PROFESSOR EMERITA OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION

Carolyn Pressler is the Professor Emerita of Biblical Interpretation at United. Born and raised in Elkhart, Indiana, she received an M.Div. from Wesley Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Princeton Theological Seminary. Pressler is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.

Prior to attending seminary, Pressler worked as a community organizer and taught community organizing at a small college in the Washington, D.C. area. She continues to be interested in community and social justice issues, and has a special concern for the interrelationship of biblical studies and social ethics.

At United Theological Seminary, Pressler taught a range of courses in Older Testament, Hebrew and Biblical Theology, including, “The Liberating Word: Bible, Race and Class,” “Social and Political Ideals of Ancient Israel” and Feminist Hermeneutics of the Bible. She is the author of three books, The View of Women Found in Deuteronomic Family Laws, Joshua, Judges and Ruth, and Numbers (AOTC), and co-edited a fourth volume, Engaging the Bible in a Gendered World: An Introduction to Feminist Biblical Interpretation in Honor of Katharine Doob Sakenfeld. Her numerous articles deal with gender studies and the Bible, biblical law, and, most recently, the Psalms.

In her free time, Pressler enjoys hiking, traveling, music, and spending time with her family and friends.

Education

• BA Kalamazoo College
• MDiv Wesley Theological Seminary
• PhD Princeton Theological Seminary