Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies
Dr. Maxwell’s areas of research interest include New Testament studies, especially literary and rhetorical methodologies; biblical interpretation; and the history of the Christian church. She is currently working on projects that consider the audience’s formation and participation in hearing the biblical story, both in ancient times and the modern world. She has particular interest in biblical storytelling, and is certified through the Network of Biblical Storytellers.
Her dissertation project, Hearing Between the Lines (T&T Clark, Library of New Testament Studies, 2010), explores the audience’s active role in receiving – and telling – the story of Luke-Acts. Dr. Maxwell has published several articles on performance criticism, interpretive methodologies, and ancient rhetoric. She has presented papers at regional and national meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature on topics of characterization in the gospels, rhetorical features of ancient narrative, performance criticism, and the role of the audience in ancient narratives. She has also presented on topics such as biblical storytelling and oral culture. At PBA, Dr. Maxwell enjoys visiting with students inside and outside of class, especially mentoring women one-on-one as they seek to mature in their faith. She regularly greets new students and their families when they visit the campus, and she works to make new students’ transition to PBA as smooth as possible. Prior to coming to PBA, she served as the director of undergraduate academic programs at the South Texas School of Christian Studies in Corpus Christi, Texas, and lectured in New Testament, Greek, and church history for programs offered by Howard Payne University and Logsdon Seminary. She is married to Dr. Nathan Maxwell, who also teaches in the School of Ministry. When not in class or meeting with students, Dr. Maxwell enjoys scuba diving, baking, reading fiction, and playing cars with her two young sons.
Degrees:
B.A., Hardin-Simmons University; M.Div. Logsdon Seminary; Ph.D., Baylor University.