Kenneth Berding, Ph.D. Professor of New Testament Talbot School of Theology at Biola University
EDUCATION
Doctor of Philosophy in Hermeneutics and Biblical Interpretation (New Testament emphasis) Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, PA, 2000
Master of Arts in New Testament Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, La Mirada, CA, 1996
Master of Arts in Biblical Studies Trinity Theological Seminary, Newburgh, IN, 1992
TEFL Certificate (Teaching of English as a Foreign Language) International Teachers Training Institute, London, UK, 1988.
Bachelor of Theology, Minor in New Testament Greek Multnomah University (new name), Portland, OR, 1986.
TEACHING AND MINSTRY EXPERIENCE
Professor of New Testament Talbot School of Theology at Biola University, La Mirada, CA Professor, 2011 to present Associate Professor, 2002-2011 Tenured, 2008
Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies and Greek Nyack College, Nyack, NY, 1998-2002
Pastor of Worship (part-time) Living Christ Church (new name), Nyack, NY, 2000 to 2002
Adjunct Professor (Biblical Greek and Hermeneutics) Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, PA, 1998-1999 (Greek) Alliance Theological Seminary, Ukraine Extension Site, 1999 (Greek) Alliance Theological Seminary, New York City Extension Site, 2001 (Hermeneutics) Alliance Evangelical Divinity School, Anaheim, CA, 2006 (Hermeneutics)
Greek Tutoring / Research Assistantships / Teacher’s Assistantships Multnomah University, Portland, OR, 1986-1987 Talbot School of Theology, La Mirada, CA, 1995-1996 Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, PA, 1997-1998
Teacher of English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Cinar School of English, 1989-1990 Dilmer School of English, 1993-1994
Church Planter in Middle East, 1988-1995
Refuge Ministry, Portland, OR, 1985-1987
Intern in Music and Youth Ministries Venture Christian Church (new name), Los Gatos, CA, 1981-1983
1 MISCELLANEOUS SKILLS
Proficiency in four musical instruments: piano, guitar, drums, and saz Composer of more than 160 songs Fluency in modern Turkish
LARGE PROJECTS (BOOKS AND MUSIC)
Polycarp and Paul: An Analysis of Their Literary & Theological Relationship in Light of Polycarp’s Use of Biblical and Extra-Biblical Literature. Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae 62 (Leiden: Brill, 2002). Reviews: Themelios 29 (2003): 81-83; The Journal of Theological Studies 54 (2003): 738-746; Religious Studies Review 30 (2004): 205; Journal of Early Christian Studies 12 (2004): 121-123; Vigiliae Christianae 58 (2004): 98-101; Bulletin Paulinien (2005): 401-402; Westminster Theological Journal 66 (2004): 443-445.
What Are Spiritual Gifts? Rethinking the Conventional View (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2006). Reviews: Bibliotecha Sacra (April-June, 2008): 254-255; Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50 (2007): 852-854; Biola Connections (Fall, 2007): 13; Christianbookreviews.net 10-26-06; Christians in Context Blog, 1-14-09 and 1-16-09; Eutychus Blog, 1-7-09
Sing and Learn New Testament Greek: The Easiest Way to Learn Greek Grammar (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008). Reviews: New Testament Perspectives Blog, 5-17-08; Koinonia Blog, 9-16-08 and 9-17-08; Idle musings of a bookseller, anebooks.blogspot.com, 12-11-08; TheoSource, 2-10-10.
What The New Testament Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Their Writings (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2008). Co-editor with Matt Williams and author of two chapters. Fifteen different contributing authors from twelve Christian colleges and universities across North America. Reviews: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 52 (2009): 372-373; Nijay K Gupta Blog, nijaygupta.wordpress.com, 11-14-08.
Three Views on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008). Co-editor with Jonathan Lunde and author of the conclusion. Contributing authors: Walter C. Kaiser, Jr., Darrell L. Bock, and Peter Enns. Reviews: Themelios 33 (2008), New Testament Perspectives Blog, 11-10-08, The Denver Journal 12 (2009), Says Simpleton/Ched Spellman Blog, 12-30-09, McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry 11 (2009-2010): 11- 14.
Walking in the Spirit (Wheaton: Crossway, 2011).
The Story of the Righteousness of God: A Redemptive-Historical Workbook in Romans (Biola University Bookstore, 2009).
Bible Fluency, copyright 2000, 2003 (sequencing by Dwayne Condon, vocals by Jennifer Condon). A demo- level music CD, visuals, lead-sheets, flashcards, workbook, teaching videos, and teachers’ resources to help individuals and churches in groups learn to mentally map their way through the Bible.
PUBLISHED ARTICLES AND CHAPTERS IN BOOKS
“Depth and Delight,” Discipleship Journal 104 (March/April 1998): 75.
“Polycarp of Smyrna’s View of the Authorship of 1 and 2 Timothy,” Vigiliae Christianae 53 (1999): 349-360.
“Confusing Word and Concept in ‘Spiritual Gifts’: Have We Forgotten James Barr’s Exhortations?” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 43 (2000): 37-51.
