Professor of New Testament

Gary joined the seminary faculty in the fall of 2017 after completing 25 years as professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and Graduate School. His interests center on the gospels (particularly the Gospel of John), the historical Jesus, and the contextual and cultural background of the first century Judea as a framework for interpretation. He has also taught graduate seminars on the integration of psychology and theology as well as the integration of theology and the politics of the Middle East.

Gary is ordained in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and is a frequent speaker at conferences, retreats and churches. For over 15 years while at Wheaton he was on the teaching staff of Willow Creek Community Church (S. Barrington, IL). He also leads faculty development workshops at colleges and seminaries based on his 2015 book, Mapping Your Academic Career. He is also deeply invested in the Middle East and its churches from Iraq to Egypt and travels there annually. He has organized pastors’ conferences, taught at seminaries, and been a frequent conference speaker in settings from Iraq to Egypt. He is often called on to interpret the Israel-Palestine conflict at American churches and denominational settings.

Select Publications:

• The New Testament in Antiquity. Second Edition, with G. Green, (Zondervan, 2009, 2020)
• Life Questions Every Student Asks: Faithful Responses to Common Issues, edited with D. Lauber (IVP 2020)
• The New Testament in Seven Sentences (IVP, 2019)
• Mapping Your Academic Career: The Three Cohorts of a College Professor’s Life (IVP, 2015)
• A Week in the Life of a Roman Centurion (IVP, 2015)
• Theology Questions Everyone Asks. Christian Faith in Plain Language, edited with D. Lauber (IVP, 2014)
• Interpreting the Gospel of John. A Guidebook for Students. Second Edition (Baker Academic, 2013)
• Whose Land? Whose Promise? What Christians Are Not Being Told About Israel and the Palestinians. Second Edition (Pilgrim Press/Paternoster, 2003, 2013)
• Jesus and the Festivals of Judaism (Zondervan, 2012)
• Jesus and the Land (Baker Academic and SPCK, 2010)
• Commentary on the Gospel of John. The NIV Application Commentary (Zondervan, 2000)

Website: www.garyburge.org

Courses Taught

• Taste and See: A Study Tour of Biblical Lands
• Romans

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