Dr. Seth Heringer

The Toccoa Falls Waterfall
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Dr. Seth Heringer
Associate Professor of Theology and Scripture sheringer@tfc.edu
Education

Education/ Degrees:

  • Ph.D.- Fuller Theological Seminary
  • M.Div.- Duke Divinity School
  • B.A.- St. Olaf College

Honors/ Awards:

  • 2019 Faculty Scholar of the Year, Toccoa Falls College
  • Fuller CATS Fellowship
  • Duke Divinity Fellow
Courses
  • Introduction to the New Testament
  • Introduction to Theology
  • Baptist Distinctives & History
  • Theology of Race and Ethnicity
  • New Testament Theology
  • Theology and Contemporary Culture
  • History of Theology
  • Modern Theology
Publications & Research Interests

Research Interests:

  • Theological interpretation of Scripture
  • Historical methodology
  • Hermeneutics
  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
  • Wolfhart Pannenberg
  • Trinitarian theology

Scholarly Work and Publications:

  • Books include:
    • Uniting History and Theology: A Theological Critique of the Historical Method. Lanham, MD: Fortress Press/Lexington Books, 2018.
  • Refereed Journal Articles include:
    • “Beginning with the End: 1 Timothy 1:3–6 and Formative Theological Education.” Journal of Theological Interpretation 15, no. 2 (2021): 365-78.
    • “Description or Truth? A Typology of New Testament Theology.” Religions 13, no. 6 (2022): 546. Pages 1-14.
    • “Forgetting the Power of Leaven: The Historical Method in Recent New Testament Theology.” Scottish Journal of Theology 67, no. 1 (2014): 85-104.
    • “The Practice of Theological Commentary.” Journal of Theological Interpretation 4, no. 1 (2010): 127-37.
    • “The Transformation of Minds.” The Reed: St. Olaf’s Journal of Existentialism (Spring 2005): 7-11.
  • Book Chapters include:
    •  “Holistic Learning: Charitable Giving as a Tool to Teach Empathy.” In Teaching the Bible in the Liberal Arts Classroom, vol. 2, edited by Jane S. Webster and Glenn S. Holland, 83-96. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2015.
    • “Picturing Textual Criticism: Using Digital Images to Capture Student Attention.” In Teaching the Bible with Undergraduates: The Challenge of a New Generation, edited by Jocelyn McWhirter and Sylvie T. Raquel, 221-31. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2022.
    • “The Problem of ‘History’ in Recent Theological Commentary.” In Ears That Hear: Explorations in Theological Interpretation of the Bible, edited by Joel B. Green and Tim Meadowcraft, 26-42. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2013.
  • Professional Presentations include:
    • “Picturing Textual Criticism: Using Digital Images to Capture Student Attention.” Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, CA, November 24, 2019.
    • “The Telos of Theological Education.” Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, Boiling Spring, NC, May 22, 2018.
    • “Recovering Typological Exegesis: Is It Still Possible?” Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, Nashville, TN, May 24, 2017.
    • “Moving beyond Abstraction in Teaching Textual Criticism.”Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, Nashville, TN, May 23, 2017.
    • “Biblical Studies without Historical Questions-What Then?”Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Antonio, TX, November 19, 2016.
    • “History or Heritage? The Aim of Historiography.” Annual Meeting of the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion, Waco, TX, May 24, 2016.
    •  “Using the Stanley Parable to Teach Narrative Reading of the Gospels.” Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, GA, November 23, 2015.
    • “The Past as Present: Religion and the Use of History.” Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, San Diego, CA, November 23, 2014.
    • “Playing with Maps: Using Interactive Maps to Teach Biblical Geography.” Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, CA, November 23, 2014.
    • “An Experiment in Almsgiving as Pedagogical Practice.” Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, San Diego, CA, November 24, 2014.
    • “From PowerPoint to Prezi and Polling: Bringing Perichoresis to Presentations.” Annual Meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature, Baltimore, MD, November 25, 2013.
    • “Miracles, Hume, and Postmodernity: A Theological Approach.” Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion, Chicago, IL, November 19, 2012.
    • “The Problem of ‘History’ in Recent Theological Commentary.” Colloquium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture, sponsored by Laidlaw-Carey Graduate School and the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Otago, Auckland, New Zealand, August 19. 2011.
Hobbies & Fun Facts

When I’m away from the classroom, I enjoy:

  • Spending time with my five children
  • Hiking
  • Baking sourdough bread
  • Reading science fiction/fantasy

People might be interested to know:

  • I grew up in North Dakota and think it is a beautiful place to explore. I also wrote for technology websites about smartphones and was a part of a weekly Android podcast.
Favorite Verse/Quote

There is a great description in Kierkegaard’s “At a Graveside” of what death looks like for one who knows and is known by God. This is what I hope for with my relationship with God:

“In simplicity of heart it was performed with the same faithfulness: he recollected God. He was a man, old, he became aged, and then he died, but the recollection of God remained the same, a guide in all his activity, a quiet joy in his devout contemplation. Indeed, if there were no one at all who missed him in death, yes, if he were not with God now, God would miss him in life and know his dwelling and seek him there, because the deceased walked before him and was better known by him than anyone else. He recollected God and became proficient in his work; he recollected God and became joyful in his work and joyful in his life, he recollected God and became happy in his modest home with his dear ones; he disturbed no one by indifference to public worship, disturbed no one by untimely zeal, but God’s house was to him a second home- and now he has gone home.”

Why TFC

I enjoy the close-knit community that quickly develops at TFC. The students I have in class I also see walking around campus, eating in the cafeteria, and worshipping at chapel. This allows for relationships that grow beyond only interacting in the classroom.