Full-time Faculty
Full-time and regular faculty include full-time teaching faculty and administrators, and faculty and administrators with part-time teaching loads and other institutional responsibilities. All are involved in daily campus life. In the case of teaching faculty, they have completed the regular full interview process, or in some cases, may be a Dean’s appointment. The date that follows the name of each faculty member indicates the year that full-time teaching at Trinity began.
Richard E. Averbeck, 1994
Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages
BA, Calvary Bible College
MDiv, MA, Grace Theological Seminary
PhD, Annenberg Research Institute, Dropsie College
Dr. Averbeck taught for four years at Dallas Theological Seminary, teaching in both the Old Testament and pastoral ministries departments. He also taught for ten years at Grace Theological Seminary, serving as chair of the Old Testament department for four years and chair of the seminary curriculum planning committee for five. His areas of expertise include Old Testament, especially the Pentateuch, ancient Near Eastern history and languages, Old Testament criticism, Hebrew, and biblical counseling. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, the American Oriental Society, the American Schools of Oriental Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Dr. Averbeck has been published in several journals and has contributed numerous articles to Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Baker, 1995), Faith, Tradition, and History (Eisenbrauns, 1994), Cracking Old Testament Codes: Guide to Interpreting Old Testament Literary Forms (Broadman and Holman, 1995), the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis (Zondervan, 1997), and Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (InterVarsity, 2003). He has coedited the volume and written a major article in Crossing Boundaries and Linking Horizons: Studies in Honor of Micheal C. Astour (Bethesda, Maryland: CDL Press, 1997) and was the main editor with a major chapter in Life and Culture in the Ancient Near East (CDL Press, 2003). He has translated and written notes for Numbers 18-36 for The Holman Christian Standard Bible and Leviticus for The NET Bible (New English Translation).
David K. Bryan, 2020
Director of TEDS Undergraduate Programs
Assistant Professor of New Testament [UG]
BA, James Madison University
MTh, Luther Seminary
MDiv, PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Dr. Bryan started his work at TEDS as an adjunct professor and the Masters Programs Coordinator. He has served previously on a church planting team in Madrid, Spain. He is the co-editor of Ascent Into Heaven in Luke-Acts (Fortress, 2016) and has published other works related to the Gospel of Luke. His current research focuses on authority in ancient and contemporary contexts as it relates the New Testament.
Steven M. Bryan, 2016
Professor of New Testament
BSc, Oklahoma State University
MDiv, ThM, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, Cambridge University
Before coming to TEDS in the fall of 2016, Dr. Bryan served as a missionary in Ethiopia for more than 23 years. He served as the first Dean of Studies of the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology for 6 years and taught for many years at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa. From 2009-2015, he was the Director of SIM Ethiopia, leading the work of 150 missionaries from Europe, Australasia, Africa, and North America, as well as 400 Ethiopian ministry and support staff, in a wide variety of church planting, disciple-making, leadership development and compassion ministries. Dr. Bryan was selected as part of the Ethiopian delegation to the 2010 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization in Cape Town, South Africa. He completed his PhD in New Testament at Cambridge University, and his PhD thesis – Jesus and Israel’s Traditions of Judgement and Restoration - was subsequently published by Cambridge University Press. In addition, he has published a number of articles and reviews in a variety of journals and publications. His research interests focus on Jesus and the gospels, mission, and Second Temple Judaism. He is married to Dawn, a graduate of Trinity College and they have three teenage sons. Steve enjoys reading about culture, politics, and history and coaching his sons’ basketball teams.
Peter T. Cha, 1997
Professor of Church, Culture, and Society
BA, University of Chicago
MDiv, ThM, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, Northwestern University
Prior to joining the Trinity faculty, Dr. Cha was involved in a number of different ministries, including you and young adult ministry in Korean immigrant churches, campus ministry with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, church planting, and pastoring a multiethnic congregation. He also served as a board member of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, USA and of the Louisville Institute. Dr. Cha is a coauthor of Following Jesus without Dishonoring Your Parents: Asian American Discipleship (IVP, 1998) and Growing Healthy Asian American Churches (IVP, 2006). He also contributed chapters to This Side of Heaven: Race, Ethnicity, and Christian Faith (Oxford University Press, 2006), Honoring the Generations: Learning with Asian North American Congregations (Judson Press, 2012), Teaching for a Culturally Diverse and Racially Just World (Wipf and Stock, 2014), Christian Higher Education: Faith, Teaching, Learning in the Evangelical Tradition (Crossway, 2018), and Emerging Adults: Formation for Mission (Lexham Press, 2022).
