PTS Out and About

Name	Dates(s)	Location	Event Description
John Burgess	Sept. 1, 2018 - May 31, 2019	Belgorod, Russia	Teaching and researching as a Fulbright Scholar at Belgorod State University
Heather Vacek	April 24-26	Bethlehem, Pa.	Attending Moravian Theological Seminary Board meeting
Ron Cole-Turner	April 25	Chicago, Ill.	Giving keynote address on theological anthropology in the context of human enhancement technologies at McCormick Theological Seminary
Hunter Farrell	April 26-28	New Haven, Conn.	Overseas Ministries Study Center
Ron Tappy	April 28	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Teaching on "Archaeology, History, and the Hebrew Bible: What Do the Inscriptions Tell Us? at Rodef Shalom Congregation (#3 of 6)
Steve Tuell	April 28	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Preaching at Hot Metal Bridge Faith Community
Scott Hagley	April 28	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Teaching adult education at Westminster PC (#3 of 3)
Edwin van Driel	May 2	Carnegie, Pa.	Presenting "Resurrection - God Setting Things Aright" for Pittsburgh Presbytery's West Branch Meeting
Ron Tappy	May 5	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Teaching on "Archaeology, History, and the Hebrew Bible: What Do the Inscriptions Tell Us?" at Rodef Shalom Congregation (#4 of 6)
Edwin van Driel	May 5	Scott Township, Pa.	Preaching and presiding at Covenant Community PC
Angela Hancock	May 9-12	Emden, Germany	Presenting a paper at the Internationales Karl-Barth-Symposium: "Barth's Emergency Homiletic in Action: the Kirchenkampf Sermons (1933-1936)"
Leanna Fuller	May 10	Sewickley, Pa.	Leading workshop on family systems at Pittsburgh Pastoral Care Conference
Steve Tuell	May 12	Scott Township, Pa.	Preaching at Covenant-Community PC
Ron Tappy	May 12	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Teaching on "Archaeology, History, and the Hebrew Bible: What Do the Inscriptions Tell Us?" at Rodef Shalom Congregation (#5 of 6)
Ken Woo	May 12	McDonald, Pa.	Preaching at Gladden UPC
Kendra Smith	May 12	Glenshaw, Pa.	Preaching at Glenshaw PC
Ron Cole-Turner	May 13	Butler, Pa.	Lecturing in the evening for the Butler Interfaith Network on "How Genetics Has Transformed Human Evolution: New Findings, New Responses"
Scott Hagley and Karen Rohrer	May 16-17	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Teaching and facilitating the Transformation Fellows Program (for lay leadership) of the Church Planting Initiative
Ron Tappy	May 19	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Teaching on "Archaeology, History, and the Hebrew Bible: What Do the Inscriptions Tell Us?" at Rodef Shalom Congregation (#6 of 6)
Steve Tuell	May 19	New Castle, Pa.	Preaching and teaching at Northminster PC
Edwin van Driel	May 22	Durham, England	Lecturing on "Protestant Theologians and Pauline Exegetes" for the Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University
Edwin van Driel	May 24	Edinburgh, U.K.	Lecturing on "Protestant Theologians and Pauline Exegetes" at New College, University of Edinburgh
Kendra Smith	May 26	Greensburg, Pa.	Preaching at Westminster PC
Edwin van Driel	May 29	Cambridge, England	Lecturing on "Protestant Theologians and Pauline Exegetes" for the Department of Theology, University of Cambridge
Steve Tuell	June 2	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Preaching at Allegheny County Jail
Edwin van Driel	June 8	St. Andrews, U.K.	Lecturing at the 2019 Logos Conference on "Reconciliation: Divine and Human" at University of St. Andrews
Scott Hagley	June 9-11	Toronto, Ontario, Canada	Leading and teaching retreat with Ontario Churches of Christ
Hunter Farrell and Bala Khyllep	June 14-17	South Bend, Ind.	Representing PTS at the American Society of Missiology Board of Directors Annual Meeting
Drew Smith	June 18-28	South Africa	Leading Metro-Urban Institute/World Mission Initiative intercultural learning trip to South Africa
Heather Vacek	June 20-23	Winston-Salem, N.C.	Moravian Women's Conference
Scott Hagley	June 24-28	Cape Town, South Africa	Giving a paper at the International Research Consortium at Stellenbosch University
Edwin van Driel	June 24-28	Cape Town, South Africa	Participating in the International Research Consortium at Stellenbosch University
Hunter Farrell	June 27-29	Erie, Pa.	Attending PC(USA) Ghana Mission Network Meeting
Drew Smith	July 1-5	Nairobi, Kenya	Co-convening and giving the plenary address at the Transatlantic Roundtable on Religion and Race conference at Hekima College
Ron Cole-Turner	July 8-12	Cape Cod, Mass.	Giving keynote address on science and religion at Craigville Colloquy, Craigville Conference Center
Roger Owens	July 14-19	Emory, Va.	Speaking on prayer and spiritual practices for 5-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation at Emory and Henry College
Hunter Farrell	July 19-21	New Wilmington, Pa.	Attending New Wilmington Mission Conference
Ron Tappy	Sept. 15	Monroeville, Pa.	Teaching adult education on "Biblical Stories and Books about Women" (#1 of 4)
Ron Tappy	Sept. 22	Monroeville, Pa.	Teaching adult education on "Biblical Stories and Books about Women" (#2 of 4)
Ron Tappy	Sept. 29	Monroeville, Pa.	Teaching adult education on "Biblical Stories and Books about Women" (#3 of 4)
Jennifer Christmas	Oct. 1	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Presenting at the Allegheny Chapter #1 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology taking place at PTS's Kelso Museum
Ron Tappy	Oct. 6	Monroeville, Pa.	Teaching adult education on "Biblical Stories and Books about Women" (#4 of 4)
Hunter Farrell	Oct. 7-9	Mt. Pleasant, Pa.	Giving keynote address and workshop at Wee Kirk's Northeast USA annual meeting, at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center
Steve Tuell	Oct. 7-9	Mt. Pleasant, Pa.	Keynote speaker and teacher at Wee Kir's Northeast USA annual meeting, at Laurelville Mennonite Church Center
Hunter Farrell	Oct. 9	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Giving Mission Lecture at Westminster PC
Shan Overton	Oct. 28-31	Singapore	Giving main lectures, on "Bridging the Gap: Going Over and Coming Back through Theological Writing," for The Association for Theological Education in Southeast Asia's Seminar for Writers
Edwin van Driel	Nov. 2-3	Meadville, Pa.	Giving keynote address and preaching at Renewal Weekend, First Presbyterian Church

