Jennifer Bird

Jennifer Bird received a BS in Mathematics from Virginia Tech (1994), a Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary (2001) and a PhD in New Testament and Early Christianity from Vanderbilt University (2007).

Throughout her undergraduate years and for several before heading to seminary she volunteered or was on staff with the parachurch outreach, Young Life. Her commitment to the Bible is what sent her to seminary in order to learn the biblical languages and look for herself at what the Bible is saying to and about women.

Now having taught in college, seminary, virtual, and church classrooms across the country for more than 25 years, Dr. Bird’s teaching and writings styles always invite conversation and do not disappoint the curious person.

Her book Permission Granted: Take the Bible into Your Own Hands pulls together the highlights from teaching three dozen introductory courses to both testaments of the Christian Bible.

In it she invites people to stop and wrestle with what is actually being said in these sacred writings, instead of simply relying on what most of us have been told that it says. Her most often used lines of reassurance for students of all ages are these: “If you believe that God gave you your mind, then it must be okay to use it, especially when it comes to something so central as your faith, yes? And, if you think about it, if the Bible, which points you to God, cannot handle your questions, then is it deserving of your devotion?” Teaching has always been a passion of hers, especially when it comes to communicating academically rigorous content to a general audience. Getting to have a hand in people’s “aha!” moments is priceless.