Nelson Hsieh has been appointed as assistant professor of New Testament and Greek and associate director of the H. Milton Haggard Center for New Testament Textual Studies at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.
Hsieh most recently served as research associate in New Testament Text and Language for Tyndale House. He holds a Master of Divinity from The Master’s Seminary and a Ph.D in Systematic Theology and New Testament from Southern Seminary.
Hsieh was announced as a presidentially-appointed faculty member by NOBTS President Jamie Dew during the fall meeting of the seminary’s board of trustees on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
“We are thrilled to be able to add Dr. Nelson Hsieh to the NOBTS New Testament faculty,” NOBTS Provost Norris Grubbs said.
“The work he has done at Tyndale House fits perfectly with the work at the H. Milton Haggard Center for New Testament Textual Studies. In large part due to the work of Dr. Bill Warren, our seminary has been an evangelical leader in the field of textual criticism for many years. Adding Dr. Hsieh to the team only enhances that work.
“I think students will greatly benefit from his passion for studying and teaching the Bible. He comes to the classroom with both excellent academic training and local church experience. I am grateful the Lord has led him to NOBTS.”
Hsieh, who will officially begin his work on faculty in January, said he is glad to begin training students for ministry at the seminary.
“Having been in a research role for the past three years, I am excited to be back in a teaching role where I can interact with students,” Hsieh said.
“I think the academy needs to serve the Church and teaching is the main way that the insights of the academy can reach church leaders. Biblical scholarship also needs to be aware of the needs and struggles of church leaders, so I’m excited to be challenged and to listen to how I can help those on the front lines of church ministry.”
Hsieh hopes both of his roles can help spark a fresh interest in textual criticism for students.
“There are fads in the academy and wider evangelicalism that are trendy for a while then fade away, therefore it’s important to separate what seems like a passing fad from what is timeless,” Hsieh said.
“A solid foundation in the historical-cultural background of the Bible, the basic principles of interpretation and the biblical languages are more important than chasing 'the current thing.’ I hope to awaken interest among the students in knowing how the Bible was structured in the first few centuries after Christ’s coming.”
Hsieh relocated from Cambridge to NOBTS campus earlier this month along with his wife Hannah and their three children.
“While my family enjoyed our time in Cambridge, we are excited to return to the United States,” Hsieh said.
“We are excited to join the NOBTS campus community. It will provide amazing opportunities for spouses and kids to build friendships and for professors and students to interact outside the classroom. I am excited to join the NOBTS family so that I can not only impart Gospel teaching, but also “do life together” in Christian community.”
