Highlights
Why I teach at Covenant Theological Seminary
I teach here because I want to increase in myself, in my students, in our families, and among the nations what my fifth ordination vow called “a sincere desire to promote [God’s] glory in the gospel of his Son.” I want students to know and to proclaim with their lives and ministries that we were put on this planet to awaken worship of the triune God—and that this happens not when religion or morality or spirituality are promoted, but when the gospel of Jesus Christ is embraced. I teach here because I want men and women and boys and girls around the globe to gladly confess that Jesus is all our righteousness, Jesus is all our strength, and Jesus is all our joy.
Department
Scripture and Interpretation
Faculty Member Since
2007
Contact Information
To reach me, please call or e-mail Gerry Reimer, our Faculty Secretary, at 314.434.4044, ext. 4201, or gerry.reimer@covenantseminary.edu.
Educational Background
- BA (philosophy), Clemson University, Clemson, SC
- MDiv, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO
- PhD, University of Aberdeen, Scotland
Expertise
- Luke’s Gospel
- The imitation of Christ (i.e., the place of Jesus’ example in Christian living and spiritual formation)
- The use of diakonos and related terms in ancient Greek and related issues (e.g., the diaconate, servanthood, servant-leadership, Jesus as a model of servant-like self-humiliation)
Classes I Teach
- Life and Letters of Paul
- Christ-Centered Preaching
- Homiletics Practicum
- Preaching from the New Testament
- Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced Greek
- Acts and Paul
- Elective on the Imitation of Christ
Interests and Hobbies
- Athletics—Running, cycling, team sports, hiking
- Music—Singing, songwriting, guitar, mandolin, pennywhistle, wood flute
- Home—Gardening, home improvement projects, family games
- Reading—On a variety of topics, but especially the American Revolution
- Steam locomotives—I love them, as anyone who visits my office will see!
Current Projects/Research
- Working on research for a book on the imitation of Christ (see “Expertise” above)
- An article on Paul’s use of diakonos and related terms to describe his own ministry (this will shed new light on Paul’s understanding of his apostolic calling, on our doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture, and on apologetics/the early church’s relation to secular culture).
- An article on the office of deacon, arguing that in the NT church this office was higher (involving greater authority) and broader (encompassing a broader range of functions) than we typically understand.