Amanda Brobst-Renaud

Assistant Professor of Theology

Arts and Sciences Building 304
219.464.5806

amanda.brobstrenaud@valpo.edu

Biography

Professor Brobst-Renaud began teaching in the Theology Department in 2018. She is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and served as a parish pastor for five years in Malone, Texas.

Professor Brobst-Renaud’s teaching and scholarly work is in the New Testament, specifically, the Gospel of Luke. Her particular interest in rhetoric—how the biblical authors communicate—undergirds the question of why the authors chose to communicate the ways they did. Ultimately, it is her curiosity about the Bible and the ways in which it engages ancient and modern audiences alike that drives her research. The parables hold particular interest for Professor Brobst-Renaud, especially how these stories possess the capacity to engage and transform their audiences.

Her dissertation, The Elder Son’s Quandary and the Rich Man’s Fate: Moral Formation, Characterization, and Rhetoric in Luke 15:11-16:31 draws together Professor Brobst-Renaud’s research interests. Her forthcoming article “Soliloquy in Chariton and Luke” will appear in Perspectives in Religious Studies (2019). In this article, Professor Brobst-Renaud engages the ways that authors use soliloquy to contribute to characterization.

Professor Brobst-Renaud holds professional memberships in the Archaeological Institute of America and Society of Biblical Literature. She participates regularly in worship in the Chapel of the Resurrection and in her local congregation. In addition, she serves area congregations as a guest preacher (pulpit supply) and recently facilitated the Bible Study at the Synod Assembly for the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Mission Area of the ELCA.

Education

Ph.D., 2018 Baylor University, Waco, TX
M.Div., 2013 Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN
B.S., 2004 Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN

Contributions

Winter 2019 (forthcoming) “Soliloquy in Chariton and Luke: The Contribution of Prosōpopoiia to Characterization,” Perspectives in Religious Studies

Fall 2018 “In Their Own Words: Prosōpopoiia, Rhetoric, and Characterization in Chaereas et Callirhoe” Paper presented at the SBL annual meeting, Denver, CO

Spring 2018 “Identity Formation and the Parables” Bible Study given at the Northern Texas-Northern Louisiana Synod of the ELCA Synod Assembly

Spring 2017 “Mary across the Disciplines” Interdisciplinary Panel, Southwest Commission on Religious Studies

Spring 2016 “The Prodigal, the Miser, and their Patron: The Parable of the Prodigal Family” Paper presented at the Southwest Commission on Religious Studies

Fall 2015 “The Magnificat as a Theological Hermeneutic” Paper presented at the AAR annual meeting, Atlanta, GA

Fall 2015 “Preaching the Epistle of Straw: Luther and James on Faith and Works” Paper presented at the SBL annual meeting, Atlanta, GA

Spring 2013 Book Review: J.R. Daniel Kirk, Jesus I have Loved, but Paul? In Word and World

Spring 2012 “Parable of the Μνα: The Question is Not ‘When’? but ‘What’?” Paper presented at the Upper Midwest Regional SBL/AAR/ASOR Meeting; Saint Paul, Minnesota

Spring 2012 “Parody of the Μνα: Portrayal of Kingship in Luke 19:11-27” Paper presented at the Pacific Northwest SBL/AAR/ASOR Regional Meeting; Portland, Oregon