Preaching hebrews

Dr. David A. deSilva, Ph.D
Dr. David A. deSilva, Ph.D. is Trustees’ Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Greek and an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. He is the author of over twenty-five books, including Day of Atonement: A Novel of the Maccabean Revolt (Kregel, 2015), The Jewish Teachers of Jesus, James, and Jude: What Earliest Christianity Learned from the Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha (Oxford, 2012), Seeing Things John’s Way: The Rhetoric of Revelation(Westminster John Knox, 2009), An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods & Ministry Formation (InterVarsity, 2004), Introducing the Apocrypha (Baker Academic, 2002), Honor, Patronage, Kinship & Purity: Unlocking New Testament Culture (InterVarsity, 2000), and Perseverance in Gratitude: A Socio-rhetorical Commentary on the Letter “to the Hebrews” (Eerdmans, 2000). He was involved in several major Bible translation projects, serving as the Apocrypha Editor for the Common English Bible and working on the revision of the Apocrypha for the English Standard Version. He has also created several video resources and Mobile Ed courses for Faithlife, including “The Apocrypha: Witness Between the Testaments” (BI 291), “The Cultural World of the New Testament” (NT 201), and “Interpreting the Epistle to the Hebrews” (NT TBA).

Dr. deSilva leads his students into challenging and rewarding topics, not just for the sake of learning but also for the sake of transformation. One of his many contributions to the Kingdom is his collection of published works. In particular, he is most proud of An Introduction to the New Testament, which has nurtured thousands of Christian workers in English, Arabic, Chinese, and Korean contexts even beyond the walls of Ashland Theological Seminary.

A landmark in Dr. deSilva’s spiritual life was the Gospel of Matthew, which he read in its entirety as a young boy. God used that reading to bring him into an encounter with Jesus. Dr. deSilva also cites the liturgy and hymnody of the Episcopal Church as very formative in his walk with Christ.

Dr. deSilva has a gift for music, having been an organist and choir director in the church setting since his undergraduate years. He’s even had some anthems and organ arrangements published. His favorite types of music are Renaissance and Baroque.

In addition to his musical interests, Dr. deSilva enjoys pulse-pounding movies, Indian food, and traveling to Sri Lanka and around the Mediterranean with his wife Donna Jean.

John Mark Hicks
John Mark Hicks has taught full time in higher education among Churches of Christ since 1982 and is currently Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee. He has taught in over 40 states and 20 countries around the world. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or contributed to over 40 books as well as contributing to both academic and popular journals.

He received his B.A. in Bible from Freed-Hardeman University (1977), his M.A.R. in Theological Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary (1980), his M.A. in Humanities from Western Kentucky University (1981) and his Ph.D. in Reformation and Post-Reformation Studies from Westminster Theological Seminary (1985). He has taught theology since 1982, including nine years at Harding University Graduate School of Religion (1991-2000). He has been at Lipscomb since 2000. He has ministered with churches in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Alabama, and Tennessee. He has published nine books and thirteen journal articles as well as contributed to nineteen other books. He has spoken in thirty-eight states and nineteen countries. He and his wife, Jennifer, share five living children and six grandchildren with her.  For a fuller biography and links to Hebrews resources see John Mark's website: https://johnmarkhicks.com/about/

Mike Cope
Mike Cope was a minister for 35 years, preaching at Pine Valley Church of Christ in Wilmington, North Carolina (1982-84), College Church of Christ in Searcy, Arkansas (84-91), Highland Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas (1991-2009), and the Golf Course Road Church of Christ in Midland, Texas (2011-2017).In addition to directing Harbor, the Pepperdine Bible Lectures since 2013, he works with church leaders, speaks across the country, and directs Pepperdine's Sanctuary: Thriving in Ministry program, provided by the Lilly Endowment Fund. Mike is the author of five books, including 2011's Megan's Secrets, and edited Wineskins magazine for 12 years. He also edited 21st Century Christian for 5 years, working with Helen and Norvel Young when they were the senior editors. Mike and his wife, Diane, have been married 41 years. Their son Matt is a physician in Abilene, Texas; and Chris is a family therapist in New York City. Their favorite pastime is being with their three grandchildren.