Deborah A. Colwill, 2013
Chair of the Educational Ministries Department
Associate Professor of Educational and Leadership Studies
BA, University of Minnesota
MDiv, PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, Benedictine University College of Business
Prior to coming to TEDS, Dr. Colwill served as Associate Professor of Leadership and Director of Institution Research and Evaluation at Asbury Theological Seminary (ATS) in Wilmore, Kentucky. Dr. Colwill is author of the books Educating the Scholar-Practitioner in Organization Development (2012) and Conflict, Power and Organizational Change (2022) as well as numerous, articles, chapters, and peer reviewed conference papers. In addition to her teaching roles, Dr. Colwill has worked in a variety of leadership and consulting positions within both profit and non-profit organizations.
Charlie E. Dates, 2023
Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology
BA, University of Illinois
MDiv, PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
In addition to his role at TEDS, Dr. Charlie Dates is the Senior Pastor of Progressive Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication and Rhetoric at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Divinity Degree and a PhD in Historical Theology at TEDS. In 2011, at age 30, he because the youngest Senior Pastor in Progressive's 99-year history. Dr. Dates has served as an adjunct professor at the Moody Bible Institute, is a Contributing Editor for Preaching Magazine, and currently serves on the Community Advisory Board for the Chicago Fire Department. He is also a contributor to the 2014 book Letters to a Birmingham Jail. Dr. Dates and his wife, Kirstie, have two children.
Fellipe do Vale, 2021
Chair of the Biblical and Systematic Theology Department
Assistant Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology
BA, Calvin College
MAs, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, Southern Methodist University
Dr. do Vale is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology. He has a perennial interest in utilizing the tools of theology to investigate those categories of identity that make being human so remarkably complex, like gender, race, disability, politics and the like. His research is driven by the conviction that the recognizable tools of theology, accountable as they are to the gospel, are suitable to address these complexities of being human in a distinctly Christian way. His dissertation focused on giving a theological account of gender, which is where the majority of his research has resided so far. He has published articles in the International Journal of Systematic Theology (where he won the Colin Gunton Prize), Philosophia Christi, The Irish Theological Quarterly and TheoLogica, among others. He has presented his research nationally and internationally, including Rome and Helsinki. Dr. do Vale was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Stephen P. Greggo, 1996
Chair of the Counseling Department
Professor of Counseling
BA, State University of New York College at Oneonta
MA, Denver Seminary
PsyD, State University of New York College at Albany
Dr. Greggo is a counselor educator who combines his credentials as an ordained minister and licensed psychologist (NY and IL). His personal mission statement is equipping a new generation for a Christian ministry of soul care. The strategy to fulfill this vision in students, supervisees and colleagues includes fostering a theological imagination, inspiring devotion to one’s Christian vocation, and stirring motivation to deliver quality care. A thematic emphasis for Dr. Greggo is training mental health professionals to put select assessment techniques into everyday use. By establishing benchmarks and tracking growth, it is possible to demonstrate with transparency that the counseling alliance is achieving its intent. The accumulation of practice-based evidence does benefit clients. More importantly, outcome feedback stimulates therapists to continuously improve their craft, not only while forming a professional identity, but across one’s career. This is fitting Christian stewardship of one’s gifting and service. Dr. Greggo presents at the Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS), Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), and the American Association of Christian Counseling (AACC). At ETS, Dr. Greggo chaired the Counseling, Psychology and Pastoral Care section and within CAPS, he served on the National Board. He has taught internationally in Guatemala, Seoul, Kiev, Manila, and San Paulo. With gratitude, Dr. Greggo acknowledges that these cross-cultural immersion experiences have shaped him and his teaching. For over three decades, Dr. Greggo served as Director of Professional Practice of CCCHope in upstate NY where he provided consultation services, training and supervision. His peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters address themes related to assessment, bioethics, counselor education, counseling/theology and group therapy. These contributions have appeared in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS), Journal of Psychology and Christianity (JPC), Edification: The Transdisciplinary Journal of Christian Psychology, and Journal of Psychology and Theology (JPT). His current publication interests are related to counseling assessment and theological worldview. Dr. Greggo enjoys family gatherings and outdoor activities such as hunting, camping and fishing at their rural home in upstate NY. He and his wife raise Labrador retrievers.
