagint Psalter: Translation Techniques and Norms in Old Greek Psalms 145–150.” MA thesis. Deerfield, IL: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2014. Published by ProQuest.
“The Lord’s Anointed: Covenantal Kingship in Psalm 2 and Acts 4.” Senior honors thesis. Lynchburg, VA: Liberty University, 2010. Published by Digital Commons.
Presentations
“‘You Prepare a Table ... in the Presence of My Enemies’: Food from Eden to the Last Supper.” Chapel Homily for Tenebrae Service. Belcher Center, LeTourneau University, April 1, 2026.
“Body as Temple in Psalm 139: Humans as God’s Royal, Priestly Images.” Paper presented at the Faculty Symposium. Abbott Aviation Center, LeTourneau University, February 17, 2026.
“The Twilight Zone: ‘Ephah’ (עֵיפָה, ‘Evening Dusk’), a Lexical Dilemma in Amos 4:13 and Related Texts.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the SBL. Boston, MA, November 24, 2025.
“Embroidered for the Royal Priesthood: Psalm 139:13–16, Body Image, and the Image of God.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the SBL. Boston, MA, November 22, 2025.
“Creation’s Wonders: The Emotion of Awe in Psychology and Scripture.” Paper presented at the Scripture and Theology Seminar, LeTourneau University, Longview, TX, 21 February 2025.
“The Lion and the Land: Double Agency in the Ecological Mourning Ritual of Amos 1:2.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the SBL, San Diego, CA, 24 November 2024.
“Wormwood and Even Poison Hemlock: The Contribution of Amos 6:12 to Identifying Flora in the Bible.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the SBL, San Diego, CA, 23 November 2024.
“Naturally Awed: The Emotion of Awe in the Sciences and Hebrew Scriptures.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the SBL. Online, 2 December 2020.
“Celebrating Stars and Snow: Psalm 147 as Performative Recovery Strategy for Trauma.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the SBL. San Diego, CA, 23 November 2019.
“Pathos in the Cosmos of Amos: How Creation Rhetoric Shapes the Emotions of Ethical Character in the Old Testament.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the SBL. Denver, CO, 17 November 2018.
“Counting Casualties: Judah’s Population before and after the Neo-Babylonian Empire.” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the SBL. Boston, MA, 19 November 2017.
“Becoming Native to These Places: Glimpses of Ecological and Moral Landscapes in Old Testament Ethics (Gen 1; Ps 104; Ps 74; Amos 4).” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian-American Theological Association (formerly CETA) in conjunction with the Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences of Canada. Toronto, ON, 28 May 2017.
“Biodiversity, Sabbath, and Justice in the Bible: A Response to Hilary Marlow’s Paper on ‘The Earth Our Home.’” Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the IBR. San Antonio, TX, 18 November 2016.
