David F. Watson
Academic Dean and Vice President for Academic Affairs; Professor of New Testament
TEACHING AND RESEARCH
Dr. Watson teaches New Testament, Greek, courses in church renewal and courses in Bible and disability. His interests include theological (and especially Wesleyan) readings of Scripture and the Bible and disabilities. He participates both in the Society of Biblical Literature and the Wesleyan Theological Society. As Academic Dean, Dr. Watson oversees the academic program of the school and is a member of United’s Executive Staff.
EDUCATION
BA, Texas Tech University (1993)
MDiv, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University (1997)
PhD, Southern Methodist University (2005)
PUBLICATIONS
BOOK(S):
Scripture and the Life of God: Why the Bible Matters Today More than Ever, Seedbed, 2017.
With William J. Abraham, Key United Methodist Beliefs, Abingdon, 2013.
With Joel B. Green, ed., Wesley, Wesleyans, and Reading Bible as Scripture, Baylor University Press, 2012.
Honor Among Christians: The Cultural Key to the Messianic Secret, Fortress, 2010.
ARTICLE(S), CHAPTER(S), AND REVIEW(S):
“Taking Theological Liberalism Seriously,” review of The Rise of Theological Liberalism and the Decline of American Methodism, by James V. Heidinger II, Good News, November/December 2017: 18-22.
“Sorting through Scripture,” review of What is the Bible? How an Ancient Library of Poems, Letters, and Stories Can Transform the Way You Think and Feel about Everything, by Rob Bell, Good News, September/October 2017: 29-31.
“Luke and Acts,” in Disability and the Bible: A Commentary, ed. Sarah J. Melcher, Mikeal C. Parsons, and Amos Yong, Baylor, 2017.
“God is on the Move in Cuba, but Trump Isn’t Helping,” The Christian Post, June 16, 2017.
“Theology, Bible, and Disability: An Overview,” Catalyst: Contemporary Evangelical Perspectives for United Methodist Seminarians, February 8, 2017.
“What Christians Should Know about the Sad State of American Public Discourse,” The Christian Post, November 25, 2016.
Introduction to Romans, The John Wesley Collection, ed. Andrew C. Thompson, Seedbed, 2015.
“Embodiment, Vulnerability, and Relationships: A Father’s Perspective,” Weavings 31.2, Feb/Mar/Apr 2016.
“Methodism and Millennials,” Good News, July/August 2015: 6.
“Honor and Shame,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of Bible and Theology, executive ed. Samuel E. Balentine, Oxford University Press, 2015.
“Cuba’s Methodism,” Good News, March/April 2015, 6.
“The Holy Spirit Fuels Renewal,” Good News, January/February 2015: 14-15.
With William J. Abraham, “A Creedal Faith,” Circuit Rider, November/December/January 2014/15.
With Harriet S. Watson, “God’s Faithfulness and the Challenge of Parenthood,” Good News, September/October 2014: 32-35.
“The Importance of Aldersgate,” Good News, September/October 2014: 6.
“Wrestling with Inspiration,” review of Making Sense of the Bible: Rediscovering the Power of Scripture Today, by Adam Hamilton, Good News, July/August 2014.
Exegesis Essays for Lectionary Homiletics, February 17 and 24, 2013.
“Scripture as Canon,” in Wesley, Wesleyans, and Reading Bible as Scripture, ed. Joel B. Green and David F. Watson, Baylor University Press, 2012.
Review of Disability Studies and Biblical Literature, ed. Candida R. Moss and Jeremy Schipper, Religious Studies Review 38 no. 3 (2012): 150.
Review of Mark: Texts @ Contexts, ed. Nicole Wilkinson Duran, Teresa Okure, and Daniel Patte, Catholic Biblical Quarterly 74 (2012): 420-22.
Response to Joseph H. Hellerman’s review of Honor Among Christians: The Cultural Key to the Messianic Secret, in Conversations in Religion and Theology, 9:2 (2011)
Exegesis Essays for Lectionary Homiletics, October 16 and 30, 2011.
“Spiritual Sobriety in 1 Peter,” Expository Times, 122 (11): 539-42.
Exegesis Essays for Lectionary Homiletics, October 16 and 30, 2011.
Review of Psalms: God Cares How I Feel, curriculum for people with intellectual disabilities by Friendship Ministries, Journal of Religion, Disability, and Health, 15.3 (2011).
“Canonical Theism and Scripture: Reflections on a Scholarly Movement Ten Years After Its Birth,” Wesleyan Theological Journal 46:1, Spring 2011.
“The Life of Aesop and the Gospel of Mark: Two Ancient Approaches to Elite Values,” Journal of Biblical Literature 129.5 (2010): 697-714.
Introduction and notes for the Gospel of Mark, Wesley Study Bible, Abingdon, 2009.
Propers 20-29 in lectionary commentary, New Proclamation Series, Year B (2009), Fortress, 2008.
Exegesis Essays for Lectionary Homiletics, June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, 2008.
“Jesus of History and Canon: Some Thoughts on Interdisciplinary Scholarship,” in Canonical Theism, ed. William J. Abraham, Jason E. Vickers, and Natalie Van Kirk, Eerdmans, 2008.
Review of Reading with Anthropology, by Louise J. Lawrence, Review of Biblical Literature, November 15, 2006.
“The ‘Messianic Secret’: Demythologizing a Non-Existent Markan Theme,” Journal of Theology, Summer 2006.
PROFESSIONAL
Dr. Watson is an ordained elder in the Global Methodist Church. Before beginning his academic career he served in the local church and a United Methodist campus ministry. His most recent book is Scripture and the Life of God: Why the Bible Matters Today More than Ever (Seedbed, 2017). Dr. Watson is Lead Editor at Firebrand (www.firebrandmag.com), blogs at www.davidfwatson.me, and is one of the hosts of “Plain Truth: A Holy-Spirited Podcast,” available on iTunes, Player F.M. and other podcast providers.
PERSONAL
David is married to Harriet. They have two sons: Luke and Sean.