David M. Gustafson, 2012
Chair of the Mission and Evangelism Department
Associate Professor of Evangelism and Missional Ministry
BB, Western Illinois University
MDiv, ThM, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
DMin, Fuller Theological Seminary
PhD, Linköping University
Dr. Gustafson served twenty-five years in ministry, first, as campus director with Campus Crusade for Christ at Fresno State University in California, and then as pastor in two Evangelical Free churches in the Great Lakes District. He has taught courses in Christianity and church history at Augustana College, North Park Theological Seminary, and the University of Houston, as well as courses in practical ministries at Houston Graduate School of Theology. Dr. Gustafson’s areas of expertise include evangelism, EFCA history, and missional praxis. Dr. Gustafson is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Free Church of America. He is a member of the EFCA Ministerial Association and Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education. He serves on the Advisory Board of the journal Pietisten. Dr. Gustafson’s published works include his dissertation, D. L. Moody and Swedes: Shaping Evangelical Identity among Swedish Mission Friends, 1867-1899, and articles in Trinity Journal, Covenant Quarterly, Swedish-American Historical Quarterly, Strategies for Today’s Leader, and Journal of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education. His most recent work is titled: “Swedish Pietism and American Revivalism: Kindred Spirits in the Evangelical Free Tradition,” published in The Pietist Impulse in Christianity by Pickwick/ Wipf and Stock. He and his wife, Sharon, have four children. He enjoys cycling, backpacking, and cooking stir-fry.
Donald C. Guthrie, 2012
Director, PhD Program in Educational Studies
Professor of Educational Ministries
The Jeanette L. Hsieh Chair of Educational Leadership
BA, Grove City College
MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
MA, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
EdD, University of Georgia
Prior to joining the TEDS faculty in 2012, Dr. Guthrie served as a faculty member and the academic dean at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, MO. Previously, he served as a campus minister and senior administrator with the Coalition for Christian Outreach in Pittsburgh, PA. Dr. Guthrie currently serves on several university committees including the Kingdom Leadership Committee and the Oikonomia Steering Committee. He also represents Trinity as a member of the Kern Family Foundation’s Oikonomia Network Advisory Committee. Dr. Guthrie is a co-author of Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us About Surviving and Thriving. His current research interests include the promising pedagogy of facilitated agency and Christian formation in higher education. He has enjoyed serving as an elder in several local churches over the past twenty-five years and currently serves on the Discipleship Ministries board of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). He is a frequent teacher at conferences and retreats, often addressing intergenerational ministry, vocational stewardship, sustainable vocational ministry, adult learning, and early adulthood transitions. He and his wife, Mary, have two young adult children.
Dana M. Harris, 2006
Chair of the New Testament Department
Professor of New Testament
BA, Stanford University
MA, PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Dr. Harris taught as an adjunct at TEDS from 2001 to 2006. Her dissertation topic was The Eternal Inheritance in Hebrews: The Appropriation of the Old Testament Inheritance Theme by the Author of Hebrews. She is currently writing the volume on Hebrews for the Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (Broadman & Holman). She recently wrote the article on “Priest,” in the NIV Study Bible. Her research interests include Hebrews, Revelation, Greek syntax, linguistics, hermeneutics, Second Temple Literature (particularly apocalyptic literature), and archaeology. In July 2010, Dr. Harris became the editor of the Trinity Journal. Dr. Harris has taught extensively at retreats, conferences, and adult Sunday school classes. She also teaches Bible and theology classes in various overseas contexts. Prior to coming to Trinity, Dr. Harris was the managing editor of the Hoover Digest, a quarterly academic journal covering public policy, economics, and foreign affairs, published by the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. For the first five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, she coordinated a program, funded by the Pew Charitable Trust that brought young diplomats from former Soviet-satellite countries to Stanford for four-month study programs. As an undergraduate, she double-majored in International Relations and French Studies. Prior to coming to Trinity, she was also extensively involved in ministry.
Joshua Jipp, 2012
Associate Professor of New Testament
BA, Northwestern College
MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
ThM, Duke Divinity School
PhD, Emory University
Dr. Jipp came to TEDS in the spring of 2012. Prior to teaching at Trinity, he has lectured on the New Testament in a variety of settings, including Northwestern College, the Interdenominational Theological Center (Atlanta, GA), as a part of the Emory Theology Certificate program for incarcerated women in Atlanta, GA, and as a teaching fellow at TEDS. Dr. Jipp received the 2013 Paul J. Achtemeier Award through the Society of Biblical Literature for his paper, “Christ the King as Living Law: Paul’s ‘The Law of Christ’ and Ancient Kingship Discourse.” His dissertation, Divine Visitations and Hospitality to Strangers in Luke-Acts: An Interpretation of the Malta Episode in Acts 28:1-10 was recently published (Leiden: Brill, 2013), as was Christ is the King: Kingship Ideology in the Letters of Paul (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2015), He will soon be contributing a commentary on the book of Acts in the Two Horizons Commentary series. Dr. Jipp has also published articles in reputed journals, like Journal of Biblical Literature, New Testament Studies, Catholic Biblical Quarterly, and The Journal for the Study of the New Testament. He is married to Amber, who also graduated from TEDS, and they have two children. Dr. Jipp enjoys reading, traveling, and is an avid fan of the Iowa State Cyclones and the Minnesota Twins.
