(SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES, July 11, 2024) — United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities is excited to announce that it has welcomed another Louisville Institute Postdoctoral Fellow—Dr. Jennifer (“Jen”) Maidrand—for its 2024–25 and 2025–26 academic years. Dr. Maidrand, who started her two-year fellowship July 1, is our Visiting Assistant Professor of Bible, Culture, and Interpretation.
An accomplished scholar, educator, and activist, Maidrand holds a PhD in Bible and Cultures from Drew University. For her dissertation, “Excavating Promised Land: The Geopolitics of Scripturalization in Palestine-Israel,” she earned the Rabbi Dr. Sheldon J. Weltman Prize for Excellence in Biblical Studies. Her MA in Theological Studies, also from Drew University, focused on religion and ecology.
Professionally, Maidrand has served with Global Ministries (UCC) in Palestine and has robust experience working with an array of churches across the US concerning education and advocacy related to the Middle East. She is a member of the United Church of Christ and is committed to fostering interfaith and intercultural community education and dialogue around sacred texts, the earth, and social justice.
At United, Maidrand will teach four courses per year—two in the fall term and two in the spring. Based in Ohio, all of her courses will be taught through distance learning, but Maidrand will commute to United for key community events and maintain a faculty advisory load during her fellowship.
“We are delighted to have Dr. Maidrand joining us as a Louisville Institute Fellow,” attests Dean Kyle Roberts. “A biblical scholar focusing on the intersection of Bible, culture, and interpretation, she fills an important role in our curriculum. She will teach introductory courses on religious texts and biblical interpretation, as well as upper-level electives that address crucial issues of geopolitical concern and elucidate ways in which politics and interpretation intertwine. Ministers and spiritual leaders need the kind of biblical and cultural literacy she will offer in these complex and contested times.”
President Molly T. Marshall agrees. “Dr. Maidrand brings excellence in biblical studies,” she asserts, “and she connects her scholarship to pressing concerns in our time, e.g., land issues in Israel/Palestine. United has a storied history with Louisville Institute Fellows, and our faculty is adept at mentoring emerging professors in theological education. We are grateful to welcome her to this thriving community.”
For her part, Maidrand expresses her gratitude for the opportunity. As she writes, “I am thrilled to be joining the United faculty as a Louisville Fellow. United's commitment to prepare leaders to steward movements of peace and justice, in their faith communities and beyond, is one I share wholeheartedly. I look forward to accompanying students in this part of their journey in hopes that my own interests in contextual biblical interpretation, decolonial methodologies, and ecumenical peacebuilding in Palestine-Israel will be of service to their formation.”
Welcome, Dr. Jen Maidrand, to our faculty and to our United community!
###
About United
Founded by the nascent United Church of Christ as a welcoming, ecumenical school that embraces all denominations and faith traditions, United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities has been on the cutting edge of progressive theological thought leadership since it was established in 1962. Today, United continues to train leaders who dismantle systems of oppression, explore multi-faith spirituality, and push the boundaries of knowledge.
Contact
Nathanial Green (he/him), Director of Marketing and Communications
United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities
press@unitedseminary.edu • (651) 255-6138
About the Louisville Institute
Funded by the Religion Division of Lilly Endowment, Louisville Institute awards grants and fellowships to those who lead and study North American religious institutions, practices, and movements, advancing scholarship to strengthen church, academy, and wider society.