 

Archaeology

• Archaeology of the Ancient Near East/Old Testament World (Tappy)
• Jerusalem and Samaria: Royal Cities of Ancient Israel (Tappy)
• The Samaria Ostraca (Tappy)
• Tel Zayit: A Biblical Village in the Foothills of Judah (Tappy)
• The Tell Dan Inscription and the House of David (Tappy)

Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Exegesis

• Aramaic (Tuell)
• Biblical Hebrew and Exegesis (Creach, Tappy, Tuell)
• New Testament Greek and Exegesis (Ferda)
• Northwest Semitic Languages (Tappy, Creach)
• Ugaritic (Tuell)

Biblical Backgrounds

• Biblical Archaeology (Tappy)
• Biblical Literature of the Early Persian Period (esp. Ezekiel, Chronicles) (Tuell)
• Dead Sea Scrolls (Ferda)
• Extrabiblical Texts and What They Tell Us about Biblical Israel (Tappy)
• Hellenistic Jewish Literature (Humphrey, Ferda)
• Historical Geography of the Holy Land (Tappy)
• History of the Ancient Near East (Tappy)
• History of the Religions of Israel (Tappy)
• Jerusalem and Samaria: Royal Cities of Ancient Israel (Tappy)
• Kinship and Covenant in the Biblical World (Tappy)
• The Tel Zayit Abecedary and the Origins of the Alphabet (Tappy)

