New Testament
Meal Fellowship, Early Christianity
Luke-Acts
Biography
Second year PhD student in New Testament/Early Christianity.
MA in New Testament — Denver Seminary (2022).
My research focuses on the role meal fellowship and the food motif plays in the development of Christianity in the book of Acts. I am interested in gaining insight into the growth of the early church as it relates to the mission of God, and the author's placement of meal scenes at key junctures of its growth.
My interest in this topic comes from serving as the founder and pastor of a dinner church and non-profit organisation in inner city Denver (Colorado, USA) for over a decade. We found that eating together was a powerful way to cut through socio-economic barriers as anyone from the homeless to the wealthy gathered around tables to enjoy a meal and remember Jesus. This led me to become curious about the practical, everyday dynamics happening among the first Christians as they sought to live out their faith within the Roman Empire.
Research
My areas of interest are early Christianity, particularly in the areas of the spread of Christianity in the Greco-Roman world.
I am interested in the role of meal fellowship as a central act of worship in early Christian communities (and the related issues of Eucharist), the inclusion of marginalised people groups in early Christianity (and therefore the social and anthropological implications of early Christians eating together), and perceptions of early Christianity by non-Christians.
Teaching and Supervisions
Westminster College, University of Cambridge. Teacher, Beginner's Biblical Greek for Vacation Term for Biblical Study (VTBS), July 2024, 2025.
Supervision:
Undergraduate Supervisor, Paper A1b (Elementary New Testament Greek). From Lent Term 2025 to present.
Presentations:
"A Tale of Two Polemics: Revelations about Early Christianity from Lucian's Peregrinus and Alexander." Paper delivered at 2025 EABS/International SBL Meeting in Uppsala, Sweden (Graeco-Roman Society and the New Testament program unit), 25th June 2025.
"Meal Fellowship and the Growth of the Early Church." Paper delivered at 2024 SBL Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA (Social Scientific Criticism of the New Testament program unit), 23rd November 2024.
"Christians, Accusations, and Myths: Eating People? Or, An Eating People?" Paper delivered at 2024 BNTS Annual Meeting in Glasgow, Scotland (Early Christianity program unit), 23rd August 2024.
"The Significance of Jesus' Meals in Luke's Travel Narrative." Paper delivered at 2023 AAR Rocky Mountain Great Plains Regional Meeting in Denver, CO (New Testament and Everyday Life program unit), 24th March 2023.
Other Professional Activities
Co-chair, New Testament Post-Graduate Seminar, 2024/2025 academic year to present.
