Invite Speakers to Address These Topics
Archaeology
- Archaeology of the Ancient Near East/Old Testament World (Tappy)
- Biblical Archaeology (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)
- Contextual Biblical Hermeneutics (Kaalund)
- 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 (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, Ferda)
- Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
- Christianity in America (Vacek)
- Christianity from Late Antiquity to Present (Woo)
- Church Architecture (D. Davenport)
- Church History (Burgess)
- Early Christianity (Kaalund)
- The Early Church/Church Fathers (Burgess, Ferda)
- Evangelicalism in North America (Hagley)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
- Graphic Novels in American Christianity (D. Davenport)
- History of Biblical Interpretation (Woo, Ferda)
- History of Christian Mission (Hagley)
- History of the Christian Tradition (Vacek)
- History of Presbyterian Mission (Farrell)
- John Calvin and Civil Disobedience (Hancock)
- Protestant Rhetoric and the National Socialist Revolution (Hancock)
- Protestant-Catholic Tensions in Early America (D. Davenport)
- Protestants and Mental Illness in America (Vacek)
- Quest for the Historical Jesus (Ferda)
- Reformation History (Woo)
- Twentieth-century American Protestantism (Vacek)
Christian Leadership
- Adaptive and Missional Leadership (Owens)
- Church Planting and Revitalization (Rohrer, Teter)
- Congregational Discernment (Owens)
- Congregational Mission and Leadership (Farrell, Hagley, Khyllep)
- Continuing Education for Christian Leaders (Blier, Esterline)
- Creative Liturgy (Fischer)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
- Leader as Educator (Blier)
- Leading Bible Studies (Ferda)
- Motivating Congregations for Mission (Hagley)
- Nurturing Missional Mindset through Global Worship Music (K. Smith)
- Small-Church Dynamics (Brall)
- Spiritual Formation (Owens, Teter)
- Spirituality for Christian Leadership (Owens)
- Stewardship (Fischer, Cranston, Teter)
- Teaching through Sacred Music (E. Davenport, K. Smith)
Christian Ministry
- Adult/Young Adult Ministry (Blier)
- Christian Education and Faith Formation (Blier)
- College Ministry/Chaplaincy (Overton)
- Death, Dying, and Grief (Fuller)
- History of Protestants and Mental Illness in America (Vacek)
- Mental Health (E. Davenport)
- Older Adult Ministry (E. Davenport)
- Religious Education for Imagination (Blier)
- 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, Fischer)
- Adaptive and Missional Leadership (Owens)
- Children and Youth in Worship (E. Davenport)
- Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
- Church Leadership (Thorpe)
- Church Planting and Revitalization (Rohrer, Teter)
- Church and Politics in Russia and Ukraine (Burgess)
- Church Unity and Division: How to Think Faithfully (Burgess)
- 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)
- Congregational Discernment (Owens)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
- 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)
- What It Means to “Be” Church (van Driel)
- When Faithful People Disagree: Deliberation as a Christian Practice (Hancock)
Faith and Science
- Christian Learning from Science (Cole-Turner)
- 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)
Global and International Issues
- Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
- Christianity and African Traditional Religions (Farrell)
- 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)
- The Church in Latin America (Farrell)
- Churches in the African Diaspora (D. Smith)
- Cross-cultural Conflict (Farrell)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
- Global and Ecumenical Theological Education (Esterline)
- Global Gender Justice (Riggle Young)
- 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, Rohrer)
- Congregational Mission and Leadership (Farrell, Hagley, Khyllep)
- Cross-cultural Theological Education (Esterline)
- Cultural Proficiency (Farrell)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
- 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
- Book of Acts (Esterline, Ferda)
- Contemporary Uses of the New Testament (Kaalund)
- Discipleship in the New Testament (Ferda)
- First Corinthians (Esterline)
- Gospel of Luke (Esterline, Ferda)
- Gospel of Mark (Ferda)
- Gospel of Matthew (Ferda)
- Gospels and the Life of Jesus (Ferda)
- History of New Testament Scholarship (Ferda)
- The Letter to the Hebrews (Kaalund)
- Life and Thought of Paul (Ferda)