Christian History

• Asian-American History and Theological Perspectives (Woo)
• Book of Acts (Esterline, Humphrey, Ferda)
• Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
• Christianity in America (Vacek)
• Church Architecture (D. Davenport)
• Church History (Burgess)
• The Early Church/Church Fathers (Burgess, Humphrey, Ferda)
• Evangelicalism in North America (Hagley)
• Graphic Novels in American Christianity (D. Davenport)
• Gnosticism and the Church Fathers (Humphrey)
• History of Biblical Interpretation (Woo, Ferda)
• History of Christianity from Late Antiquity to the Present (Woo)
• History of Christian Mission (Hagley)
• History of the Christian Tradition (Vacek)
• History of Presbyterian Mission (Farrell)
• Irenaeus (Humphrey)
• John Calvin and Civil Disobedience (Hancock)
• History of Protestants and Mental Illness in America (Vacek)
• Protestant-Catholic Tensions in Early America (D. Davenport)
• Pulpit, Politics, and Pathos: Protestant Rhetoric and the National Socialist Revolution (Hancock)
• Reformation History (Woo)
• Twentieth-century American Protestantism (Vacek)
• Worship in the Bible and the History of the Church (Humphrey)

Christian Leadership

• Adaptive and Missional Leadership (Owens)
• Church Planting and Revitalization (Rohrer)
• Congregational Discernment (Owens)
• Congregational Mission and Leadership (Farrell, Hagley, Khyllep)
• Continuing Education for Christian Leaders (Blier, Esterline)
• Leading Bible Studies (Chakoian, Ferda)
• Motivating Congregations for Mission (Hagley)
• Nurturing Missional Mindset through Global Worship Music (K. Smith)
• Spiritual Formation (Owens, Ferda)
• Spirituality for Christian Leadership (Owens)
• Stewardship (Chakoian, Cranston)
• Teaching through Sacred Music (E. Davenport, K. Smith)

Christian Ministry

• Adult/Young Adult Ministry (Blier)
• Death, Dying, and Grief (Fuller)
• History of Protestants and Mental Illness in America (Vacek)
• Mental Health (E. Davenport)
• Older Adult Ministry (E. Davenport)
• Sharing the Good News (Hagley)
• Social Work (E. Davenport)
• Theologies of Disability and Suffering (Vacek)
• Youth Ministry (Hagley, Blier, D. Davenport, E. Davenport)

The Church and Contemporary Churches

• African-American Churches (D. Smith)
• Adaptive and Missional Leadership (Owens)
• Children and Youth in Worship (E. Davenport)
• Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
• Church Planting and Revitalization (Rohrer)
• Church and Politics in Russia and Ukraine (Burgess)
• Church Unity and Division: How to Think Faithfully (Burgess, Chakoian)
• The Church around the World (Esterline)
• The Church in Africa (D. Smith, Farrell)
• Churches in the African Diaspora (D. Smith)
• Churches and Social and Demographic Change (D. Smith)
• Conflict in Congregations (Fuller, Chakoian)
• Congregational Discernment (Owens)
• Family Systems Theory and Congregational Life (Fuller)
• Global and Ecumenical Theological Education (Esterline)
• The Missional Church: Its Identity (Hagley)
• Safe Church Practices (E. Davenport)
• Urban Churches (D. Smith, Owens, Gonxhe)
• What It Means to “Be” Church (van Driel)
• When Faithful People Disagree: Deliberation as a Christian Practice (Hancock, Chakoian)

Faith and Science

• Christianity and Human Origins in the Light of Evolutionary Biology (Cole-Turner)
• Creation in Scripture (Tuell)
• Science and Theology: Their Relationship (Tuell)
• Transhumanism: Living as a Christian in an Age of Human Enhancement (Cole-Turner)
• What Christians Can Learn from Science (Cole-Turner)

Global and International Issues

• Addressing Socio-cultural Systems of Injustice (Gonxhe)
• Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
• Christianity and African Traditional Religions (Farrell, Gonxhe)
• Christianity and U.S. Foreign Policy (D. Smith)
• Church and Politics in Russia and Ukraine (Burgess)
• The Church around the World (Esterline)
• The Church in Africa (D. Smith, Farrell)
• Churches in the African Diaspora (D. Smith)
• The Church in Latin America (Farrell)
• Cross-cultural Conflict (Farrell)
• Global and Ecumenical Theological Education (Esterline)
• Global Gender Justice (Gonxhe, Riggle Young)
• Human Trafficking (Gonxhe)
• Preaching in a Global Context (Khyllep)
• Religion and Social Movements (D. Smith, Riggle Young)
• World Mission and Justice (Farrell, Khyllep)