Michelle Knight, 2018
Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages
BA, Lincoln Christian University
MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, Wheaton College
Dr. Michelle Knight is Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages at TEDS. In 2018, Dr. Knight completed her dissertation on the narrative function of the Song of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges, before joining the faculty later that year. While working toward her PhD, she taught Hebrew language and Old Testament courses as a Guest Professor at Wheaton College and an Adjunct Professor at TEDS. Michelle is an active member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Her current research interests include theocracy, Old Testament Theology, the book of Judges, and poetry in biblical narrative. Dr. Knight and her husband, Kenyon, have a son, Oliver. In her spare time, she enjoys singing at her church, reading with her son, and seeing movies.
Mimi L. Larson, 2021
Assistant Professor of Educational Studies
BA, Wheaton College
MA, Wheaton Graduate School
MA, Covenant Theological Seminary
PhD, Concordia University Chicago
Prior to joining the TEDS Faculty, Dr. Larson served for over 25 years in practical church ministry and was Visiting Assistant Professor of Christian Formation & Ministry and Wheaton College. Her research is in the area of children's faith formation with a particular interest in how faith is formed in early childhood. She serves on the board for the Society of Children's Spirituality: Christian Perspectives and her latest book is Bridging Theory and Practice in Children's Spirituality: New Directions for Education, Ministry and Discipleship (edited with Robert Keeley, Zondervan, 2020). Dr. Larson regularly consults with churches regarding their ministry with children and facmilies and has developed curriculum for children's ministry in the local church. As a recent recipient of Calvin's Insititute of Christian Worship's teacher-scholar grant, her current research focus is how ministry leaders thoughtfully engage children in worship.
Te-Li Lau, 2008
Associate Professor of New Testament
BS, MS, Stanford University
MDiv, ThM, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, Emory University
Dr. Lau grew up in Singapore, before it became the place known for Crazy Rich Asians. As part of his national service, he served as a Singaporean infantry platoon commander for two and a half years. He also studied electrical engineering at Stanford University and worked as a computer engineer in Silicon Valley for ten years, obtaining several patents in the field of computer architecture. In 1998, he sensed God’s call to ministry. After completing his theological studies at TEDS and Emory University, he joined the faculty at TEDS in 2008. His publications include Defending Shame: Its Formative Power in Paul’s Letters (Baker, 2020), The Politics of Peace: Ephesians, Dio Chrysostom, and the Confucian Four Books (Brill, 2010), the introduction and notes for Ephesians in the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (2015), and several other essays and articles. His current research interests include the relationship between emotions and moral formation, and the comparative analysis of New Testament and Confucian texts.
Dennis R. Magary, 1979
Chair of the Old Testament and Semitic Languages Department
Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages
BA, Fort Wayne Bible College
MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
MA, PhD, University of Wisconsin
Dr. Magary joined the full-time TEDS faculty in 1984. Dr. Magary has also taught at Trinity College (Bannockburn), the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Institute of Christian Studies (Madison, WI) and Bethel College (Indiana). He has taught as adjunct professor at the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology (Kingston, Jamaica), Visiting Instructor at Torch Trinity Graduate School of Theology (Seoul, Korea), and professor of Old Testament for Timothy Training International (Hong Kong). In addition to teaching at Trinity, he also serves as a lecturer with the U.S. Center for World Missions and has taught in China and Eastern Europe. Dr. Magary’s publications include chapters contributed to Seeking Out the Wisdom of the Ancients (which he also co-edited), Preaching the Old Testament (Baker), and most recently co-edited Do Historical Matters Matter to Faith? A Critical Appraisal of Modern and Post-Modern Approaches to Scripture (Crossway). He has contributed articles to the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis and to Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. He served as a translation consultant and contributor of notes to both the ESV Study Bible and Quest Study Bible. He served as a theological advisor and content collaborator for the Jeremiah Study Bible. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature. Dr. Magary is a licensed minister in the Missionary Church. Dennis and his wife, Pamela, reside in Vernon Hills, Illinois. They have three married children and seven grandchildren.
