Religion & Philosophy

Alex Thompson

Associate Professor of Religion

(217) 502-0767

[email protected]

Bio

Dr. Alex Thompson is Assistant Professor of Religion at Tennessee Wesleyan University. He earned his B.A. in Archaeology, Classics, and Biblical Studies from the University of Evansville, a M.Litt. in Scripture and Theology from the St. Andrews University as the Bobby Jones Fellow, and a M.Div. from Candler School of Theology. He completed his PhD in New Testament at Emory University. His dissertation, published by De Gruyter as Recognition and the Resurrection Appearances of Luke 24, examines the role of recognition in the resurrection appearance of Luke 24 through the lens of anagnorisis as articulated by Aristotle and developed in Jewish and Greco-Roman literature. He argues that this recognition tradition not only shaped the form of Luke’s appearance stories but also informs the function of the stories as the climax of the Gospel.

Dr. Thompson’s future research will expand his study of the resurrection appearances to include the other canonical and non-canonical gospels. His other research interests include Luke-Acts, Revelation, literary approaches to the New Testament, and the intersection of theology and popular culture. He is also an ordained United Methodist minister in the Holston Conference. As a pastor and theologian, he has written a popular level Advent study called O Come Emmanuel: An Advent Study. Dr. Thompson also serves as the director of the Honors Program and leads the Christian Ministries program at TWU. He is married with two children and lives in the Athens area.

Courses

  • REL 101

    Introduction to the Bible

  • REL 207

    World Religions

  • REL 300

    Jesus and the Gospels

  • REL 305

    Explorations in Biblical Theology (Old Testament Narratives, Paul and His Letter, Apocalyptic)

  • REL 220

    Religion and Literature

  • REL 336

    Introduction to Ancient Greek I

  • REL 336

    Introduction to Ancient Greek II

  • REL 445

    Readings in New Testament Greek

  • REL 446

    Readings in New Testament Greek

  • HON 102

    The Common Good

  • HON 451

    Honors Program Capstone Seminar

  • CHM 225

    Introduction to Christian Ministry

  • CHM 227

    Ministry Settings and Issues

  • CHM 320

    Christian Spiritual Formation I

  • CHM 321

    Christian Spiritual Formation II

  • CHM 325

    Christian Ministry Practicum I

  • CHM 327

    Christian Ministry Practicum II

Publications

  • O Come Emmanuel: An Advent Study. Wipf & Stock: Eugene, OR. 2022.

  • “How Do you Read? The Relationship of Hospitality and Theological Interpretation in Luke-Acts.” Pages 179-194 in Theological Interpretation and Spiritual Formation. Edited by Ryan A. Brandt and John Frederick. BINS 206. Brill: Leiden. 2023.

  • “Dagon and Idolatry: A Reading of Lovecraft’s Use of the Bible in “Dagon” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” Pages 29-44 in H.P. Lovecraft and Theology. Edited by Austin Freeman. Theology and Pop Culture Series. Lexington Books: Lanham, 2022.

  • “The Redactional Tendencies of Kidz Bop: A Strategy for Teaching New Testament Redaction Criticism.” Didaktikos (Nov 2020): 36-8.

  • “The Risen Christ and Ambiguous Afterlife Language: The Use of πνευμα in Luke 24:36-43.” Journal of Biblical Literature 138.4 (Dec 2019): 809-27.

  • “Laughing to the Grave and Back Again: The Humor of Acts 20:7-12.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament. 42.2 (Dec 2019): 223-236.

  • “Thwarting the Enemies of God: Contrasting the Death of Herod and the Resurrection of Jesus in Luke-Acts.” Pages 93-110 in Reactions to Empire: Sacred Texts in Their Socio-Political Contexts. Edited by John Anthony Dunne and Dan Batovici. WUNT 2.372. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2014.