Mission

• Adaptive and Missional Leadership (Owens)
• Anthropological Tools for Cross-cultural Mission (Farrell)
• Christian Mission (Hagley)
• Church Planting (Hagley)
• Congregational Mission and Leadership (Farrell, Hagley, Khyllep)
• Cross-cultural Theological Education (Esterline)
• Cultural Proficiency (Farrell)
• Evangelism, Compassion, and Justice in Mission (Farrell)
• Gospel and Cultures (Hagley)
• Living Missionally (Hagley)
• Nurturing Missional Mindset through Global Worship Music (K. Smith)
• Presbyterian Mission (Farrell)
• Short-term Mission (Hagley, Farrell, Khyllep)
• World Mission (Farrell, Hagley)
• World Mission and Justice (Farrell, Khyllep)

New Testament Themes

• Book of Acts (Esterline, Humphrey, Ferda)
• Book of Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature (Humphrey)
• Discipleship in the New Testament (Ferda)
• First Corinthians (Esterline)
• Gospel of Luke (Esterline, Ferda)
• Gospel of Matthew (Ferda)
• Gospels and the Life of Jesus (Humphrey, Ferda)
• The Old Testament in the New (Ferda)
• Provocative Parables of Jesus (Hancock)
• Reading Mark as Story (Ferda)
• Writings of John (Humphrey)

Old Testament Themes

• The Battle of Lachish and the Theology of Jerusalem (Tappy)
• Biblical Literature of the Persian Period (Tuell)
• Book of Psalms (Creach)
• Ezekiel and the Minor Prophets (Tuell)
• Genesis and the Moral Imagination (Creach)
• Jacob, Esau, and Binding Kinship Ties (Tappy)
• Life and Times of Amos the Prophet (Tappy)
• Old Testament Ethics (Creach)
• Old Testament Historical Books (Tappy)
• The Old Testament in the New (Ferda)
• Old Testament Prophets (Creach, Tuell)
• Prophecy and Priesthood (Tuell)
• Psalm 23 and the Psalms of Trust (Tappy)
• The Ten Commandments for Today (Burgess)
• Violence in the Bible (Creach)
• Wisdom Literature (Creach)
• The Worship, Faith, and Temple Ideology of Ancient Israel (Tuell)

Practical Christian Living

• The Bath: Living into Your Baptism (Hancock)
• Christian Counseling (E. Davenport)
• Christianity, Race, and Class (D. Smith, Welch)
• Cultivating Scriptural Imagination (Ferda)
• Faith and Public Life (D. Smith)
• How to Listen to a Sermon (Hancock)
• How to Read the Bible (Tuell, Ferda)
• Leading Bible Studies (Chakoian, Ferda)
• Living Missionally (Hagley)
• Memory, Memorization, and Memory Tricks (D. Davenport)
• Practical Theodicy: What Do Christians Do when Bad Things Happen? (Hancock)
• Praying the Psalms (Hancock)
• Safe Church Practices (E. Davenport)
• Sanctity of Human Life (Humphrey)
• Sexuality and the Church (Humphrey)
• Sharing the Good News (Hagley)
• Social Work (E. Davenport)
• Spiritual Formation (Owens, Ferda)
• Stewardship (Chakoian, Cranston)
• The Ten Commandments for Today (Burgess)
• Vocational Discernment (Blier, D. Davenport)

Prayer

• Corporate Prayer (K. Smith)
• Liturgical Prayer (K. Smith)
• Prayer (Owens)
• Prayer in the Trinity (Cole-Turner)
• Praying the Psalms (Hancock)

Reformation Studies

• Anatomy of Grace (Hancock)
• Basics of Reformed Theology (Burgess)
• John Calvin and Civil Disobedience (Hancock)
• John Calvin and the Reformed Tradition (Woo)
• Karl Barth and the Practice of Biblical Interpretation (Hancock)
• Reformation History (Vacek, Woo)
• Reformed Spirituality (Cole-Turner)