Scott M. Manetsch, 2000
Chair of the Church History and the History of Christian Thought Department
Professor of Church History
BA, Michigan State University
MDiv, MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, University of Arizona
Dr. Manetsch joined Trinity’s faculty in 2000 after serving three years as Assistant Professor of Religion at Northwestern College (Iowa). Ordained in the Reformed Church in America, he served as an associate pastor of education and discipleship for three years. During graduate school, he was awarded a Fulbright fellowship and spent two years doing archival research on French Reformation history at the university of Geneva. He is the author of Theodore Beza and the Quest for Peace in France, 1572-1598 (Brill, 2000), Calvin’s Company of Pastors. Pastoral Care and the Emerging Reformed Church, 1536-1609 (Oxford, 2013), and co-editor of The Great Commission: Evangelicals and the History of World Missions (Broadman & Holman, 2008). His articles have appeared in such journals as the Bibliothéque d’humanisme et renaissance, Calvin Theological Journal, Church History, Themelios, Trinity Journal, and Westminster Theological Journal. Dr. Manetsch is the associate general editor of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture series (InterVarsity Press) and is presently completing the volumes on 1 & 2 Corinthians. He is a member of the Calvin Studies Society, the Evangelical Theological Society, the Sixteenth-Century Studies Society, and the American Society of Church History.
John M. Monson, 2008
Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages
BA, Wheaton College
MA, Institute of Holy Land Studies
MA, PhD, Harvard University
Dr. Monson was born to missionary parents in Zaire but spent most of his youth in Jerusalem, Israel, where he developed an interest in biblical studies, archaeology, and historical geography. Prior to coming to Trinity, he taught for eleven years at Wheaton College, where he received the Faculty Achievement Award in Teaching. His archeological fieldwork has taken him to Syria, Lebanon, and numerous excavations in Israel. His most recent publications include Dothan I: Remains from the Tell (1953-1964) (Eisenbrauns), 1 Kings in the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (2016), and The Temple of Solomon (Oxford University Press, forthcoming).
Emanuel Naydenov
Director of Masters Programs, Extension, and Affiliated Education
Associate Professor of Theology [UG]
Diploma in Biblical Studies, BBAL Logos, Bulgaria
MDiv, Bethel Seminary
PhD, Marquette University
Emanuel D. Naydenov is the Director of Masters Programs and heads the Office of Extension and Affiliated Education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is responsible for the Extension and Distance Education programs at TEDS. He is responsible for the Extension program at TEDS as well as for fostering TEDS Affiliate partnerships with significant parachurch organizations in the areas of graduate education and ministry training. In addition to his administrative responsibilities, Dr. Naydenov teaches classes in theology both for the graduate and undergraduate programs at Trinity. Dr. Naydenov currently serves on the Board of Commissioners of the Association of Theological Schools in North America, where along with many other responsibilities he contributes to the work of the Global Awareness and Engagement Initiative of ATS. He earned his PhD in Religious Studies from Marquette University in the area of Systematic Theology. His dissertation project was entitled: The Unsettled Church: The Search for Identity and Relevance in the Ecclesiologies of Nicholas Healy, Ephraim Radner, and Darrell Guder. Prior to his work at Trinity, he was involved in launching the first accredited seminary in the country of Bulgaria after the fall of Communism. He is a contributor to the Bulgarian Journal of Theology and other indigenous theological and educational projects. He is also a cofounder of the Roundtable for Distance Education, and a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the American Academy of Religion. He is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Free Church of America. Dr. Naydenov currently resides in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, where he attends Elmbrook Church.
Harold A. Netland, 1993
Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Intercultural Studies
BA, Biola College
MA, PhD, Claremont Graduate University
Prior to coming to Trinity, Dr. Netland was a missionary educator for nine years in Japan with the Evangelical Free Church of America. Dr. Netland was involved in ministries among university students, church planting, and teaching at Tokyo Christian University. Dr. Netland’s areas of expertise include religious pluralism, epistemology of religion, and missions in East Asia. Dr. Netland’s published works include Encountering Religious Pluralism: The Challenge to Christian Faith and Mission; Christianity and Religious Diversity; and Religious Experience and the Knowledge of God: The Evidential Force of Divine Encounters. He coauthored with Gerald R. McDermott, A Trinitarian Theology of Religions; coauthored with Keith Yandell, Buddhism: A Christian Exploration and Appraisal; and coedited with Craig Ott, Globalizing Theology: Belief and Practice in an Era of World Christianity.
Craig Ott, 2002
Professor of Mission and Intercultural Studies
ReachGlobal Chair of Mission
BA, California State University, Long Beach
MDiv, PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Dr. Ott was a missionary with ReachGlobal (EFCA) to Germany for twenty-one years. He served as academic dean and faculty member at the Akademie für Weltmission (Korntal, Germany), and planted several churches in both the United States and Germany. Areas of expertise include theology of mission, contextualization, church planting, and teaching across cultures. From 2015 to 2022 he was director of the PhD program in intercultural studies at TEDS. He has published numerous award winning books and academic articles, including most recently Teaching and Learning across Cultures and The Church on Mission: A Biblical Vision for Transformation among all People. He has taught or consulted mission movements and national organizations in over forty countries and is a member of the Evangelical Missiological Society, American Society of Missiology, and the Midwest Mission Studies Fellowship.
