It was in my college years that I encountered a book by Joseph Free, a former Wheaton professor, called Archaeology and Bible History. It was apologetic in focus but brought to my attention the tremendous impact that archaeology and cultural background studies could have on our understanding of the Old Testament. It was in the very year that I read that book that I made the decision to pursue Old Testament studies as a vocational discipline. Instead of training to be an archaeologist, I determined to focus my attention on studies comparing the culture and literature of the Bible and the ancient Near East. I have never lost my fascination with this subject. But comparative studies only provide one of the means by which I try to get people excited about the Old Testament. I am saddened by how little exposure to and understanding of the Old Testament many Christians have, but I am passionate in doing whatever I can do to remedy this spiritual and theological loss.
Academics
Education:
Muhlenberg College (A.B.)
Wheaton Graduate School (M.A.)
Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Cincinnati, Ohio (Ph.D.)
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For twenty-five years I was active at South Park Church in Park Ridge, IL teaching at every level from adults through pre-school. As I have taught high school Bible studies, adult Sunday school classes, Introduction to doctrine for sixth graders, or Bible stories to four-year olds, I have been driven by the desire to offer people a greater familiarity with God's Word and a greater confidence in understanding God's revelation of himself in its pages. Since moving to Wheaton, I have gotten involved in the same areas of ministry at Glen Ellyn Bible Church. I came to Wheaton after twenty years of teaching at Moody Bible Institute. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity I had there to train students for ministry and am no less enthusiastic about the interaction with students here. Whether in teaching or writing, I am constantly challenged in my own life because the material that I am presenting stretches me as much as it stretches my students or readers. Whatever I am writing or teaching also has a way of infiltrating my family. My wife, Kim, was trained as a biochemist, which has made for interesting dinner conversations-especially when I was working on my Genesis commentary. My three kids often have gotten involved in the discussions, and it has been fun to respond to them and see our family grow together.
Personal website:
http://www.biblicaltraining.org/
Church's website:
http://www.biblicaltraining.org/