Religions and Religious Traditions

• Christianity and African Traditional Religions (Farrell, Gonxhe)
• Christianity and Other Religions (Burgess)
• Doctrine of the Church (Humphrey)
• Evangelicalism in North America (Hagley)
• Gospel and Cultures (Hagley)
• History of the Christian Tradition (Vacek)
• History of the Religions of Israel (Tappy)
• John Calvin and the Reformed Tradition (Woo)
• Mythologies and Comparative Religions of the Ancient Near East (Tuell)
• Religion of Ancient Israel (Tuell)
• Russian Orthodox Church (Burgess)
• Scriptures and Tradition (Humphrey)
• Wesleyan Tradition (Morse)
• What Protestants Can Learn from Eastern Orthodox Tradition (Burgess)
• World Religions (Hagley, Ferda)

Social Issues

• Christianity, Race, and Class (D. Smith, Welch, Riggle Young)
• Christianity and U.S. Foreign Policy (D. Smith)
• Educational Diversity (Esterline, Riggle Young)
• Ethnicity and Race Relations (Welch)
• History of Christianity and Politics in America (Vacek)
• Human Trafficking (Gonxhe)
• Mental Health (E. Davenport)
• Pulpit, Politics, and Pathos: Protestant Rhetoric and the National Socialist Revolution (Hancock)
• Religion and Public Life (D. Smith)
• Religion and Social Movements (D. Smith, Riggle Young)
• Social Work (E. Davenport)
• Sociology of Urban Religion (D. Smith)
• Urban Churches (D. Smith, Gonxhe)
• When Faithful People Disagree: Deliberation as a Christian Practice (Hancock, Chakoian)
• Youth Culture (D. Davenport, E. Davenport)

Social Justice

• Addressing Socio-cultural Systems of Injustice (Gonxhe, Riggle Young)
• Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
• Global Gender Justice (Gonxhe, Riggle Young)
• Justice for the Poor and Marginalized (Gonxhe, Riggle Young)
• Old Testament Prophets and the Call for Justice (Creach)
• Race, Racism, and White Privilege in the United States (Esterline, Welch)
• Social Justice and Social Work (E. Davenport)
• Social Justice and the Teachings of Jesus (Ferda)
• Violence against Women and Girls (Gonxhe, Riggle Young)
• World Mission and Justice (Farrell, Khyllep)

Spirituality

• Christian Spirituality (Owens)
• Discipleship in the New Testament (Ferda)
• False Self and True Self in Christian Spirituality (Owens)
• Prayer (Owens)
• Reformed Spirituality (Cole-Turner)
• Spiritual Formation (Owens, Ferda)
• Spirituality for Christian Leadership (Owens)
• Spirituality and the Holy Trinity (Humphrey)

Theological Education

• Continuing Education for Christian Leaders (Esterline, Blier)
• Cross-cultural Theological Education (Esterline)
• Global and Ecumenical Theological Education (Esterline)
• Theological Education for Adults/Young Adults (Blier)
• Theological Education for Youth (Hagley, D. Davenport, E. Davenport)

Theological Themes

• Asian-American History and Theological Perspectives (Woo)
• Biblical Interpretation/Hermeneutics (Hancock, Ferda)
• Biblical Theology (Humphrey, Ferda)
• Black Theology (Riggle Young)
• C. S. Lewis and Theology (Humphrey)
• Christ and the Incarnation (van Driel)
• Ecclesiology and What It Means to “Be” Church (van Driel)
• Eschatology (van Driel, Ferda, K. Smith)
• Feminist Theology (Riggle Young)
• History of Biblical Interpretation (Woo, Ferda)
• The Idea of Scripture in Ancient Israel (Tuell)
• Liberation Theology (Farrell, Riggle Young)
• Practical Theodicy: What Do Christians Do when Bad Things Happen? (Hancock)
• Prayer in the Trinity: Recovering a Theology of Prayer (Cole-Turner)
• Reformation Theology (Woo)
• The Significance of the Hebrew Bible as Scripture for Christians and Jews (Tuell)
• Theologies of Disability and Suffering (Vacek)