David W. Pao, 1998
Dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Professor of New Testament
BA, Wheaton College
MA, Wheaton Graduate School
MTS, MA, PhD, Harvard University
Prior to joining the faculty at Trinity, Dr. Pao taught and preached at the Chinese Christian Church of Rhode Island while completing his doctoral work at Harvard, where he majored in Greco-Roman World/Early Christianity. He has taught as a visiting professor in several institutions in Hong Kong, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. His publications include Acts and the Isaianic New Exodus (2000), Thanksgiving: An Investigation of a Pauline Theme (2002), Early Christian Voices: In Texts, Traditions, and Symbols (coeditor, 2003), Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, 2 vols. (2008, 2009), After Imperialism: Christian Identity in China and the Global Evangelical Movement (coeditor, 2011), and Commentary on Colossians and Philemon (2012). He has also contributed to a number of collections of essays and reference works, including The Expositor's Bible Commentary (vol. 10; 2007), Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (2007), and The Baker Illustrated Bible Commentary (2012). He is currently serving as the New Testament editor of the Tien Dao Bible Commentary series and the consulting editor of the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary series.
Manuel R. Rauchholz, 2018
Director of the Doctor of Philosophy (Intercultural Studies) Program
Associate Professor of Anthropology and Intercultural Studies
University of Tübingen
ThM, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, Heidelberg University
Dr. Manuel Rauchholz earned the PhD. from Heidelberg University in cultural anthropology, and the Th.M. in missions and evangelism from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He completed university studies at Heidelberg University and theological studies at Krelingen in Germany. Dr. Rauchholz’s research and publications have been primarily in applied anthropology on ethical topics such as human trafficking, sexual exploitation, adoption practices, human rights and economic development. In 2011, he received the prestigious Frobenius Research Award for his dissertation, titled: "Towards an Understanding of Adoption, Person and Emotion: The Ideal Norm and Reality of Life amongst the Chuukese of Micronesia.” Since 2016, Dr. Rauchholz has established and managed the Faichuk Educational Development and Research Project in Chuuk State. This is an interdisciplinary educational and research project focused on education and community development, based on a grant of $1.3 million from the Chuuk State Department of Education and the US Department of the Interior. Dr. Rauchholz’s academic teaching experience is extensive including three years as researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Anthropology, Heidelberg University where he also mentored masters’ theses and research projects. He has taught as adjunct professor at numerous institutions teaching Social Science Research Methods at Internationale Hochschule Liebenzell in Germany, Anthropology and Missions at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in Seoul, and Anthropology at the University of Guam.
Eric Rivera, 2022
Chair of the Pastoral Theology Department
Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology
BA, Moody Bible Institute
MDiv, PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Dr. Rivera has been a Pastor since 2008 and is currently the Lead Pastor at The Brook, a multiethnic church in Chicago that he and his team planted with the EFCA in 2013. Dr. Rivera is passionate for mobilizing the church to be on mission in an urban context. He earned his PhD in Historical Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity and is the author of Christ is Yours (Lexham 2019) and Unexpected Jesus: How the Resurrected Christ finds us, meets, and heals us (Forthcoming Kirkdale Press 2022). He contributed the chapter, “Planting a New Church,” in the One Volume Seminary (Moody Publishers 2022) and, “Building up your Spouse,” with his wife Erikah in The Story of Us: A Couples Devotional (FamilyLife 2019). In addition to these, he has written, “The First Mexican Protestant Loved the Bible” for Christianity Today (February 2019), “The Legacy of Scripture in the Latino(a) Protestant Church in America,” for Church Leaders (September 2021) and “Stay in Chicago” for Legacy Disciple (September 2018). He married his best friend Erikah in 2003 and together they serve the local church and speak for FamilyLife’s Weekend to Remember marriage getaways. They are parents to three amazing kids.
Julie West Russo, 2011
Program Director for the Mental Health Counseling and Chaplaincy and Ministry Care Programs
Clinical Coordinator
Assistant Professor of Counseling
BA, Northwestern University
MA, Trinity International University
EdD, Argosy University
Dr. Russo is a licensed professional counselor, providing individual and family counseling services, with particular expertise in the treatment of addictions. She is a member of the American Counseling Association, the Illinois Counseling Association, the Association of Counselor Educators and Supervisors, and the Christian Association for Psychological Studies.
