Published on February 17, 2026 by Neal Embry  
ThielmanMalyszKirk

Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School recently had several faculty members publish or receive recognition for their published work. 

Presbyterian Chair of Divinity Frank Thielman was interviewed by Mere Orthodoxy’s Nadya Williams for his award-winning biography, Paul: Apostle of Grace. 

“I hope that seeing Paul as a real person will encourage Christians who also struggle with their weaknesses,” Thielman said. “God can use each of us, whatever our handicaps and challenges, to communicate to others the life-giving good news that through Christ’s work on the cross and the power of the Holy Spirit, God has offered us forgiveness, transformation and eternal life in His new creation.” 

Old Testament professor Alex Kirk received an outstanding review in Review of Biblical Literature (RBL) for his monograph, Agur's Wisdom and the Coherence of Proverbs 30.  

"Agur’s Wisdom and the Coherence of Proverbs 30 is a well-reasoned academic work that is both beautiful and well-crafted," RBL wrote of his work. "The approach chosen by Kirk, reading Proverbs 30 synchronically through the lens of humor, is clearly expressed in its originality. This perspective invites Kirk and his readers to explore intriguing aspects of Proverbs 30 that might have been overshadowed by traditional exegesis." The full review is available for Society of Biblical Literature members. 

Professor Piotr Malysz contributed a chapter to the recently published T&T Clark Handbook of Modern Theology. With his chapter on the 19th-century German theologian and historian of doctrine, Isaac Dorner (1909-1884), Malysz joins an impressive lineup of renowned international scholars. The volume was co-edited by Beeson alumnus, David Nelson, MDiv ‘04. 

In the conclusion to his chapter, recommending continued engagement with the thought of Isaac Dorner, Malysz writes: “Dorner certainly merits deeper engagement with, and a further refining of, his theological proposals. Our moment may indeed be ripe for such a broader retrieval. A resurgence of the question of what kind of metaphysics is adequate to the Gospel, renewed debates over divine simplicity, questions regarding the nature of God’s agency, an interest in genuinely and distinctly ecclesial ethics and not least critical assessments of Chalcedon’s legacy—all of these make Dorner’s theological contributions worth attending to, if only for the sake of not having to reinvent the wheel, or inadvertently repeating the past’s mistakes.” 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford is widely recognized as having one of the most beautiful campuses in America, featuring rolling hills, meticulously maintained grounds and Georgian-Colonial architecture. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.