The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology has announced the hire of Dr. Angela Parker as a core faculty member and an Assistant Professor of Biblical Studies. Dr. Parker will join The Seattle School beginning in the Fall 2015 term. She completed her Ph.D. in New Testament studies at Chicago Theological Seminary, and her primary focus in research and academic presentations has been reading the Bible through the lenses of womanism and postcolonialism.
“These are areas of engagement that will broaden our offerings and scholarship at The Seattle School in exciting ways,” says Dr. Chelle Stearns, Associate Professor of Theology and a member of the search committee. “Dr. Parker is very gifted, gregarious, and thoughtful, and I am confident that she will be well received (and well loved) in our community. We are very fortunate to be able to welcome her to this post.”
An ordained Baptist minister, Parker worked most recently as an adjunct faculty member at Catholic Theological Union. She has also served as an instructor in the Jewish Community Center’s Silver Sneakers program in Hyde Park. In her research and teaching, Parker seeks to understand and communicate sacred texts in new ways, challenging students to set aside familiar readings in search of fresh understanding.
“Angela possesses a strong integrative impulse and the intellectual instincts to engage the task of biblical theology in a complex and shifting cultural context,” says Dr. J. Derek McNeil, Senior Vice President of Academics. “I believe she will bring a collaborative presence, creative curiosity, and a love for the text.”
The new hire is part of the continued growth of the theology programs at The Seattle School as we expand our capacity to train therapists, pastors, artists, leaders, and social entrepreneurs to be competent in the study of text, soul, and culture in order to serve God and neighbor through transforming relationships.