Five Campbell University Divinity School Master of Divinity students and four professors will participate in the upcoming National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion (NABPR) meeting, scheduled for May 20-22 at First Baptist Church of Raleigh (Salisbury Street).
The organization’s annual gathering calls on Baptist teaching scholars from around the country to present on their latest research. Dr. Alicia Myers, associate professor of New Testament and Greek at the Divinity School, serves as president of NABPR for 2023-2024. According to Myers, the opportunity for Master students to present at NABPR speaks to the Divinity School’s commitments to academic training, ministerial practice, and spiritual formation.
“The chance to present at NABPR gives our students who want to see more of the scholarly world an opportunity to engage with current scholars by sharing their own ideas, getting feedback, and meeting a variety of people from across the country,” she said.
“The students who are presenting are outstanding students who have worked diligently to create thought-provoking and well-researched presentations. Not only will this be a chance for them to showcase that knowledge and gain this experience, but it will give faculty from various institutions a glimpse of CUDS and some of the work we do here.”
Myers went on to explain that the meeting traditionally includes the work of PhD students, but the invitation to Master level students is a new highlight at this year’s conference.
“The students have all done wonderful work in classes this semester or in previous semesters, showing that they are able to produce work at this standard. NABPR is always looking for ways to encourage students to participate and to learn more about what it means to be a scholar.”
Student presenters and their topics include:
- Greg Ellington: “All Are Christ’s Manhood: Julian of Norwich’s Reinterpretation of Romans 5:12-21”
- Taylor Long: “Theological pathways for wholeness: an exploration of gender, sexuality, and embodiment”
- Matthew Miller (MDiv ‘24): “Eating the Gods: Theophagy and Contextualizing John 6”
- Adrenne Aiken Morgan (MDiv ‘24): “The Role of Story-Linking in Amplifying the Voices of Women in Scripture”
- Kari White: “Rachel’s Voice in Matthew 2:13-23: Witnessing Sorrow, Contending for Hope”
Faculty participation includes:
- Dr. Tony Cartledge will present a paper titled “Wicked Days and Righteous Women.”
- Dr. Sarah Boberg will present a paper titled “Bless Their Hearts: The History of Ministry and Marginalization for Southern Baptist Women.”
- Dr. Alicia Myers will preside over two sessions including a review panel for Mikeal Parsons and João Chaves’s book Remembering Antônia Teixeria: A Story of Missions, Violence, and Institutional Hypocrisy (Eerdmans, 2023).
- Dr. Barry Jones will preside over a session of Old Testament/Hebrew Bible papers.
- Dr. Cameron Jorgenson will preside over a Theology and Ethics session.
About NABPR: The National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion is a community of teaching scholars. Most members teach at Baptist-affiliated schools, colleges, and seminaries, but members also hail from a wide range of institutions in the United States, Canada, and abroad. The organization was founded in 1981. The guild is national, with active regions in the Southeast, Southwest, and Midwest, and with growing memberships in the West and the Northeast.