Robert Allen Hill

Dean of Marsh Chapel; Professor of New Testament and Pastoral Theology

Dean Hill teaches in the areas of biblical studies and practical theology. Since 1981 he has taught in several schools, including McGill University, Syracuse University, Lemoyne College, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Northeastern Seminary, United Seminary, and various church settings. His passionate interest lies at the intersection of Scripture and life, especially in the work of preaching. Hence his research has combined publication related to the Gospel of John and Gnosticism, on the one hand, and preaching in ministry, on the other. For example, An Examination and Critique of the Understanding of the Relationship Between Apocalypticism and Gnosticism in Johannine Studies appeared in 1997, while Snow Day: Reflections on the Practice of Ministry in the Northeast was published in 2000. Most of his writing, however, has been devoted to weekly sermons, delivered over thirty years in seven pulpits, some of which are collected, taped, and published. Hill has taught Greek, New Testament, preaching, the practice of ministry, church administration, and other topics. His perspective on pastoral theology focuses on the special needs of the church in the Northeastern United States in the twenty-first century. He is writing a monograph on exegetical imagination, tentatively titled Designs for Preaching.