PTS Out and About

Name	Dates(s)	Location	Event Description
Charles Fischer	Originally March 27 - tentatively rescheduled for June	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Representing PTS at the 12th Annual Inclusive Voices program
Ayana Teter	April 1	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Speaking for Lent at Eastminster PC
Ken Woo	April 19	McDonald, Pa.	Preaching at Gladden UPC
Heather Vacek	Originally April 23-26 - is being rescheduled	Wautoma, Wisc.	Speaking at the Moravian Church Northern Province: Western District Synod, Mt. Morris Camp and Conference Center
Ken Woo	April 26	Noblestown, Pa.	Preaching at Noblestown UPC
Edwin van Driel	May 17	Murrysville, Pa.	Preaching at Newlonsburg PC
Steve Tuell	May 18-20	Ludlow, Pa.	Teaching on the Prophets for the Western PA Annual Conference Pastor's Academy at Olmsted Manor Retreat Center
Ken Woo	May 31	Noblestown, Pa.	Preaching at Noblestown UPC
Hunter Farrell	June 5-15	Lima and Huancayo, Peru	Leading World Mission Initiative Intercultural Trip
Bala Khyllep	June 14	Mt. Lebanon, Pa.	Preaching at Sunset Hills PC
Hunter Farrell and Bala Khyllep	June 18-21	South Bend, Ind.	Representing PTS at the American Society of Missiology Annual Meeting at St. Mary's College
David Esterline	June 21-23	Baltimore, Md.	Representing PTS at the PCUSA's 224th General Assembly
Heather Vacek	June 23-25	Vancouver, B.C., Canada	Presenting "Curriculum Development as Faculty Development" at the Association of Theological Schools Chief Academic Officers Meeting and the ATS/COA Biennial Meeting
David Esterline	June 24-25	Vancouver, B.C., Canada	Representing PTS at the Association of Theological Schools' Biennial Meeting
Ken Woo	July 28	Noblestown, Pa.	Preaching at Noblestown UPC
Hunter Farrell	Aug. 3-10	Guatemala City, Guatemala	Teaching mission leaders at the Central American Center for Pastoral Studies
Steve Tuell	Aug. 14-16	Monroeville, Pa.	United Methodist Church Retreat: "Grace, Sweet Grace!"
Angela Hancock	Aug. 27	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Speaking on political deliberation in the church at Pittsburgh Presbytery's West Branch gathering (#3 of 4)
Ken Woo	Aug. 30	Noblestown, Pa.	Preaching at Noblestown UPC
Jim Downey	Oct. 20-22	Durham, N.C.	Representing PTS at the Fellowship Gathering
David Esterline	Oct. 18-22	Jakarta, Indonesia	Representing PTS at the conference on doctoral theological education at Jakarta Theological Seminary
Hunter Farrell	Oct. TBD	Chicago, Ill.	Representing PTS at the U.S. Catholic Mission Association
Heather Vacek	Nov. 6	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Representing PTS and giving the benediction at the Pittsburgh Prayer Breakfast
Hunter Farrell	Nov. 6-7	Maryknoll, N.Y.	Representing PTS at the American Society of Missiology, Eastern Fellowship
Angela Hancock	Nov. 12	Pittsburgh, Pa.	Speaking on political deliberation in the church at Pittsburgh Presbytery's West Branch gathering (#4 of 4)

 

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)
• 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)
• Christianity from Late Antiquity to Present (Woo)
• Church Architecture (D. Davenport)
• Church History (Burgess)
• The Early Church/Church Fathers (Burgess, Humphrey, Ferda)
• Evangelicalism in North America (Hagley)
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
• Gnosticism and the Church Fathers (Humphrey)
• 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)
• Irenaeus (Humphrey)
• 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)
• Worship in the Bible and the History of the Church (Humphrey)

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)
• Healing Prayer (Brall)
• 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)
• Small-Church Dynamics (Brall)
• 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 (Young)
• Preaching in a Global Context (Khyllep)
• Religion and Social Movements (D. Smith, 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, 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 Mark (Ferda)
• Gospel of Matthew (Ferda)
• Gospels and the Life of Jesus (Humphrey, Ferda)
• History of New Testament Scholarship (Ferda)
• Life and Thought of Paul (Ferda)
• The Old Testament in the New (Ferda)
• Provocative Parables of Jesus (Hancock)
• Writings of John (Humphrey, 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)
• Benedictine Spirituality
• Christian Counseling (E. Davenport, Teter)
• Christianity, Race, and Class (D. Smith, Welch, Fischer)
• Cultivating Scriptural Imagination (Ferda)
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
• Faith and Public Life (D. Smith, Welch)
• 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)
• Sanctity of Human Life (Humphrey)
• Sexuality and the Church (Humphrey)
• 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, Welch)

Prayer

• Corporate Prayer (K. Smith)
• Healing Prayer (Brall)
• 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)
• 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)
• Lithuanian Church Practices (Thorpe)
• 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)
• Christianity and U.S. Foreign Policy (D. Smith)
• Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Mission of the Church in a Religionless Age (Burgess)
• Educational Diversity (Esterline, Young)
• Ethnicity and Race Relations (Welch)
• 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, Welch)
• Religion and Public Life (D. Smith)
• Religion and Social Movements (D. Smith, 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 (Welch, Young)
• Christian Responses to Persecution (Woo)
• Global Gender Justice (Young)
• Justice for the Poor and Marginalized (Welch, Young)
• Mediation (Thorpe)
• Old Testament Prophets and the Call for Justice (Creach)
• Race, Racism, and White Privilege in the U.S. (Esterline, Welch, Teter)
• Social Justice and Social Work (E. Davenport)
• Social Justice and the Teachings of Jesus (Ferda)
• Violence against Women and Girls (Young)
• World Mission and Justice (Farrell, Khyllep)

Spirituality

• Benedictine Spirituality (Brall)
• 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 (Owens, Teter)
• Spirituality for Christian Leadership (Owens)
• Spirituality and the Holy Trinity (Humphrey)
• Spirituality in Midlife (Owens)
• Writing and Spirituality (Overton)

Theological Education

• Biblical & 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)
• Education for Ministry through Field Placements (Brall)
• Global and Ecumenical Theological Education (Esterline)
• Theological Education for Adults/Young Adults (Blier, Overton)
• Theological Education for Youth (Hagley, D. Davenport, E. Davenport)

Theology

• Anglican Theology
• Asian-American History and Theological Perspectives (Woo)
• Biblical Interpretation/Hermeneutics (Hancock, Ferda)
• Biblical Theology (Humphrey, Ferda)
• Black Feminist Theology (Overton)
• Black Theology (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 (Overton, Young)
• History of Biblical Interpretation (Woo, Ferda)
• The Idea of Scripture in Ancient Israel (Tuell)
• Liberation Theology (Farrell, 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 Imagination
• 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 in a Global Context (Khyllep)
• 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)
• 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

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

Carolyn Cranston
Director of Alumnae/i and Church Relations
ccranston@pts.edu
412-924-1375

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

Tucker Ferda
Visiting Assistant 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
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

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

David Morse
Adjunct Professor of Methodist Studies
dmorse@pts.edu
412-924-1383

Mary O'Shan (Shan) Overton
Director of the Center for Writing and Learning Support
moverton@pts.edu
412-924-1454

L. Roger Owens
Associate 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 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

Ayana Teter
Director of Vocational Discernment and Placement
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 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 Professor of Theology
evandriel@pts.edu
412-924-1425

John Welch
Vice President for Student Services and Community Engagement / Dean of Students
jwelch@pts.edu
412-924-1401

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