“The Hermeneutical Framework of Social-Scientific Criticism: How much can Evangelicals get involved?” The Evangelical Quarterly 75 (2003): 3-22.
“Romans 12.4-8: One Sentence or Two?” New Testament Studies 52 (2006): 433-439.
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“How Did the New Testament Canon Come Together?” Sundoulos (Spring 2007): 2-7.
“Introducing Paul,” in What the New Testament Authors Really Cared About (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2008), 128-139.
“Philippians,” in What the New Testament Authors Really Cared About (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2008), 176- 181.
“An Analysis of Three Views on the New Testament’s Use of the Old Testament,” in Three Views on the New Testament’s Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 234-244.
“John or Paul? Who was Polycarp’s Mentor?” Tyndale Bulletin 58 (2008): 135-143.
“God’s Word or Paul’s Personal Opinion? 1 Corinthians 7:12 in Context,” Biola Magazine, Summer 2008.
“Spiritual Gifts,” in The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook, ed. J. Daniel Hays and J. Scott Duvall (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2011).
“Polycarp’s Use of 1 Clement: An Assumption Reconsidered,” Journal of Early Christian Studies 19 (Spring 2011): 127-139.
“Actually Praying,”WHBC Leader’s eNewsletter (February 2010). “Don’t pray without really talking to God,” The Chimes (December 15, 2010).
“Polycarp of Smyrna” in The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, ed. Roger Bagnall, Kai Brodersen, Craige Champion, Andrew Erskine, and Sabine Huebner (Wiley-Blackwell) (forthcoming).
“Persuasive Puns: Philemon 10-11, 20,” in Insights from the Greek New Testament, ed. J. Scott Duvall and Verlyn D. Verbrugge (Zondervan, forthcoming).
“Does the Church Squelch Spiritual Gifts”? Abide Magazine (forthcoming).
“Who Searches Hearts and What Does He Know in Romans 8:27?” (under review).
“At the Intersection of Mission and Spiritual Formation in the Letters of Paul.” (under review)
PUBLISHED BOOK REVIEWS
Review of Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture, by David A. deSilva (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2000), in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 45 (June, 2002): 354-356.
Review of Polycarp and the New Testament: The Occasion, Rhetoric, Theme, and Unity of the Epistle to the Philippians and its Allusions to New Testament Literature, by Paul Hartog, Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament: Reihe 2; 134 (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2002), in Westminster Theological Journal 64 (2002): 415-417.
Review of Thanksgiving: An Investigation of a Pauline Theme, by David W. Pao, New Studies in Biblical Theology 13 (Leicester: Apollos and Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 2002), in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 46 (June, 2003): 352-353.
Review of Perspectives Old and New on Paul: The “Lutheran” Paul and His Critics, by Stephen Westerholm (Grand Rapids and Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004) in Trinity Journal 25 (Fall, 2004): 262-264.
Review of Paul and First-Century Letter Writing: Secretaries, Composition and Collection, by E. Randolph Richards (Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press, 2004) in Westminster Theological Journal 67 (Spring, 2005): 170-172.
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Review of Knocking on Heaven’s Door: A New Testament Theology of Petitionary Prayer, by David Crump (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006) in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 50 (June, 2007): 408-410.
Review of From the Lost Teaching of Polycarp: Identifying Irenaeus’ Apostolic Presbyter and the Author of Ad Diognetum, by Charles E. Hill, WUNT (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2006) in Trinity Journal 28 (Fall, 2007): 309-311.
Review of Rediscovering Paul: An Introduction to His World, Letters and Theology, by David B. Capes, Rodney Reeves and E. Randolph Richards (Downers Grove, Ill.: IVP Academic and Nottingham, England: Apollos, 2007) in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 51 (June, 2008): 411-412.
Review of Reading Romans in Pompeii: Paul’s Letter at Ground Level, by Peter Oakes (Minneapolis: Fortress Press and London: SPCK, 2009) in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (June, 2010): 409-411.
PROFESSIONAL PAPERS
“Polycarp of Smyrna and the Pauline Authorship of 1 and 2 Timothy.” Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, November, 1998.
“Understanding the Hermeneutical Framework of Social-Scientific Criticism: How much can Evangelicals get involved?” Evangelical Theological Society Eastern Regional Meeting, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, April, 1998.
“John P. Meier as Biblical Interpreter: An Analysis of his Hermeneutical Principles—Beyond the Quest.” Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada, November 2002.
“Historical connections to John but literary connections to Paul: Can we resolve a dilemma in our understanding of Polycarp of Smyrna?” First International Symposium on Smyrna, Izmir, Turkey, July, 2003 and Asia Minor Study Group at Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, November, 2005.
“John the Baptist’s Clear Witness to Jesus as the Coming One in the Fourth Gospel and the Problem of Doubt in Relation to Matthew and Luke.” Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, November, 2003.
Response to Paul Hartog, “Polycarp, ‘Scripture,’ and Ephesians.” Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Valley Forge, Pennnsylvania, November, 2005.
