Robert Van Voorst
(616) 392-8555 x121
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Robert E. Van Voorst

Professor of New Testament

B.A. Hope College

M.Div. Western Theological Seminary

Ph.D. Union Theological Seminary (New York)

"The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ witnessed by the New Testament is the foundation of the Christian faith. The health of the church in every age, and the effectiveness of its ministers, is directly related to how well it builds on this biblical foundation in interpretation, teaching, and preaching. Teaching the New Testament to Western students preparing for various ministries is a high calling and a stimulating, rewarding experience."

 

WorldRELGbookcover.pngRELG: World, 1st ed. (Cengage Learning, Jan. 2012)

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Anthology of World Scriptures, 7th ed. (Wadsworth, 2010)

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Anthology of World Scriptures: Eastern Religions (Wadsworth, 2006)

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Anthology of World Scriptures: Western Religions (Wadsworth, 2006)

 

PastorsStudyBible-bookcover.pngThe Pastor's Bible Study, Vol. 3 (co-author, Abingdon Press, 2006)

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Reading the New Testament Today (Wadsworth, 2004)

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Building Your New Testament Greek Vocabulary, 3rd ed. (Society of Biblical Literature, 2001)

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Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence (Eerdmans, 2000)

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Readings in Christianity, 2nd ed. (Wadsworth-Cengage, 2000)

anthology_scriptures_asian.pngAnthology of Asian Scriptures (Wadsworth, 2000)
death_of_Jesus.jpgThe Death of Jesus in Early Christianity (co-author) (Hendrickson, 1995)
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The Ascents of James: History and Theology of a Jewish-Christian Community. Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series 112. (Scholars Press, 1989.)

    • BF100 New Testament Greek
        An introduction to New Testament Greek vocabulary, grammatical forms, and sentence structure using inductive learning methods, with a view to New Testament Greek as a resource for ministry.
    • BF101 New Testament Translation and Interpretation
        Continues BF100, with special emphasis upon syntax and translation. Introduces the tools and principles of biblical interpretation. Emphasis given to engaging the New Testament in its own linguistic, historical, and canonical context. Prerequisite: BF100
    • BF102 New Testament Life and Witness
        An introduction to the content, history, and theological dynamism of the writings of the New Testament. Emphasis is placed upon missiological interactions among gospel, culture, and tradition in the New Testament writings as the foundation for the church’s witness.
    • BF530 Letter to the Romans
        An introduction and overview of the letter, together with exegetical study of selected portions in Greek. Prerequisite: BF100, BF101& BF102 or equivalent
    • BF533 Gospel According to Mark
        An exegetical reading of Mark together with translation of key passages. Prerequisite: BF100, BF101 & BF102 or equivalent
    • BF534 Acts of the Apostles
        Introductory material combined with an understanding of the entire book and the exegesis of selected passages in Greek. Prerequisite: BF100, BF101 & BF102 or equivalent
    • BF541 Letters to the Philippians and Galatians
        An exegetical study of two Pauline letters in light of modern interpretation, with attention to their use in modern theology and the preaching and teaching of the church. Selected Greek passages will be studied in depth. Prerequisite: BF100, BF101 & BF102
    • BF613 Greek Reading
        Maintains and enhances Greek language skills through weekly translation practice. Pass/fail, 1 credit.
    • TF632 Christianity and World Religions
        An introduction to the beliefs and prac- tices of the major religions of the world, with a study of their scriptural traditions. New religious movements such as Baha’i, The Unification Church, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (“Mormons”) are also treated, paying special attention to their relationship to Christianity. The Christian theological response to other religions is also considered.

Background

Ordained in the RCA, Robert Van Voorst served for twelve years as the pastor of Rochester Reformed Church in Accord, New York, while he pursued doctoral study. In 1989 he became a professor of religion at Lycoming College, a United Methodist liberal arts college, and served for three years as chair of its religion department. While teaching college, he was an interim pastor in four Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregations, preached widely in north-central Pennsylvania, and was a visiting professor in Westminster College in Oxford, England.

At Western, Dr. Van Voorst researches and teaches primarily in New Testament language and literature, and secondarily in the relationship of Christianity and other world religions. He maintains an active schedule of preaching and teaching in Michigan churches of several denominations. He writes frequently on theology and ministry in a variety of scholarly journals and contributes articles to reference works. He is the author of ten books, including widely-used textbooks drawing on his teaching experience.

One of his research monographs, Jesus Outside the New Testament, examines traditions about Jesus from pagan, Jewish, and Christian documents before and after the New Testament and has been published in Italian. His Reading the New Testament Today textbook is being published in Chinese.

Dr. Van Voorst is a member of the Tyndale Fellowship, an international association of biblical researchers based in Cambridge, England. He has been named for more than twelve years to Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World for his contributions to the field of religious studies and to the Christian ministry.

Adult Education Courses

Dr. Van Voorst is prepared to lead the following Adult Education courses at your church:
  • The Sermon on the Mount (4-6 sessions)
  • The Acts of the Apostles (4-8 sessions)
  • The Book of Revelation (4-6 sessions)
  • Christianity and other Religions (2-4 sessions)
  • Difficult Issues Facing the Church: Homosexuality, Religious Pluralism, and Ecumenical Relations (3 sessions)
  • The Gospel of Luke (4-8 sessions)
  • Humor in the Christian Life (1-2 sessions)
  • Understanding Islam (3-4 sessions)