Luis San Roman, 2022
Assistant Professor of Counseling
AA, William Rainey Harper College
BA, Northeaster Illinois University
MAs, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
EdD, Governors State University
John Simons, 2019
Associate Dean
Director of the MDiv Program
Assistant Professor of Church History [UG]
BA, JD, University of Florida
MA, Reformed Theological Seminary
PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
In his previous career, Dr. Simons practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia, and Ocala Florida for more than ten years. His legal practice included commercial litigation, business law, health care law, and real estate law. In Fall of 2010, he stepped down from his legal practice to pursue advanced theological education. His research explores the intersection of church history, theology, and legal history. His dissertation focuses on the relationship between puritan theology and the work of the magistrates who governed the colonies of Connecticut and New Haven in the second half of the Seventeenth Century. He has taught in a variety of contexts at the undergraduate and graduate level. John and his wife, Lynn, have three adult children. John enjoys woodworking and cycling. He is an avid fan of University of Florida athletics.
Michael Sleasman, 2019
Director of Bioethics Programs
Associate Professor of Bioethics
BA, Malone College
MDiv, PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Prior to joining the Trinity faculty full-time, Dr. Sleasman was the managing director and research scholar at The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity for 12 years where he oversaw the center's research agenda and online resource development. He also served as an affiliate professor, adjunct instructor, and online course tutor at the college and graduate level in the areas of philosophy, theology, ethics, and cultural engagement. His particular area of research interest focuses on the theological engagement of bioethical issues with particular emphasis on biotechnologies, other emerging technologies, and human futures, as well as the intersection of technology, ethics, and culture in general. He is a co-editor of Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends with Kevin J. Vanhoozer and Charles A. Anderson (Baker Academic). He has authored and co-authored a number of essays, book chapters, and articles in the areas of theology, emerging technology, and bioethics. Dr. Sleasman is the editor of Ethics & Medicine: An International Journal of Bioethics, and serves on the Board of Reference for the Christian Institute on Disability for Joni & Friends and as a consulting editor for the Journal of the Christian Institute on Disability. He has been interviewed on a range of bioethical issues by print and radio media, and has delivered workshops, lectures, and presentations for churches, universities, and at several professional societies.
Tite Tiénou, 1997
Research Professor, Theology of Mission
The Tite Tiénou Chair of Global Theology and World Christianity
Dean Emeritus
BS, Nyack College
Maîtrise en Théologie, Faculté Libre de Théologie Evangélique, Vaux sur Seine, France
MA, PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary
Dr. Tiénou has served as founding president and dean of Faculté de Théologie Evangélique de l’Alliance Chrétienne in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa. He has taught at the Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, New York. While pastor of a church in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, he founded and directed the Maranatha Institute. He is an active participant in numerous conferences and special lectureships and has contributed many articles to scholarly journals. He has authored The Theological Task of the Church in Africa.
Lucas M. Tillett, 2019
Associate Professor of Counseling
BA, Cedarville University
MDiv, MA, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
PhD, Regent University
Luke is a licensed professional counselor in Illinois (LPC) and practices in Libertyville, IL with LifePlace Counseling. His research interests include the intersection of psychology, theology, pastoral care, and counseling; parenting of children with complex developmental trauma; and pre-marital and marital counseling. Luke enjoys hiking Lake County with his wife and children, painting, and aquatic sports.
Eric J. Tully, 2012
Director of the PhD (Theological Studies) Program
Associate Professor of Old Testament and Semitic Languages
BA, Moody Bible Institute
MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
MA, PhD, University of Wisconsin
Prior to coming to Trinity, Dr. Tully taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Nashotah House Theological Seminary. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Society of Biblical Literature. His research interests include the prophetic literature, Hebrew linguistics, and textual criticism. He is the author of The Translation and Translator of the Peshitta of Hosea (Brill, 2015), Old Testament Textual Criticism: A Practical Introduction (with Ellis Brotzman, Baker Academic, 2016), Hosea: A Handbook on the Hebrew Text (Baylor, 2018), and Reading the Prophets as Christian Scripture (Baker Academic, 2022). He is currently working on a commentary on the book of Ezekiel.
