Todd Bolen (PhD, 2013) serves as a Professor of Biblical Studies at The Master’s University. His courses cover a wide swath of biblical terrain, as he teaches Old Testament Survey courses, the Psalms, Isaiah, and the History of Ancient Israel—to name a few. He also guides students along their paths, serving as an advisor for the university’s five-year B.A. in Biblical Studies and Master of Divinity program and as an editor for the student-published journal, The Master’s University Journal of Biblical and Theological Studies. Todd enjoys traveling, cycling, photography, reading, and hiking, especially in Israel, which is where his teaching journey started—a journey marked by God’s grace.
Todd first set foot in the land of Israel during a college semester spent studying abroad. He fell in love with the land. It was during that trip, hiking through the Judean wilderness and along the Jordan River, that the Lord revealed Todd’s strengths as a teacher. He found his calling—in the words of Ezra 7:10, “to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his statutes and rules in Israel.” He met Kelli that same semester, as she was also studying in Israel. After their stateside graduation, the two of them jumped on the first plane back to Israel. Before their plane landed, Todd discussed his desire to teach with the President of Jerusalem University, where Todd would earn his MA in Biblical History.
That December, Todd led his first tour—guiding college students on their trek through the Holy Land. The following summer, he served as a professor for a choir trip, teaching students from his undergrad alma mater. Around that time, The Master’s University decided to start an undergraduate school in Israel and staffed it with evangelical professors. Todd and two other teachers served as professors and handled the school’s administration; they were supported by adjunct faculty and part-time staff. Through the University’s Israel-Bible Extension Program (IBEX), Todd ensured that his students covered lots of ground—whether that meant visiting remote sites and mapping out the lay of biblical lands or trekking across Michmash and scaling Judean wadis. Todd was also busy taking pictures. His snapshots captured the lesser-traveled parts of the biblical lands. Those photos are now arranged in photography collections, accompanied by curated notes, so that those who do not have the opportunity to hike through Israel can still gain an intimate knowledge of the land. Those photography collections are available at Bibleplaces.com.
When it was time for Todd and his family to leave Israel, he knew he wanted to know the Bible better. He knew its history, archeology, and geography, but he longed to look more deeply into the sweeping story of God’s revelation. For Todd, that looked like pursuing a PhD in Bible Exposition. Several factors led Todd to DTS—the example of a respected college mentor, Douglas Bookman (PhD, 2002); the rarity of a Bible exposition doctorate; and the DTS Israel trips he had guided. Todd loved those trips, the students, and especially the professors. He didn’t apply anywhere else. DTS was the place for him. All of the professors who sat in on Todd’s entrance exams had spent at least one three-week stint on a tour bus, listening to Todd’s lectures. They already knew what Todd knew, and they knew they could take him a lot farther.
The whole department welcomed Todd into the program. Dr. Stephen Bramer (PhD, 1997), was always encouraging and assisted Todd in exploring the Servant Songs. Todd picked this topic because he knew there was a gap in his knowledge. The research he did for that project, along with a paper on the book of Isaiah, forever changed how Todd read the Bible. Dr. James Allman (ThM, 1977; ThD, 1984) modeled what it looked like to be a genuine man of God—a faithful servant and diligent student of the Scriptures. Todd got to know Dr. Eugene Merrill in Israel, as Dr. Merrill often participated in IBEX digs. Dr. Merrill’s work on the Old Testament had already opened college-aged Todd’s eyes to the text’s history and geography. When Dr. Merrill started joining IBEX on its digs, he would stay at Todd and Kelli’s little house. Later, on the DTS campus, Dr. Merrill would treat Todd to lunch in the cafeteria. Dr. Merrill’s scholarship inspired Todd to write an Old Testament history book, A History of Ancient Israel: From Abraham to Exile, which comes out this October and is coauthored with Michael Grisanti (ThD, 1993).
Even though he didn’t spend his DTS years in Israel, Todd counts them among the best years of his life. The Lord provided a church for Todd and his family, Trinity Bible Church, where they still feel welcome to this day. Their kids also attended an excellent elementary school, just one block away from their home, which helped ease their transition from learning in Hebrew to English.
Todd couldn’t do what he does without the education he received from DTS. His Bible-argument papers still form the backbone of his survey courses. His Old Testament work both ignited his passion for the Messianic hope laced throughout the Hebrew Scriptures and cultivated an especially deep love of the Psalms. Dr. Ron Allen (ThM, 1968; ThD, 1973) brought something out in his Pentateuch course that still sticks with Todd today. In Exodus 33:18, Moses asks the Lord to show him his glory. God takes Moses up Mount Sinai and reveals himself to Moses. God’s glory is in his self-revelation. In that revelation, rather than naming his formal attributes, God identifies himself as the LORD, “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty.” Moses sees the Lord’s goodness and responds with worship. He encounters a God so vastly different from the other gods of the Ancient Near East—a God who cares for the heart. That description of God proves true over and over again throughout the pages of the Old and New Testaments, as God shows himself, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Todd longs for his students to treasure that revelation. God showed his steadfast love to the people of ancient Israel. It is that same steadfast love that comforts and gives hope and strength to the church today.
Todd loves God’s revelation. He also loves teaching. He enjoys everything about it, with maybe one exception—the grading. It’s what he would do even if he didn’t need a paycheck. This past May, a graduating student wrote him a note. It said that Todd’s classes were “opening students’ eyes to the glories of Christ and the beauty of the Scriptures.” That perfectly encapsulates what Todd hopes to do through his teaching.
Todd only teaches Bible classes, so every class is spent diving into the richness of the Scriptures. Anyone who’s been hiking with Todd knows that he likes a challenge and likes to challenge others; he knows that, in the end, everyone will love both the trek and the view. He uses a similar approach in teaching. His undergraduate students are learning to stand on their own, and he challenges them to think for themselves. He knows that they’re capable of thinking deeply, and once they start, they’ll love it. He longs for God’s revelation to change their lives, just like it changes his.
Morgan Dau (ThM, 2023) is an administrative assistant for the Alumni and Career Services Office at Dallas Theological Seminary and a PhD student and writer. She and her husband, An, along with their black cat, call Dallas home.