Randy W. Nelson, Ph.D.

Randy Nelson has been teaching full-time at University of Northwestern for 25 years. He served as Chair of the Department of Biblical & Theological Studies for nine years.

Nelson, a graduate of Northwestern and a licensed minister with pastoral experience, enjoys engaging his students in discussion about the Bible and theology. His teaching style is interactive in order to challenge his students to a new level of academic rigor.

He has twice been nominated by students for “Who’s Who Among American Teachers.” He also enjoys serving the Northwestern community. He has chaired two faculty committees, as well as two task forces.

In 2007, Nelson received the Excellence in Service faculty award at Northwestern.

Nelson has been married to his wife, Kristen for 35 years. Together they have two adult children, Joshua and Rebekah, both of whom attended Northwestern.

Specialty Areas

• Gospel Studies
• Life of Christ
• Jesus Research
• Hermeneutics

Professional Accomplishments

Publications

• “Exegeting Forgiveness,” American Theological Inquiry 5.2 (July 2012), 33–58.
• “What is a Worldview?” in Christian Contours: How a Biblical Worldview Shapes the Mind and Heart, ed. by Douglas S. Huffman (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2012).
• “The Challenge of Canonical Criticism to Background Studies,” Journal of Biblical Studies 6.1 (June 2006), 10–34.

Podcasts

• “Jesus in the Gospel of Mark” for Faith Radio, March 2021
• “How Faith Conquers Fear” for Faith Radio, January 2021

Presentations

“The Jesus Seminar’s Quest for the Historical Jesus,” presented at Regional Evangelical Theological Society Meeting, Fort Wayne, Indiana, March 16–17, 1996.

“Does God Ever Cause Suffering?” presentation at the Northwestern Scholarship Symposium, May 5, 2023.

“The Healing Power of Forgiveness” at the Association for Christians in Student Development (ACSD) Regional Student Leadership Conference,Oct. 29, 2011.

“Christ-centered Higher Education,” presentation for Northwestern Student Leaders Retreat at Camp Korois, Aug. 12, 2010.

“Unconditional Forgiveness,” presented at New Hope Center, Dec. 13, 2010.

“From Messianic Movement to Christian Church,” presented at Woodbury Baptist Church, January 2011.

“Forgiveness: Vertical and Horizontal,” a 4-session presentation at GracePoint Church, February 2011.

“Toward a Theology of Horizontal Forgiveness,” presented at the Northwestern Scholarship Symposium, May 7, 2010.

“The Case for Unconditional Forgiveness,” presented at Regional Evangelical Theological Society Meeting, St. Paul, Minnesota, March 19, 2010.

“To What End? The Contribution of Jesus Research to Christian Faith,” presented at National Evangelical Theological Society Meeting, Providence, Rhode Island, November 21, 2008.

“Deification of Jesus according to The Davinci Code,” presented at the Northwestern Scholarship Symposium, May 5, 2006.

“The Historical Jesus,” presented at Northwestern Scholarship Symposium, May 6, 2005.

“The Challenge of Canonical Criticism to Background Studies,” presented at National Evangelical Theological Society Meeting, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, November 16, 2005.

“The Challenge of Narrative Criticism to Background Studies,” presented at Regional Evangelical Theological Society Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri, April 18, 2005.

“Reconsidering the ‘Scholarly Death’ of the Apocalyptic Jesus,” presented at National Evangelical Theological Society Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts, November 17, 1999.

“The Jesus Seminar Resurrects the Old (Secularizing) Quest,” presented at National Evangelical Theological Society Meeting, Orlando, Florida, November 19–21, 1998.