Audrey L. S. West

Adjunct Associate Professor of New Testament

Education

B.S. University of California, Davis
M.Div. Yale University
S.T.M. Yale University
Ph.D. Duke University

Profile

Audrey West, who teaches Greek and New Testament, joined the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago faculty in 2000, fresh from a doctoral program at Duke University where she engaged in a dissertation that brought together the fields of New Testament and Ethics. Prior to her formal theological studies, she was a swim coach and the national executive director of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Volunteers for Youth, overseeing a youth service program in 60 colleges and universities. She once sang with a cappella groups called "A Pack o 'Lips" and "Sacramental Winers."

Biography

Audrey L. S. West is associate professor of New testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. On the seminary's faculty since 2000, she teaches Greek with a special emphasis on Paul, particularly the letter to the Philippians. Her research interests are in ancient Greco-Roman conventions of friendship and the intersection between the New Testament and contemporary ethics. Prior to joining the seminary's faculty, she was an adjunct instructor of pastoral theology at Moravian Theological Seminary.

A frequent guest lecturer, West has made presentations at the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature (AAR/SBL) national meetings. Since 1999, she has co-chaired the poster session for the SBL annual meeting. Her service to the church includes preaching, speaking at pastor's conferences and teaching adult forums throughout the United States for both ELCA and Moravian Church congregations.

West received the doctor of philosophy degree in New Testament from Duke University in 2001. Minor fields of study include ethics and feminist philosophy. While at Duke, she was a teaching assistant and preceptor lecturing preaching, ethics, and the Old and New Testaments.

The master of divinity and master of sacred theology degrees were bestowed by Yale Divinity School where she was awarded the Two Brothers Fellowship in biblical studies and the Mersick Prize in homiletics and public speaking. In addition, she received a four-year graduate fellowship from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and a fellowship from the P.E.O., a women's educational sorority. Since coming to LSTC West has received a donation from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning, as well as the Award of Excellence from the Association of Christian Publishers for her study on the Parables.

Prior to her theological studies, West was national executive director for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Volunteers for Youth, where she administered a program for at-risk junior high school youth. After that, she consulted with non-profit organizations in the areas of group dynamics, conflict resolution, fundraising, and decision-making, and was director of youth ministries for an ELCA congregation in the Kansas City area.

Titled Presentations

Christ speaks to the Church: Parables and Signs
God's World, Real World (The Parables)
Speaking Out: Women in the New Testament
How to "Think the Same" When We're Not the Same (Philippians)
Origins of the Gospels

Various topical presentations:

End-of-Life Decisions and the Bible
Friendship ethics
Teaching the Bible in the Church

Published Works

Everyday Surprises: The Parables of Jesus: Leader Guide. Women of the ELCA. Augsburg Fortress (2004).

"Everyday Surprises: The Parables of Jesus: A study of the parables in Matthew and Luke." Lutheran Woman Today. September 2004-May 2005.