Daniel W. Ulrich

Biographical Sketch

Dan’s love for the Bible began early while growing up in a family and church that emphasized Jesus’ call to love neighbors and seek peace. Intercultural experiences, including a year of undergraduate study in Barcelona, Spain, helped broaden and deepen his awareness of the varied ways God’s Spirit can speak through scripture. Ordained in the Church of the Brethren in 1985, Dan pastored a congregation for six years before completing a doctorate in biblical studies at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (now Union Presbyterian Seminary). He began teaching at Bethany in 1996, served as Associate Dean and Director of Distributed Education in 2002-06, and is currently Wieand Professor of New Testament Studies. His concern for excellent online teaching and learning led to a professional development certificate in distance education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2003) and ten years of service as a faculty peer consultant with the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion (2007-17).  Along with expertise in distance education, fluency in Spanish is a gift that enhances his current work on intercultural interpretation of New Testament texts.

Education

• Ph.D. in Biblical Studies, Union Theological Seminary (now Union Presbyterian Seminary) in Virginia, 1997.
• M.Div., Bethany Theological Seminary, 1985.
• B.A. summa cum laude in Philosophy and Religion, Bridgewater College, 1981.

Courses Recently Taught

• B-102 Reading the New Testament Contextually
• B-115 and B-116 New Testament Greek I and II
• I/B-203-T Santa Biblia: Parables of Jesus in Puerto Rico, to be offered in January 2019 as Santa Biblia: The Gospel of Mark in Puerto Rico
• B/P-204 The Gospel of Peace (team taught with Dr. Nyampa Kwabe in Nigeria)
• B-210 Poetics of Jesus (January 2021)
• B-218 African American Interpretation and the Gospel of Luke (assisting Dr. Mitzi Smith of Columbia Theological Seminary)
• B-242 Interpreting Romans as a Resource for Peacemaking (team taught with Dr. Dauda Gava in Nigeria)
• B-255 Global Perspectives on Scripture: 1 Corinthians (team taught with Pandang Yamsat in Nigeria).
• B-302 New Testament Exegesis: The Gospel of Matthew.
• El Evangelio de Mateo, taught for the Seminario Bíblico Anabautista Hispano Iglesia de los Hermanos.

Recent Grant and Related Publications

• Co-directing with Mitzi J. Smith, “The Challenges and Effective Pedagogy of a Trans-Contextual Online Collaboration for an African-American/Womanist Hermeneutics Course during Covid-19,” a small project grant from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, 2020.
• Posts to the Wabash Center’s Blog on Social Justice and Civic Engagement:
• “Learning Womanist Hermeneutics during Covid-19,” July 13, 2020.
• “A Hermeneutical Self-Survey with Pedagogical Implications,” August 10, 2020.
• “A Muted Professor for a Change,” September 11, 2020.
• “A Resource for Building Empathy and Understanding,” November 10, 2020.

Other Selected Publications

• “A Life-Giving Word for God’s Green Earth: John 1:1-14.” Brethren Life and Thought(Fall/Winter 2017-18): 45-53.
• “Would the Biblical Theophilus Baptize Children? Reflections on Alexander Mack, Jr.’s Case against Infant Baptism.” Brethren Life and Thought 58 (2013): 95-103.
• “Encouraging Imagination in an Online Biblical Studies Course,” in “Forum: Teaching Biblical Studies Online,” by Stephen Delamarter, Sandra L. Gravett, Daniel W. Ulrich, Richard W. Nysse, and Sandra Hack Polaski. Teaching Theology and Religion 14 (July 2011): 256-83.
• “Could Theological Education Be Better Online?” Brethren Life and Thought55 (2010): 17-24.
• “The Missional Audience of the Gospel of Matthew.”Catholic Biblical Quarterly  69 (2007): 64-83.
• “Did Jesus Love His Enemies?” In Seeking Cultures of Peace: A Peace Church Conversation, ed. Fernando Enns, Scott Holland, and Ann Riggs. Telford, Pa.: Cascadia Publishing House, 2004.
• Caring Like Jesus: The Matthew 18 Project, co-authored with Janice Fairchild. Elgin, Ill.: Brethren Press, 2002. Translated by Marta I. García Reynoso as Cuidar como Jesús: El Proyecto de Mateo 18. Richmond, Ind.: Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership, 2016.

Hymn Texts

• “Mary’s Boy Filled Her with Joy” (2020).
• “God of Wonders,” Brethren Life and Thought 62 (2017-18): 80.

Works in Progress

• Gospel Visions for Troubled Times (a book offering contextual readings of each canonical Gospel in light of current challenges).