James Edwards (1997-present) professor of theology
In my first year in Whitworth's Bruner-Welch Endowed Chair of Theology, I spent the fall semester as a member of the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, where five months of uninterrupted time and the unparalleled theological resources of Speer Library allowed me to complete the writing of my book The Hebrew Gospel and the Development of the Synoptic Tradition, on which I have been working for a dozen years. CTI invites twelve scholars to pursue projects in an environment dedicated to scholarship, worship, and fellowship. I was impressed with the caliber of the scholars in residence, who came from South Africa, Europe, and the States, and I learned much about a wide range of theological pursuits in conversation with them. While in Princeton, I ate lunch each Wednesday with Whitworth alums now attending Princeton Seminary. It was interesting and informative for me to see theological education from their perspective rather than from my own professorial viewpoint. One thing was clear, however: they are more grateful than ever for the education they received at Whitworth -- particularly for the way their teachers engaged with them. Both of our children -- our daughter and her family, and our son and his family --  live in Princeton. Janie and I felt so blessed to be in the same town with our kids, their talented spouses, and our four wonderful grandchildren, rather than our usual 3,000 miles apart.

I returned to Whitworth in the spring semester and taught 25 students in New Testament Greek, 45 students in Gospel of Mark, and another 45 students in a new course on the Book of Genesis. My time at CTI was profitable and productive, but I flourish at Whitworth. It is invigorating to be back in the classroom, stimulated by the lives of Whitworth students and by their questions and conversations. I also continue to travel with and for Whitworth. Adam Neder and I have 26 excellent and accomplished students signed up to study the Reformation and the German church struggle in January 2009 in Germany. This month Janie and I will lead two groups of trustees, donors and friends of Whitworth on tours of ancient Christian sites in Turkey. And this spring, shortly after Easter, I spoke to 200 lively and faithful pastors at the West Coast Pastors' Conference in Mt. Hermon, Calif.

In John 9:4, Jesus says to the disciples, "You must do the works of the one who sent me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one will be able to work." This is a special season in my life. God has given me important work to do at Whitworth and beyond, and I pray that I may be faithful in fulfilling my call.