- The Old Testament in the New (Ferda)
- Provocative Parables of Jesus (Hancock)
- Writings of John (Ferda)
Old Testament
- The Battle of Lachish and the Theology of Jerusalem (Tappy)
- Biblical Literature of the Persian Period (Tuell)
- The Book of the Twelve (Minor Prophets) (Tuell)
- Book of Psalms (Creach)
- Chronicles (Tuell)
- Daniel and Apocalypse (Tuell)
- Ezekiel (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)
- Women in the Bible (Tappy)
- The Worship, Faith, and Temple Ideology of Ancient Israel (Tuell)
Practical Christian Living
- The Bath: Living into Your Baptism (Hancock)
- Christian Counseling (E. Davenport, Teter)
- Christianity, Race, and Class (D. Smith, Fischer)
- Cultivating Scriptural Imagination (Ferda)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
- Faith and Public Life (D. Smith)
- How to Listen to a Sermon (Hancock)
- How to Pray (Burgess)
- How to Read the Bible (Burgess, Tuell, Ferda)
- Leading Bible Studies (Ferda)
- Living Missionally (Hagley)
- Memory, Memorization, and Memory Tricks (D. Davenport)
- Practical Theodicy: What Do Christians Do when Bad Things Happen? (Hancock)
- Practical Theology (Thorpe, Overton)
- Praying the Psalms (Hancock)
- Public Theology (Overton)
- Safe Church Practices (E. Davenport)
- Sharing the Good News (Hagley)
- Social Work (E. Davenport)
- Spiritual Formation (Owens, Teter)
- Stewardship (Cranston, Teter)
- The Ten Commandments for Today (Burgess)
- Vocational Discernment and Call (Thorpe, Blier, D. Davenport, Teter)
Prayer
- Corporate Prayer (K. Smith)
- How to Pray and Read the Bible (Burgess)
- 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 Biblical Interpretation (Hancock)
- Reformation History (Vacek, Woo)
- Reformed Spirituality (Cole-Turner)
- Theology of Martin Luther (Woo)
Religions and Religious Traditions
- Anglican and Episcopal Church Tradition (Fischer)
- Christianity and African Traditional Religions (Farrell)
- Christianity and Other Religions (Burgess)
- 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)
- Lithuanian Church Practices (Thorpe)
- Mythologies and Comparative Religions of the Ancient Near East (Tuell)
- Religion of Ancient Israel (Tuell)
- Religious Identity Formation (Kaalund)
- Russian Orthodox Church (Burgess)
- What Protestants Can Learn from Eastern Orthodox Tradition (Burgess)
- World Religions (Hagley, Ferda)
Social Issues
- Christianity, Race, and Class (D. Smithf)
- Christianity and U.S. Foreign Policy (D. Smith)
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
- Educational Diversity (Esterline, Riggle Young)
- History of Christianity and Politics in America (Vacek)
- Mental Health (E. Davenport)
- Pulpit, Politics, and Pathos: Protestant Rhetoric and the National Socialist Revolution (Hancock)
- Race and Church (Thorpe)
- 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)
- When Faithful People Disagree: Deliberation as a Christian Practice (Hancock)
- Youth Culture (D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
Social Justice
- Addressing Socio-cultural Systems of Injustice (Riggle Young)
- Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
- Global Gender Justice (Riggle Young)
- Justice for the Poor and Marginalized (Riggle Young)
- Mediation (Thorpe)
- Old Testament Prophets and the Call for Justice (Creach)
- Race, Racism, and White Privilege in the U.S. (Esterline, Teter)
- Social Justice and Social Work (E. Davenport)
- Social Justice and the Teachings of Jesus (Ferda)
- Violence against Women and Girls (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)
- Lectio Divina (Overton)
- Prayer (Owens)
- Reformed Spirituality (Cole-Turner)
- Spiritual Formation (Lee, Owens, Teter)
- Spirituality for Christian Leadership (Owens)
- Spirituality in Midlife (Owens)
- Writing and Spirituality (Overton)
Theological Education
- Biblical and Theological Library Research Methods (Spomer)
- Contemporary Theological Education in North America (Esterline, Vacek)
- Continuing Education for Christian Leaders (Esterline, Blier)
- Cross-cultural Theological Education (Esterline)
- Global and Ecumenical Theological Education (Esterline)
- Leadership in Theologial Eduction (Lee)
- Theological Education for Adults/Young Adults (Blier, Overton)
- Theological Education for Youth (Hagley, D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
Theology
- African American Contextual Theology (Lee)
- Anglican Theology (Fischer)
- Asian-American History and Theological Perspectives (Woo)
- Biblical Interpretation/Hermeneutics (Hancock, Ferda)