“Rethinking the Conventional View of Spiritual Gifts.” Provost’s Faculty Research Luncheon, Biola University, La Mirada, California, October, 2006.
“‘Spiritual Gifts’ as Ministries: Rethinking the Exegetical Foundations of ‘Spiritual Gifts’.” Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., November, 2006.
Moderator for Three Views on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (with Jon Lunde, Walt Kaiser, Darrell Bock, and Pete Enns). Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Providence, Rhode Island, November 2008.
“The Spirit as the Searcher and Knower of the Believer’s Spirit-focused Mindset in Romans 8:27.” New Testament Colloquium, Biola University, February 2009. Same Paper, New Title: “Who Searches Hearts and What Does He Know in Romans 8:27?” Evangelical Theological Society Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, November 2010.
“At the Intersection of Mission and Spiritual Formation in the Letters of Paul.” Faculty Summer Integration Seminar on Ethics, David Gushee and Richard Langer mentors, Biola University, June, 2011.
MISCELLANEOUS
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Historical consultant for The Martyrdom of St. Polycarp, Music: J.A.C. Redford, Libretto: Scott Cairns, 2004. Biblical consultant for the Jesus Film Project, Campus Crusade for Christ, 2005. Radio Interviews on What Are Spiritual Gifts? Rethinking the Conventional View WMUZ, Detroit, MI, “The Bob Dutko Show,” Dec. 8, 2006. He’s Alive Radio, “Listener’s Café,” Jan. 15, 2007. KNEO, Neosho, MO, “Author’s Corner,” Feb. 20, 2007. WCTS, Plymouth, MN, “Christianity in a Changing Culture,” Feb 27, 2007. Television interview about the Apostle Paul, Associated Television International, Unlocking Ancient Secrets of the Bible, hosted by Roger Moore, 2007. DVD Series Interview on the person and work of the Apostle Paul, Deepening Curriculum, Baker Publishing Group, May 2008. Consultant for What the Old Testament Authors Really Cared About: A Survey of Their Writings, ed. Jason DeRouchie (Grand Rapids: Kregel, forthcoming). Overseer/elder at Whittier Hills Baptist Church, 2009 to present. Difficult Forms of Common Greek Verbs Flashcards (Biola University Bookstore, 2009). Musician for Cannon Beach Conference Center, Cannon Beach, Oregon, July, 2010 and July, 2011. Blogger at The Good Book Blog, February 2011 onward
THE GOOD BOOK BLOG POSTS
“Actually Praying,” Feb 4, 2011. “Teaching Our Children Through Prayer,” Feb 15, 2011. “Should Students at Christian Colleges Go to Church?” March 4, 2011. “The Most Important Book on New Testament Canon Formation You’ve Never Heard Of,” April 1, 2011. “Yet This I Call to Mind,” May 3, 2011. “Weighing in on Rob Bell, Love Wins,” May 21, 2011. “A Panel Discussion on Heaven and Hell and the Fate of Every Person—Audio File,” June 7, 2011 “The Millennium is not Heaven,” July 14, 2011
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
The Evangelical Theological Society Institute for Biblical Research The Society of Biblical Literature
AWARDS / HONORS / GRANTS
New Testament Greek Award, Multnomah University, 1986 Valedictorian and Baccalaureate Speaker, Multnomah University, 1986 Delta Epsilon Chi inductee, 1986 Phi Beta Kappa inductee, 1986 Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities & Colleges, 1986 Award in New Testament, Talbot School of Theology/ Biola University, 1996 Grant in Pedagogy, Biola University, 2002-2003 Seventh Semester Research Leave, Talbot School of Theology/ Biola University, Fall 2005 Research and Development Grant, Biola University, Fall 2005 Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers, 8th ed. (2004) and 9th ed. (2005) Faculty Excellence Award and Speaker for December Graduates’ Dinner, Biola University, 2006 Research and Development Grant, Biola University, Summer 2007 Award of Excellence in Mentoring Students, Biola University, 2008 Tenured, Biola University, 2008 Dedicatee of Biola University’s Student Yearbook (along with wife Trudi), 2008 Research and Development Grant, Biola University, Summer 2009 Who’s Who in America, 2010 Full Professor, Biola University, Fall 2011
5 COURSES TAUGHT
Talbot School of Theology / Biola University (La Mirada, California) Biblical Interpretation & Spiritual Formation New Testament History and Literature Life and Letters of Paul Pauline Theology: Romans The Apostolic Fathers Biblical Greek 1 Biblical Greek 2
Nyack College (Rockland Campus and Manhattan Campus, New York) Hermeneutics Christian Foundations New Testament Literature Old Testament Literature Beginning Greek 1 & 2 Intermediate Greek 1 & 2 Greek Exegesis
Alliance Theological Seminary (Manhattan Campus, New York, and Kiev, Ukraine) Hermeneutics Introduction to Biblical Languages
Alliance Evangelical Divinity School (Anaheim, California) Hermeneutics
Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Biblical Greek 1, 2, and 3
Whittier Hills Baptist Church (Whittier, California) Old Testament Fluency in 12 Weeks New Testament Fluency in 12 Weeks
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