Steven Schweitzer

Steven
Assistant Professor of Old Testament

  • B.A., North Central University, 1995
  • M.A., University of St. Thomas, 1997
  • Ph.D., University of Notre Dame, 2005

Email: sschweitzer@ambs.edu
Phone: 574 296-6248

Curriculum Vitae

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Steve Schweitzer is at home in the classroom, whether it is teaching a university theology class or a fifth and sixth grade Sunday School class. That range of experience has given him an opportunity to combine two things important in his faith: involvement in the congregational life of the church and exploring what the Bible says and what we learn from it today.

Steve completed his Ph.D. in the spring of 2005 and joined the AMBS faculty in 2006. His doctoral studies focused on Chronicles and his specializations include the Book of Job, Christian Apocalyptic Literature, the Minor Prophets and Isaiah. He has been a visiting instructor at the University of Notre Dame, North Central University in Minneapolis, Minn., and Bethel College, Mishawaka, Ind. In addition, Steve regularly teaches and preaches in his congregation.

"What the Bible means for our present postmodern culture must be rooted in understanding first what the Bible meant in its ancient contexts. This includes both its origins and its subsequent uses across the centuries. The relevancy of the biblical text for constructive theology and practical living is manifested most readily in a classroom setting. My vision for this "idea-exchange" within a community of faith requires engaged dialogue, honest conversation, mutual respect, and intense analyses using a diversity of methods. These values and skills enable and equip students to move successfully from the classroom to the congregation."

Scholarship

  • Reading Utopia in Chronicles (T&T Clark, forthcoming)
  • "Exploring the Utopian Space of Chronicles: Some Spatial Anomalies" in Constructions of Space in the Past, Present, and Future (T&T Clark, forthcoming)
  • "Visions of the Future as Critique of the Present: Utopian and Dystopian Images of the Future in Second Zechariah" in Utopian and Dystopian Images of the Future in Prophetic Texts (Finnish Exegetical Society, forthcoming)
  • "Mythology in the Old Greek of Isaiah: The Technique of Translation" in Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 66 (2004)
  • "The High Priest in Chronicles: An Anomaly in a Detailed Description of the Temple Cult" in Biblica, 84 (2003)

Speakers Bureau Presentations

  • Canon Formation and the Origins of the Bible
  • Why the Old Testament Matters for Christians
  • Old Testament Prophets: Hearing Their Messages Today
  • Psalms as Worship and Theology
  • Biblical Voices of Wisdom: Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes
  • Beyond History: Theology and Spirituality in the Book of Chronicles
  • Not in a Vacuum: Contexts for Jesus' Life and Teaching