I am an ordained elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church. I have held pastorates in Arkansas and Virginia as well as Georgia. I consider pastoral care my strength as a pastor. I have also been a campus minister in Dallas, TX and an associate pastor in London, England. I see my work at McAfee as ministry.

I am also a student of second temple Judaism and early Christianity within Graeco-Roman society. These religious movements simply cannot be understood outside Graeco-Roman culture. I really like the Roman Stoics (e.g., Seneca and Epictetus) and the Middle Platonists, especially Philo, Plutarch and Justin Martyr. Within early Christianity, my favorite writings tend to be the more Jewish ones or those that strive to sustain the link with second temple Judaism. Matthew and Revelation are clearly my favorites, then Luke-Acts and the Johannine literature and finally those writings often described as "early catholic" (Colossians, Ephesians, the Pastorals). This last group signals the final move from a form of Jewish sectarianism to independent institutionalism.

I bring all of me to bear in my research: my ethnicity, my being an Arkansan, my education in King's College London and my own personal history. I have intentionally published in quality "Third World" journals (as well as in North America and Europe) in order to participate in the quality scholarship there and to learn from my colleagues in these places.

Education
Doctor of Philosophy (Biblical Studies), Department of Theology & Religious Studies,
King’s College London, The University of London, 1996. Thesis: “Christ and Community: A socio-historical study of the Christology of Revelation.” Prof. Graham N. Stanton, supervisor.
Master of Arts (Christianity & Judaism in Antiquity), Department of Religious Studies,
University of Virginia, 1992.
Master of Theology; Doctor of Ministry (Christian Education), Perkins School
of Theology, Southern Methodist University, 1978, 1981, respectively.
Thesis: “Leading a Bible Study: Explorations in the Historical-critical method.” Prof. Harold W. Attridge, supervisor.
Bachelor of Arts (Journalism, with Honors), Arkansas Tech University, 1974.

Significant Honors & Awards
Jackson Lecturer, Ministers’ Week, Perkins School of Theology, SMU, February 3-5, 2003.
Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, 2003 (Deferred).
Research Grant, Center for the Humanities & Arts, University of Georgia, 2003 (Declined).
Teaching Research Unit Award, Franklin College of Arts & Sciences, University of Georgia, 2002.
Research Grant, Society of Biblical Literature, 1998.
Research Grant, Office of the Vice President for Research, University of Georgia, 1997.
Overseas Research Scheme Award, Committee of Vice-Chancellors & Principals of the Universities of the United Kingdom, 1992-95 (Declined for 1995).
DuPont Fellow, Department of Religious Studies, University of Virginia, 1984-87.
C. C. Selecman Award in New Testament Greek, Perkins School of Theology, SMU, 1978.

Professional Affiliations
The Society of Biblical Literature
The Catholic Biblical Association (elected in 2001)

Academic Work Experience
Professor of New Testament (with tenure), McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University, 2005-.
Associate Professor of New Testament, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer U., 2003-05.
Associate Professor of Religion/African American Studies (with tenure), University of Georgia, 1998-2003.
Assistant Professor of Religion/African American Studies, University of Georgia, 1995-98.
Lecturer in Religious Studies (part-time), Centre for Extra-Mural Studies, Birkbeck College, The University of London, 1994.
Instructor, Department of Religion, University of Georgia, 1988-92.
Instructor, Course of Study School, Perkins School of Theology, SMU, 1980-88, 94, 2000-02 (Summers).
Academic Dean, Jackson Theological Seminary, 1980-83.

Publications
Books
Christ and Community: A socio-historical study of the Christology of Revelation. JSNT Supplement Series, 178. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1999.

Articles
“Notes on Matthew’s Structure,” JBL 99 (1980) 436.
“The Paraclete as Advocate in the Community of the Beloved Disciple,” Africa Theological Journal 20 (1991) 101-08.
“The Possible Influence of LXX Exod 20:11 upon Acts 14:15,” AUSS 30 (1992) 151-52.
“‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’ Revisited,” NTS 39 (1993) 159-60.
“The Presentation of Paul in Acts,” Bible Bhashyam 19 (1993) 19-46.
“‘Homoion huion anthropou’ in Rev 1:13 and 14:14,” BT 44 (1993) 349-50.
“Sociological Methodology and the New Testament,” Bible Bhashyam 19 (1993) 237-48.
“One Like a Son of Man in First Century CE Judaism,” NTS 41 (1995) 183-98.
“More on Revelation 1:13 and 14:14,” BT 47 (1996) 146-49.
“The Influence of the LXX Proverbs 3:34 Tradition upon Augustine,” Indian Journal of Theology 39 (1997) 51-55.
“Comparisons and the Son of Man,” Bible Bhashyam 24 (1998) 67-78.
“On the Social Setting of the Revelation of John,” NTS 44 (1998) 232-56.
“Pistos kai Alethinos in Revelation 19.11, 21.5, 22.6,” Notes on Translation 12 (1998) 31-33.
“Africa,” “Ebony,” “Pestilence,” and “White” in D. N. Freedman, ed., Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 2000, pp. 24, 366, 1035, 1377.
“On Translating Jeremiah 30:18b,” BT (2003) 135-37.
“Dating the Apocalypse to John,” Bib 84 (2003) 252-58.
“Translating hagios in Col 1,2 and Eph 1,1,” Bib 87 (2006) 52-54.