Kevin J. Vanhoozer, 1986-90, 1998-2009, 2012
Research Professor of Systematic Theology
BA, Westmont College
MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary
PhD, Cambridge University, England
Prior to his "third coming" to TEDS, Dr. Vanhoozer served as Blanchard Professor of Theology at Wheaton College and Graduate School (2008-11) and as Senior Lecturer in Theology and Religious Studies at New College in the University of Edinburgh (1990-98), where he also served on the Panel of Doctrine for the Church of Scotland. He is the theological mentor to the Augustine Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians, Senior Fellow for Systematic Theology of the C. S. Lewis Institute, and Senior Fellow of Newton House, Oxford. He is the author of Biblical Narrative in the Philosophy of Paul Ricoeur (Cambridge University Press, 1990), Is There a Meaning in this Text? the Bible, the Reader, and the Morality of Literary Knowledge (Zondervan, 1998), First Theology: God, Scripture, and Hermeneutics (InterVarsity Press, 2002), The Drama of Doctrine: A Canonical-Linguistic Approach to Christian Theology (Westminster John Knox, 2005) and Remythologizing Theology: Divine Action, Passion and Authorship (Cambridge University Press, 2010), Faith Speaking Understanding: Performing the Drama of Doctrine and (with Owen Strachan) The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision. He has edited several books, including The Cambridge Companion to Postmodern Theology (Cambridge University Press, 2003), Dictionary for Theological Interpretation of the Bible (Baker, 2005), and a collection of essays by Trinity students entitled Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Influence Trends (Baker, 2005).
John D. Woodbridge, 1970
Research Professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought
BA, Wheaton College
MA, Michigan State University
MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Doctorat de Troisième Cycle, Université de Toulouse, France
Dr. Woodbridge was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and has done post-graduate study with fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities [2] and the American Council of Learned Studies. Dr. Woodbridge has taught history at the University of Toulouse, Northwestern University and Hautes Etudes, Sorbonne, Paris. He is the author of Revolt in Prerevolutionary France (Johns Hopkins) and Biblical Authority Infallibility and Inerrancy in the Christian Tradition (Zondervan). He is the co-author with Timothy George, The Mark of Jesus (Moody), co-author with Frank James, The Zondervan History of the Christian Church Volume Two (Zondervan), co-author with Maurice Possley, Hitler in the Crosshairs A GI’s Story of Courage and Faith (Zondervan), co-author with Collin Hansen, A God-Sized Vision Revival Stories that Stretch and Stir (Zondervan), co-author with D. A. Carson, Letters along the Way (Crossway) and co-author with Mark Noll and Nathan Hatch, The Gospel in America (Zondervan).
He is editor of Great Leaders of the Christian Church (Moody Press; Gold Medal Award), Ambassadors for Christ (Moody; Gold Medal Award), More Than Conquerors: Portraits of Believers from All Walks of Life (Moody Press; Gold Medal Award). He is co-editor with Thomas McComiskey, Doing Theology in Today’s World: Essays in Honor of Kenneth S. Kantzer (Zondervan), co-editor with D. A. Carson, God and Culture: Essays in Honor of Carl F. H. Henry (Eerdmans); co-editor with Jacques LeBrun, Richard Simon, Additions aux Recherhes curieuses sur la diversité des langues et religion (Press Universitaires de France); co-editor with Henning Graf Reventlow and Walter Sparn, Historische Kritik and biblischer Kanon in der deutschen Aufklärung (Otto Harrasowitz), co-editor with D. A. Carson, Hermeneutics, Authority and Canon (Zondervan), co-editor with D. A. Carson, Scripture and Truth (Zondervan) and co-editor with John N. Akers and John H. Armstrong, This We Believe: The Good News of Jesus Christ for the World (Zondervan). Dr. Woodbridge has also served as a senior editor for Christianity Today. He enjoys composing music for relaxation.
K. Lawson Younger, Jr., 1998
Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages and Ancient Near Eastern History
BA, ThB, Florida Bible College
ThM, Dallas Theological Seminary
PhD, Sheffield University
K. Lawson Younger, Jr. (Ph.D. Sheffield University) is Professor of Old Testament, Semitic Languages, and Ancient Near Eastern History at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School of Trinity International University, Bannockburn, Illinois. A specialist in Assyriology and Aramaic, as well as Hebrew Bible, Dr. Younger has published a number of significant works involving ancient Near Eastern texts and their relationship to the Hebrew Bible: Ancient Conquest Accounts: A Study of Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical History Writing (1990), The Context of Scripture. 3 Volumes (1997-2002); The Canon in Comparative Perspective (1991); Mesopotamia and the Bible. Comparative Explorations (2002); Judges, Ruth (2002); and Ugarit at Seventy-Five (2007). He has also contributed to numerous collections of essays, dictionaries, and journals. He is a trustee of the American Schools of Oriental Research, as well as an active member of the American Oriental Society, the International Association of Assyriology, and the Society of Biblical Literature. Among his many scholarly papers, he has given lectures at the British Academy and the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW) at New York University. He has recently been the Seymour Gitin Distinguished Professor at the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, Israel (2012). He is presently working on a book on the Political History of the Arameans.