Dr. Seong Park - Gordon Conwell
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Dr. Seong Hyun Park

Provost and Assistant Professor of Old Testament

Dr. Seong Hyun ParkEmail: [email protected]
First Year at Gordon-Conwell: 2011
Areas of Expertise: Old Testament, Biblical Hebrew, Biblical Archaeology, Cities

Biography:
Dr. Park joined Gordon-Conwell in 2011 as Assistant Dean of Boston Campus after having taught as adjunct faculty in Old Testament. He served as Dean of Boston Campus from 2016 till 2020. Dr. Park speaks and preaches around the globe on topics in Bible, Israel, revival, and city.

There are two themes that thread through Dr. Park’s life and career – crossing cultures and taking initiatives.

Dr. Park was born in Seoul, South Korea, and grew up in Paraguay. He received his undergraduate degree at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, and while pursuing his graduate studies at Tel Aviv University he taught at Bethlehem Bible College in Palestine. Both in Israel and during his time of doctoral studies at Harvard University, Dr. Park took part in and supervised various archaeological fieldworks in Israel, including the winter palace of king Ahab and his queen Jezebel at Jezreel and the Philistine port city of Ashkelon where he served a term as the Acting Director of Harvard University’s Ashkelon Archaeological Lab. Fluent in several languages, he is often introduced as a Korean in America who teaches Hebrew in Spanish. Dr. Park views competency in cultural diversity as not only a crucial skill in today’s global context but also as a hermeneutical key to reading the Bible which was written in foreign languages (i.e., Biblical Hebrew and Greek) and in foreign cultures (i.e., Ancient Israel, Ancient Near East, and Ancient Eastern Mediterranean).

While in Israel, Dr. Park was a founding member of the Hebrew Conference (vs. Arabic Conference) of International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) in Israel. He was the founding faculty of the first Tourism Department in Palestine and trained the first generation of licensed tour guides in Palestine. He also founded and led the Ben-Yehuda Street Worship in Israel. After moving to the U.S., he founded Boston Onnuri Church in Woburn, Massachusetts, and he and his wife together started ‘Helping Hand’ which has been collaborating with Boston Rescue Mission in ministering to the homeless in Boston since 2000. His years of deanship at the Boston Campus of Gordon-Conwell were marked by formational initiatives he introduced to the campus, including the practice of Noon Hymn.

Dr. Park served as editor of the Urban Voice series and co-editor of Africanus Journal, and published articles and book chapters on Israel, archaeology, Old Testament, theological education, and spiritual formation. He also co-edited Reaching for the New Jerusalem: A Biblical and Theological Framework for the City (Wipf & Stock, 2013).

He proposed to his wife, Dr. Hyun Gyung Jang, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem. They have two sons – Daniel and Matthew – and live in Waltham, MA.

Degrees

  • BA (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
  • MA (Tel Aviv University)
  • PhD (Harvard University)

Selected List of Publications

  • “Language of the Seminary Classroom and the Language of the City.” In Empowering English Language Learners: Successful Strategies of Christian Educators. House of Prisca & Aquila Series. Edited by Jeanne C. Defazio and William David Spencer. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2018.
  • “Torah in Psalm 119.” In Reformation Celebration: The Significance of Scripture, Grace, Faith, and Christ. Edited by Isaac L. Gordon and Eckhard J. Schnabel. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2018.
  • Reaching for the New Jerusalem: A Biblical and Theological Framework for the City. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2013.
  • “Beads and Other Jewelry.” In Ashkelon 3: The Seventh Century B.C., by Lawrence E. Stager, Daniel M. Master, and J. David Schloen. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Semitic Museum; Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 2011.
  • 한 달란트: 작은 자였기에 받아 누린 하나님의 큰 은혜 [One Talent: Overwhelming Grace for the Lesser] (in Korean). Seong Hyun Park and Hyun Gyung Jang. Seoul: Duranno, March 2021.
  • “A Mixed Method Intervention Study on Relational Spirituality and Humility among Religious Leaders.” Co-authored article in Spirituality in Clinical Practice, OnlineFirst, March 2021. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000248.
  • “Humility and Relational Spirituality as Predictors of Well-Being among Christian Seminary Students.” Co-authored article in Journal of Psychology and Theology, OnlineFirst, February 2021. https://doi-org.dtl.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/0091647121988968.

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