Reviews
J. L. Segundo, The Hidden Motives of Pastoral Action in Perkins School of Theology Journal (PSTJ) 32:4 (1979) 46-48.
J. M. Efird, Daniel and Revelation in PSTJ 34:1 (1980) 52-53.
Josiah Young, Black and African Theologies in PSTJ 40:3 (1987) 61-62.
J. A. Soggin, Introduction to the Old Testament, 3rd ed., in Journal of the Interdenominational Theological Center (JITC) 16 (1988/89) 313-14.
R. M. Grant, Greek Apologists of the Second Century in JITC 16 (1988/89) 314-16.
G. Vermes, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, 3rd ed., in JITC 16 (1988/89) 316-17.
D. S. Russell, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha in PSTJ 42:1 (1989) 31.
J. L. Womer, ed., Morality and Ethics in Early Christianity in PSTJ 42:1 (1989) 31.
Jack Sanders, The Jews in Luke-Acts in PSTJ 42:4 (1989) 18.
G. M. Burge, The Anointed Community in PSTJ 42:4 (1989) 18.
B. Witherington, III, The Christology of Jesus in JRT 49:1 (1992) 103.
P. C. Stine and E. R. Wendland, eds., Bridging the Gap: African Traditional Religion and the Bible Tradition in JITC 18 (1990/91) 164-66.
L. L. Thompson, The Book of Revelation: Apocalypse and Empire in JITC 20 (1992/93) 139-41.
Richard Bauckham, The Theology of the Book of Revelation in JITC 21 (1993/94) 172-74.
N. T. Wright, The New Testament and the People of God in JRT 51 (1994) 111-12.
Richard Bauckham, The Climax of Prophecy in EvQ 63 (1996) 168-71.
Pablo Richard, Apocalypse: A People’s Commentary on the Book of Revelation in EvQ 71 (1999) 74-77.
Brad R. Braxton, No Longer Slaves: Galatians and the African American Experience,
Review of Biblical Literature, 2004, 568-71.

Ongoing Projects
Commentary on Ephesians, Smith and Helwys series
Commentary on the Johannine epistles, African American one-volume NT commentary, Fortress Press, forthcoming
Speaking Truth to Power: The Apocalypse as Civil Disobedience (tentative title)
One Like a Son of Man in Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity (tentative title)

Thesis Committees
Major Professor
Jonathan Lewis Vinson, “Codex Sinaiticus (01): An Historical, Palaeographical, and Textual Study,” U. of Georgia, 1999 (M. A. thesis).
Harry W. Tolley, Jr., “The Two Ways in the Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas: Is the Origin of the Two Ways Still an Open Question?” U. of Georgia, 1998 (M. A. thesis).
Zachary T. Brissett, “A Biblical Case for Anarchy,” U. of Georgia, 1997 (B. A. Honors thesis).

M. A. Committees
Joshua Kime Lawson, “Holier than Thou? Piety and Paradox in Plato’s Euthyphro And the Binding of Isaac,” U. of Georgia, 2002.
Christi Bamford, “Seeing God in the Hebrew Bible: The Name, the Glory, and the Messenger,” U. of Georgia, 2001.
Dina Maryl Smith Canup, U. of Georgia, 2001.
Matthew Hicks, “How to teach about the Bible in Public Schools,” U. of Georgia, 2001.
Matthew W. Enis, “An Examination of Rhetorical Devices Used to Characterize
Solomon in 1 Kings 3-11 and Joseph in Genesis 37, 39-41, U. of Georgia, 1996.
Aaron E. McCurrie, “Eschatological Punishment in the New Testament,” U. of Georgia, 1998.

Known Citations of Research
Joan E. Taylor, “Ho huios tou anthropou, ‘The Son of Man’: Some Remarks on an Androcentric Convention of Translation,” BT 48 (1997), pp. 101-09, esp. p. 107, nn. 2, 5.
Paul Ellingworth, “Translating ‘The Son of Man’: A Response,” BT 48 (1997), 109-13, esp. p. 110, n. 1.
G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1999), p. 964, n. 394.
C. S. Keener, Revelation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), p.454.
W. Howard-Brook and A. Gwythe, Unveiling Empire (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1999), p. 282.
Randall Bailey in V. Wimbush, ed., African Americans and the Bible (New York: Continuum, 2001), p. 708.
P. Owen and D. Shepherd, “Speaking up for Qumran, Dalman and the Son of Man: Was Bar Enasha a Common Term for ‘Man’ in the Time of Jesus?” JSNT 81 (March 2001), pp. 81-122, especially p. 83, n. 8.
D. E. Aune, Revelation, 3 vols. (WBC 52ABC; Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997-98), pp. 62, 90, 782, 906, 953, 1013.
Hans-Josef Klauck, “Do They Never Come Back? Nero Redivivus and the Apocalypse of John,” CBQ 64 (2001), p. 692, n. 33.
R. B. Vinson, “The Social World of the Book of Revelation,” RevExp 98 (2000), pp. 11-33, esp. pp. 20-21.
G. Rojas-Flores, “The Book of Revelation and the First Years of Nero’s Reign,” Bib 85 (2000), pp. 373-91, esp. nn. 1 and 34.
John J. Collins, The Apocalyptic Imagination, sec. ed. (Grand Rapids/Cambridge, UK: Eerdmans, 1998), p. 192, n. 53.
Delbert Burkett, The Son of Man Debate, SNTSMS 107 (Cambridge, UK: CUP, 1999), pp. 77, 111, 113-14.
S. Pattemore, The People of God in the Apocalypse, SNTSMS 128 (Cambridge, UK: CUP, 2004), pp. 7, 9, 57-58, 122-23, 136, 143, 152, 153, 170, 185, 190, 192-93.
Ben Witherington, III, Revelation, NCBC (Cambridge, UK: CUP, 2003), pp. 7-8, 57, 82, 101, 224.