- Biblical Theology (Ferda)
- Black Feminist Theology (Overton)
- Black Theology (Riggle Young)
- Christ and the Incarnation (van Driel)
- Ecclesiology and What It Means to “Be” Church (van Driel)
- Eschatology (van Driel, Ferda, K. Smith)
- Feminist Theology (Overton, 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)
- Practical Theology (Thorpe, Overton)
- Prayer in the Trinity: Recovering a Theology of Prayer (Cole-Turner)
- Public Theology (Overton)
- Reformation Theology (Woo)
- The Significance of the Hebrew Bible as Scripture for Christians and Jews (Tuell)
- Theological (and Creative) Writing (Overton)
- Theology of Disability (Vacek)
- Theology of Martin Luther (Woo)
- Theology of 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, Fischer)
- Church Planting and Revitalization (Rohrer, Teter)
- Congregational Song (van Driel, K. Smith)
- Creative Liturgy (Fischer)
- Exploring Christian Worship (Hancock, K. Smith)
- How to Listen to a Sermon (Hancock)
- Nurturing Missional Mindset through Global Worship Music (K. Smith)
- Preaching (Lee)
- Preaching in a Global Context (Khyllep)
- Prayer (Cole-Turner, Hancock, Owens, K. Smith)
- Taizé-style Worship (K. Smith)
Youth Focus
- Children and Youth in Worship (E. Davenport)
- Mentoring (D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
- Theological Education for Youth (Hagley, D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
- Youth Culture (D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
- Youth Ministry (Blier, Hagley, D. Davenport, E. Davenport)
Speaker Contact Information
Helen Blier
Director of Continuing Education
hblier@pts.edu
412-924-1346
John P. Burgess
James Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology
jburgess@pts.edu
412-924-1430
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 Emeritus 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
Carolyn Cranston
Director of Alumnae/i and Church Relations
ccranston@pts.edu
412-924-1375
Derek Davenport
Director of the Miller Summer Youth Institute and Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects
ddavenport@pts.edu
412-924-1385
Erin Davenport
Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects and the Miller Summer Youth Institute
edavenport@pts.edu
412-924-1443
David Esterline
Presiden Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Cross-cultural Theological Education
desterline@pts.edu
Hunter Farrell
Director of the World Mission Initiative
hfarrell@pts.edu
412-924-1402
Tucker Ferda
Associate Professor of New Testament
tferda@pts.edu
412-924-1391
Charles L. Fischer III
Vice President for Seminary Advancement
cfischer@pts.edu
412-924-1362
Leanna K. Fuller
Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care
lfuller@pts.edu
412-924-1459
Scott J. Hagley
Associate Professor of Missiology
shagley@pts.edu
412-924-1399
Angela Dienhart Hancock
Associate Professor of Homiletics and Worship
ahancock@pts.edu
412-924-1451
Jennifer Kaalund
Associate Professor of New Testatment
jkaalund@pts.edu
412-924-1386
Bala Khyllep
Associate Director of the World Mission Initiative
bkhyllep@pts.edu
412-924-1364
Asa J. Lee
President and Professor of Theological Formation for Ministry
alee@pts.edu
412-924-1366
Mary O'Shan (Shan) Overton
Director of the Center for Writing and Learning Support
moverton@pts.edu
412-924-1454
L. Roger Owens
Professor of Christian Spirituality and Ministry
lowens@pts.edu
412-924-1458
Tracy Riggle Young
Senior Director of Enrollment Services
triggleyoung@pts.edu
412-924-1423
Karen Rohrer
Director of the Center for Adaptive and Innovative Ministry
krohrer@pts.edu
412-924-1412
Kendra Buckwalter Smith
Coordinator of the Worship Program
ksmith@pts.edu
412-924-1419
R. Drew Smith
Professor of Urban Ministry and Director of the Metro-Urban Institute
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 Emeritus of Bible and Archaeology and Director of The Zeitah Excavations
rtappy@pts.edu
412-924-1427
Ayana Teter
Associate Dean for Students and Formation
ateter@pts.edu
412-924-1398
Denise Thorpe
Interim Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program
dthorpe@pts.edu
412-924-1421
Steven Tuell
James A. Kelso Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Old Testament
stuell@pts.edu
412-924-1407
Heather Vacek
Associate Professor of Church History
hvacek@pts.edu
412-924-1453
Edwin Chr. van Driel
Directors' Bicentennial Professor of Theology
evandriel@pts.edu
412-924-1425
Kenneth Woo
Assistant Professor of Church History
kwoo@pts.edu
412-924-1350
