Wikipedia

Rollin G. Grams

Rollin Gene Grams[1] (born July 25, 1958) is an American theologian and episcopalian priest. He served as the director of the Robert C. Cooley Center for the Study of Early Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.[2] He has also lectured at the University of Oxford and Stellenbosch University in South Africa.[3]

The Reverend
Rollin G. Grams
Born
Rollin Gene Grams

(1958-07-25) July 25, 1958 (age 66)
Welkom, Free State, Union of South Africa
Occupation
  • Theologian
Spouse
Wendy Davies
​
(m. 1993)​
Children3
Relatives
Academic background
Education
Doctoral advisorJames L. Price
Academic work
DisciplineNew Testament scholar
Sub-discipline
InstitutionsGordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

Early life

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Family

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Grams was born in Welkom in the Free State, South Africa to American missionary parents, Eugene Edgar Grams (1930 - 2016)[4] and Evelyn Phyllis Louton (1931 - 2014), a daughter of A. G. Louton and sister of Edgar Louton.[5] Through his mother, he is part of the prominent extended Louton missionary family in South Africa and has contributed scholarly research on his family.[6]

Education

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Grams earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 1978, majoring in psychology and philosophy, where he was awarded the James B. Angell award. He earned a Master of Theological Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in 1980, graduating summa cum laude and joining the Phi Alpha Chi Honor society. He then pursued a Doctor of Philosophy from Duke University in 1989 in the New Testament and Christian Origins. His PhD dissertation is entitled Gospel and Mission in Paul's Ethics..[3][7] Additionally, he attended the Harvard Divinity School and Central Bible College.

Career

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Academic work

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Grams has been a theological educator since 1985. Since 2006, he has served as a professor of Biblical Theology and Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is also a lecturer at the Oxford Centre for Religion and Public Life and has served as an Overseas Coordinator and Course Designer at the Ridley Institute in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina since 2019.

His previous teaching roles include positions at the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Osijek, Croatia, where he was a Lecturer and Director of the M.A. in Biblical Studies program from 1997 to 1999. Grams also lectured at the International Baptist Theological Seminary in Prague, Czech Republic (1999–2010),[8] and taught New Testament and Greek at Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology in Kenya (1989–1991). He has held visiting lecturer positions at theological institutions across Europe, Africa, and Asia, including Stellenbosch Theological Institute in South Africa, TCM International Institute in Austria, and Asia Theological Centre for Evangelism and Mission in Singapore.

In addition to his teaching, Grams has contributed to academic leadership as Registrar at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary's Charlotte campus, where he helped design the academic curriculum and mentored students in ministry.

Writing

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Grams co-authored the book Unchanging Witness with S. Donald Forston III in 2016, on the issue of Homosexuality.[9][10][11] The book garnered attention, and has been reviewed by the University of Edinburgh.[12] He has also authored Stewards of Grace a biography of his prominent missionary parents, published in 2010 by Wipf and Stock. Additionally, he has published many articles.[13][14][15]

Grams runs the online blog Bible and Mission[16] and served as assistant editor of Transformation Journal from 2002 to 2005.

Media

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Grams posts some of his lectures on YouTube.[17]

Missions

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Grams has been a part time missionary with United World Missions since 2009.[18]

Personal life

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Grams has been married to Wendy Davies Grams since 1993 and has three children.

Selected bibliography

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Books:

  • Unchanging Witness: The Consistent Christian Teaching on Homosexuality in Scripture and Tradition (co-authored with Don Fortson III), B&H Publishing, 2016. ISBN 978-1-4336-8792-1
  • Stewards of Grace: A Reflective, Mission Biography of Eugene and Phyllis Grams in South Africa, 1951-1962, Wipf & Stock, 2010. ISBN 978-1-60899-552-3
  • Rival Versions of Theological Enquiry, International Baptist Theological Seminary, 2005
  • Gospel and Mission in Paul’s Ethics, Duke University, 1989 (unpublished dissertation)

Self-Published E-Books:

  • Pastoral Care for Sinners and the Mission of the Triune God, 2016
  • Gathered for Worship, 2016
  • Thoughts for the Journey (A Devotional), 2017
  • The Mission of Jesus and His Disciples: Studies in the Gospels, 2019
  • Wealth and Poverty in Scripture and the Early Church, 2019
  • Suffering and Hope: Studies on Suffering, Heaven, and the Resurrection, 2020
  • The Church and Western Tribalism: Studies in Theology and Culture, 2020
  • Catechism on Sex and Marriage, 2020
  • The Ethics of Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel, 2020
  • Leadership: Challenging a Paradigm for Christian Ministry, 2020
  • The Moral Witness of Scripture: Community, Narrative, Virtues, and Practices, 2020
  • In the Hall of Tyrannus: Paul and the Culture of His Day, 2020

Edited Books:

