Dr Kent Brower
Senior Research Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Biblical Studies
I first worked at BINC (now NTC) while a research student. After nine years at CNC (now Ambrose University, Calgary), I returned in 1988 as Dean and Lecturer in Biblical Studies. I have also taught in ten countries outside the UK.
My PhD thesis, completed under the supervision of Professor F. F. Bruce, began my long-standing interest in narrative and intertextual readings. Publications include jointly edited volumes, several articles in journals, dictionaries and essay collections, monographs, and a major commentary on Mark. Amongst other activities, I have served as secretary to the New Testament Study Group in the Tyndale Fellowship, editor for the Gospels and Acts section of the New Beacon Bible Commentary, committee of reference for a range of publications and as co-chair of the Synoptic Gospels section of the British New Testament Conference. Current research interests focus primarily on issues surrounding community, purity and holiness in the late second temple period and the NT.
My passion for global theological education grows out of my concern for justice and empowerment of those who through gender, race or social location, are on the margins and often excluded from the conversation. Part of this passion is expressed through extensive work with the International Board of Education, but primarily through the research programme at the College. Eighteen students have successfully defended PhD theses under my supervision.
I am an active lay-person in Longsight Community Church of the Nazarene. Social justice issues, especially asylum and migration, are important to me. My wife Francine is a specialist in autistic spectrum disorder. Coming from a farming background I continue to be fascinated by all things agricultural; sport, especially football and cricket, is a significant interest outside the academic world.
Dr Kent Brower has a comprehensive academic background in theology and biblical studies:
1967: Bachelor of Sacred Literature from Canadian Nazarene College, Winnipeg.
1968-69: Postgraduate study in Educational Method & Curriculum at Eastern Nazarene, Boston.
1969: Master of Arts from Eastern Nazarene, Boston, with a thesis titled “Jewish Apocalyptic and the Thessalonian Epistles.”
1978: Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Manchester, with a thesis titled “The Old Testament in the Markan Passion Narrative.”
Dr Kent Brower’s teaching areas are focused on Biblical Studies, and his responsibilities include:
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Proposed Taught Programmes: He is involved in teaching and supervision for both BA and MA programmes.
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Subject Areas/Course Units: Dr. Brower teaches all units in Biblical Studies.
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Teaching and Assessment Responsibilities: His roles include being a unit leader, unit marker, and dissertation supervisor.
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Postgraduate Research Supervision: He supervises PhD students, serving as both a main and co-supervisor.
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Current and Past Teaching Areas: He has taught Biblical Studies at both BA and MA levels.
These responsibilities highlight Dr Brower’s extensive involvement in teaching and supervising students in the field of Biblical Studies.
Dr Kent Brower’s research interests and publications are extensive and cover a wide range of topics within biblical studies and theology. Here is an overview:
Research Interests
Dr. Brower’s current research interests include:
- Gospel of Mark
- Holiness and Mission
- Pauline Theology
- Purity and Holiness
Books and Articles in Journals
- 2010: Living as God’s Holy People: Holiness and Community in Paul. Carlisle: Paternoster.
- Articles for the Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics, Grand Rapids: Baker.
Contributions to Edited Volumes
- 2012: Mark: A Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition in New Beacon Bible Commentary. Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press.
- 2014: “Holiness and Community in 1 John” in The Path of Holiness: Perspectives in Wesleyan Thought in Honor of Herbert B McGonigle. Eugene: Wipf and Stock.
- 2014: “Purity in John” in Purity: Essays in Bible and Theology, ed. by Arseny Ermakov and Andrew Brower Latz. Eugene: Wipf and Stock.
Recent Articles
- 2018: “Holiness and Purity in a Post-Christian Age” in The Journal of Wesleyan Thought.
- 2020: “Holiness” in Global Wesleyan Dictionary of Biblical Theology.
- 2020: “Hearing Voices: Identity and Mission in Mark” in Listening Again to the Text: New Testament Studies in Honor of George Lyons. Claremont, CA: Claremont Press.
Public Impact Publications
- 2010: “Transformed by the Resurrection”, Holiness Today, March/April 2010.
- 2016: “Living as God’s Holy People in a Post-Christian Age” on Catalyst Resources.
Named Lectureships
- 1997: Tyndale New Testament Lecturer, Tyndale House, Cambridge.
- 2000: Collins Holiness Lecturer, Canadian Nazarene University College, Calgary, Alberta.
- 2006: Wiley Lecturer, Point Loma Nazarene University, Point Loma, California.
- 2008: Didsbury Lecturer, NTC, Manchester.
Dr Brower has also been involved in various academic and professional public lectures and has contributed reviews to several journals, including Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Evangelical Quarterly, and Journal of Biblical Literature. His work reflects a deep engagement with biblical texts and theological themes, particularly within the Wesleyan tradition.