Distinguished Faculty Lecture 2026–2027
Mathilde Frey, Ph.D. professor of biblical studies/Hebrew Bible
The Art of Reading Beyond Words and Beliefs: When Scripture Reads Us
Sunday, November 8, 2026, 7 p.m. Melvin K. West Fine Arts Center.
The Art of Reading Beyond Words and Beliefs: When Scripture Reads Us
Reading Scripture faithfully is more than understanding words, recovering ancient meanings, or reducing the Bible to a uniform voice. It requires attentive listening and a patient, imaginative encounter with the text. Such reading resists flattening Scripture into propositions or resolving every tension into certainty. For Mathilde Frey, professor of Biblical Studies/Hebrew Bible, this means “inhabiting” the biblical canon’s rich dialogue, where diverse voices and images portray human experience and bear witness to the mystery of God. Its stories, metaphors, and symbols have fascinated her since childhood and shaped her academic journey.
In the 2026 Distinguished Faculty Lecture, Frey will examine how immersing oneself in Scripture does more than inform or confirm a belief system. Deep engagement reshapes our imagination, refines our moral perception, and enlarges our capacity for compassion. It opens us to dimensions of revelation beyond linguistic analysis or doctrinal formulation. Scripture’s deepest purpose is not simply to be understood, but to transform those who enter its stories with humility, openness, and trust.
Mathilde Frey
Professor of Biblical Studies/Hebrew Bible
Sunday, November 8, 2026, 7 p.m.
The lecture will be streamed here
Previous lecturers
Archive of previous lecturers
2025–2026
Johanna Attoh, Professor of Economics and Finance
2024–2025
David Cowles, Professor of Biology
2023–2024
Rodd Strobel, Chair Department of Health and Physical Education
2022–2023
Jerry Hartman, Professor of Communication
2021–2022
Austin Archer, Professor of Psychology and Education
2020–2021
Dave Thomas, Professor of Practical Theology and Apologetics
2019–2020
Debbie Muthersbaugh, Professor of Education
2018–2019
Kari Firestone, Professor of Nursing
2017–2018
Pedrito Maynard-Reid, Professor of Theology
2016–2017
Paul Dybdahl, Professor of Theology
2015-2016
Kellie Bond, Associate Professor of English
2014–2015
Linda Emmerson, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
2013–2014
David Bullock, Professor of Communication
2012–2013
Karen Tetz, Professor of Nursing
2011–2012
Joseph G. Galusha Jr., Professor of Biology
2010–2011
Pamela Keele Cress, Professor of Social Work and Sociology
2009–2010
Thomas M. Thompson, Professor of Mathematics
2008–2009
Gregory D. Dodds, Associate Professor of History
2007–2008
Bruce C. Johanson. Professor of Biblical Studies
2006–2007
Jon A. Cole, Professor of Engineering
2005–2006
Beverly G. Beem, Professor of English
2004–2005
James R. Nestler, Professor of Biology
2003–2004
Alden L. Thompson, Professor of Biblical Studies
2002–2003
Kraig S. M. Scott, Associate Professor of Music
2001–2002
Douglas R. Clark, Professor of OT and Archaeology
2000–2001
Rodney Heisler, Professor of Engineering
1999–2000
C. Loren Dickinson, Professor of Communication
1998–1999
Roland R. Blaich, Professor of History
1997–1998
Verlie Y. F. Ward, Professor of Education
1996–1997
Thomas J. Emmerson, Professor of Art
1995–1996
Claude C. Barnett, Professor of Physics
1994–1995
Terrie Dopp Aamodt, Professor of English and History
1993–1994
Ernie J. Bursey, Professor of Biblical Studies