Worship

• Artistic Languages of Worship (Hancock)
• Baptism and the Lord’s Supper (Hancock)
• Children and Youth in Worship (E. Davenport)
• Christian Worship and the Sacraments (Burgess)
• Church Planting and Revitalization (Rohrer)
• Congregational Song (van Driel, K. Smith)
• Exploring Christian Worship (Hancock, K. Smith)
• How to Listen to a Sermon (Hancock)
• Nurturing Missional Mindset through Global Worship Music (K. Smith)
• Prayer (Cole-Turner, Hancock, Owens, K. Smith)
• Taizé-style Worship (K. Smith)
• Worship in the Bible and the History of the Church (Humphrey)

Youth Focus

• Children and Youth in Worship (E. Davenport)
• Mentoring (D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
• Theological Education for Youth (Hagley, D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
• Violence against Women and Girls (Gonxhe)
• Youth Culture (D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
• Youth Ministry (Blier, Hagley, D. Davenport, E. Davenport)

Helen Blier
Director of Continuing Education
hblier@pts.edu
412-924-1346

Cathy Brall
Director of Field Education
cbrall@pts.edu
412-924-1404

John P. Burgess
James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology
jburgess@pts.edu
412-924-1430

Christine Chakoian
Vice President for Seminary Advancement
cchakoian@pts.edu
412-924-1422

Jennifer Christmas
Associate Curator of the Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology
jechristmas@pts.edu
412-924-1394

Ronald Cole-Turner
H. Parker Sharp Professor of Theology and Ethics
coleturn@pts.edu
412-924-1426

Jerome F. D. Creach
Robert C. Holland Professor of Old Testament
jcreach@pts.edu
412-924-1428

Derek Davenport
Director of the Miller Summer Youth Institute
ddavenport@pts.edu
412-924-1385

Erin Davenport
Director of the Miller Summer Youth Institute
edavenport@pts.edu

David Esterline
President, Professor of Cross-cultural Theological Education
desterline@pts.edu
412-924-1366

Hunter Farrell
Director of the World Mission Initiative
hfarrell@pts.edu
412-924-1402

Leanna K. Fuller
Associate Professor of Pastoral Care
lfuller@pts.edu
412-924-1459

Kimberly Gonxhe
Director of the Metro-Urban Institute
kgonxhe@pts.edu
412-924-1368

Scott J. Hagley
Assistant Professor of Missiology
shagley@pts.edu
412-924-1399

Angela Dienhart Hancock
Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship
ahancock@pts.edu
412-924-1451

Edith M. Humphrey
William F. Orr Professor of New Testament
ehumphrey@pts.edu
412-924-1424

Bala Khyllep
Associate Director of the World Mission Initiative
bkhyllep@pts.edu
412-924-1364

L. Roger Owens
Associate Professor of Christian Spirituality and Ministry
lowens@pts.edu
412-924-1458

Tracy Riggle Young
Director of Enrollment and Retention
triggleyoung@pts.edu
412-924-1423

Karen Rohrer
Director of the Church Planting Initiative
krohrer@pts.edu
412-924-1412

Kendra Buckwalter Smith
Director of the Worship Program
ksmith@pts.edu
412-924-1419

R. Drew Smith
Professor of Urban Ministry
rsmith@pts.edu
412-924-1457

Michelle Spomer
Donald G. Miller Librarian and Director of the Clifford E. Barbour Library
mspomer@pts.edu
412-924-1408

Ron E. Tappy
G. Albert Shoemaker Professor of Bible and Archaeology
rtappy@pts.edu
412-924-1427

Steven Tuell
James A. Kelso Professor of Hebrew and Old Testament
stuell@pts.edu
412-924-1407

Heather Vacek
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty and Associate Professor of Church History
hvacek@pts.edu
412-924-1453

Edwin Chr. van Driel
Directors' Bicentennial Associate Professor of Theology
evandriel@pts.edu
412-924-1425

Kenneth Woo
Assistant Professor of Church History
kwoo@pts.edu
412-924-1350