  • Academic Reasoning, Research and Writing in Religious Studies: A Concise Handbook (co-edited with Parush R. Parushev), Tribun EU, 2008. ISBN 978-80-7399-099-2
  • Bible and Mission (co-edited with I. Howard Marshall, Peter Penner, and Robin Routledge), Neufeld Verlag, 2008
  • Towards an Understanding of European Baptist Identity (co-edited with Parush R. Parushev), International Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006

Articles:

  • ‘‘Jesus Christ, Raised from the Dead’ (2 Tim. 2.8): Exploring Key Differences over Beliefs about the Resurrection between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam,’ in Jesus and the Resurrection: Reflections of Christians from Islamic Contexts, Regnum Press, 2014
  • ‘Revealing Divine Identity: The Incarnation of the Word in John’s Gospel,’ in Jesus and the Incarnation: Reflections of Christians from Islamic Contexts, Wipf & Stock, 2011
  • ‘‘Not My People?’ Israel and the People of God in Early Christianity,’ in First the Kingdom of God: A Festschrift in Honor of Professor Dr. Peter Kuzmic, Regnum Press and Wipf & Stock, 2011
  • ‘The Shaping of Christian Convictions and the Avoidance of Ideology: Paul’s Contribution to a Vexing Issue in 1 Corinthians,’ Baptistic Theologies, Vol. 3.1, 2011
  • ‘God’s Mercy from Generation to Generation: Luke’s Use of Psalms 105-108 in His Infancy Narrative Songs,’ Baptistic Theologies, 2009
  • ‘Some Geographical and Intertextual Dimensions of Matthew’s Mission Theology,’ in Bible and Mission, Neufeld Verlag, 2008
  • ‘God, the Beneficent-the Merciful, and Jesus’s Cross: From Abstract to Concrete Theologising,’ in Jesus and the Cross: Reflections of Christians from Islamic Contexts, Regnum/Paternoster, 2008
  • 'Ethics,' in Dictionary of Mission Theology: Evangelical Foundations, InterVarsity Press, 2007
  • ‘Paul Among the Mission Theologians,’ Missionalia, 2006
  • 'Not "Leaders" but "Little Ones" in the Father's Kingdom: The Character of Discipleship in Matthew's Gospel,' Transformation, 2004

Book Reviews:

  • James M. Scott, Adoption As Sons of God, in Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol. 113, 1994
  • Gordon D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, in East Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology, Vol. 8.1, 1989
  • Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter, in East Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology, Vol. 8.2, 1989
  • Wolfgang Schrage, The Ethics of the New Testament, in Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology, Vol. 9.1, 1990

References

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  1. ^ "Grams, Rollin Gene, 1958-". Středočeská knihovna v Kladně. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  2. ^ "Rollin G. Grams". Wipf and Stock Publishers. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  3. ^ a b "2020 CV" (PDF). gordonconwell.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15.[non-primary source needed]
  4. ^ "Eugene Grams Obituary (2016) - Springfield, MO - News-Leader". Legacy.com. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  5. ^ "Evelyn Phyllis Grams". greenlawnfuneralhome.com. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  6. ^ Grams, Rollin G. (July 2010). Stewards of Grace. Wipf & Stock Publishers. ISBN 978-1-4982-5928-6. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  7. ^ "Dr. Rollin Grams". Gordon Conwell. Archived from the original on 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  8. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-19. Retrieved 2024-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. ^ "Interview with S. Donald Fortson III and Rollin G. Grams, authors of UNCHANGING WITNESS: THE CONSISTENT CHRISTIAN TEACHING ON HOMOSEXUALITY IN SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION, Part 1". Books At a Glance. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  10. ^ "Unchanging Witness". Reformed Theological Seminary. Archived from the original on 2024-06-05. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  11. ^ Philliber, Michael. ""Unchanging Witness" by Fortson and Grams. A Review". Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. ^ "https://discovered.ed.ac.uk/discovery/fulldisplay?vid=44UOE_INST:44UOE_VU2&search_scope=UoE&tab=Everything&docid=alma9924350351202466&lang=en&context=L&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&query=sub,exact,Birth%20control%20--%20Religious%20aspects". discovered.ed.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  13. ^ https://muckrack.com/rollin-grams/articles
  14. ^ Grams, Rollin G. (2004). "Not 'Leaders' but 'Little Ones' in the Father's Kingdom: The character of discipleship in Matthew's gospel". Transformation. 21 (2): 114–125. doi:10.1177/026537880402100205. ISSN 0265-3788. JSTOR 43053124.
  15. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2022-08-16. Retrieved 2024-09-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "The Pursuit of Greater Meaning in Community: Communism, National Socialism, Radical Islam, and the Church". Bible and Mission. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  17. ^ "Rollin Grams". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2024-04-21. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
  18. ^ "Rollin & Wendy Grams". www.mesaglobal.co. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2024-09-15.
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