Milligan hires new Bible, humanities professor

Among the decisions made throughout the several board meetings held last week, Milligan acquired a new Bible and humanities professor: John Jackson, who will join Milligan’s faculty this fall.
Jackson will be teaching freshman humanities and Old Testament and New Testament survey, as well as other Bible courses.

A new faculty member was needed to fill the spot left open after Dr. Jason Bembry resigned as professor of Bible and humanities at Milligan to accept a position at Emmanuel School of Religion.
Applicants who had submitted their resumes last fall when Bembry originally filled the position were re-examined, resulting in two on-campus interviews.

Jackson looks forward to teaching and impacting undergraduates at Milligan, given students’ time of life. “It’s an exciting time of life to go off to college and contemplate a career and the way you want to spend your life, and I like the idea of being able to help students as they think about some of the important questions of life,” Jackson said.

Jackson graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Bible and a Master of Divinity degree from Abilene Christian University in Texas. He then earned a Master in Sacred Theology in Old Testament from Drew University (N.J.) and is currently in the process of completing his dissertation at Duke University (N.C.).

While minister at the Vails Gate Church of Christ in New York, Jackson taught part time at a private high school in New York for seven years. He has taught Old Testament courses at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Duke University and Greensboro College (N.C.).

Jackson said he has always wanted to teach at a liberal arts college. “I like Milligan’s comprehensive focus on the humanities and the opportunity to teach students in my Bible classes who will be church leaders in the near future,” Jackson said. “I really look forward to the community atmosphere at Milligan and the opportunity to form long-lasting relationships with students, both while they are at school and after they graduate.”