Andrew J. Schmutzer

Background

About Andrew J. Schmutzer

I was born and raised in South Africa (Zululand and Swaziland). Such formative experiences, like living amid tribal warfare (Zululand), overt spiritism, and even in a political 'kingdom'(Swaziland), gave me a large and cosmic worldview. To this day, I would describe my approach to Old Testament studies as: biblical-theological, culturally-respectful, literary-rhetorical, and keen on the integration of social disciplines. My use of biblical Hebrew is essentially for biblical theology. In the near future, I would like to help compile a critical edition of the Coptic Bible. The Egyptian (North-African) context coupled with cultural and hermeneutical elements in the Coptic Version, fascinate me, especially in the liturgical use of the Coptic Psalter. My studies focus on both narrative and poetic genres. The Pentateuch, Minor Prophets, and Psalms occupy my focus, with commentaries in process on those texts. I've also written extensively lately on a theology of sexual abuse, attempting to add a biblical-theological voice to this global issue of sexual violence. My approach is collaborative. I actually believe that the disciplines need each other, and the gravity of social problems in fact, requires a multi-factoral address. So I'm interested in serving on think tanks and boards willing to be comprised of an ecumenical perspective of church life, orthodoxy, and complex social-theological issues facing us today. An illustration of my commitment to collaboration is a recent book I edited of 19 essays addressing sexual abuse. It focuses on the core disciplines of Psychology, Theology, and Pastoral Care. Another recent book I contributed to is called Stopping the Traffick: A Christian Response to Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking.