"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Brian Jason Alderman
Title:
Chaplain and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion
School:
College of Arts and Sciences
Office Location:
Bristol Campus: Tadlock-Wallace 202
Office Phone:
(423) 652-4708
Email:
Biography
When I left for college right out of high school, I had things all mapped out -- or at least I thought I did. I planned to enroll in college as a pastoral ministry major, finish in four years, and then begin pastoring somewhere far away from my hometown of Galax, Va. What I didn't count on was falling in love with learning, especially learning dead languages and exploring the discipline of biblical studies.
My newfound desire for wisdom and knowledge and a professor's urging to consider teaching as a calling complicated my initial vocational plans. I made the decision to pursue an M.Div. at Princeton Theological Seminary, where I continued to grapple with what I felt then was a tension between a call to pastoral ministry and a call to teach. Even so, I chose to pursue Ph.D. studies in Hebrew Bible and later accepted a teaching position at Lee University, where I taught for six years. After Lee, I pastored the Madisonville Presbyterian Church (PCUSA) while also serving as Chaplain and adjunct professor at Hiwassee College in Madisonville, TN.
My work at King now as chaplain and professor brings together my great love for pastoral ministry and teaching Biblical Studies and Religion.
Education
Ph.D., Hebrew Bible, Emory University
M.Div., Princeton Theological Seminary
B.A., Lee College
Recent Publications and Presentations
Brian J. Alderman and Brent A. Strawn, “A Note on Peshitta Job 28:23,” Journal of Biblical Literature 129:3 (2010): 449-456.
“Empowering vs. Enabling: Developing Independent Learners” (January 21, 2010), Center for Teaching Excellence, Lee University, Cleveland, TN.
Invited panelist, “A Review of Chalice Introduction to the Old Testament,” Southeastern Commission for the Study of Religion, Winston-Salem, NC, March 12, 2005
“What Job and His Three Friends Could Learn from a Liberal Arts Education (and What We Could Learn from Them): The Liberal Arts as a Model for Exploration and
Understanding,” Lee University, September 24, 2004.
Current research
My research explores the nature of dialogue and cultures of argument in the Book of Job. I am currently focusing on Job's speeches in relation to God and the speech of Elihu.