3rd Global Smyrna Meeting on the Seven Cities of Revelation

Dr. Mark Wilson is the founder and director of the Asia Minor Research Center in Antalya, Turkey, a country in which he and his wife Dindy have lived since 2004. He received a D.Litt. et Phil. from the University of South Africa (Pretoria) where he serves as a Research Fellow in Biblical Archaeology. He is a Visiting Professor of Early Christianity at Regent University and also Professor Extraordinary Discipline Group Old & New Testament at Stellenbosch University. Mark regularly leads study trips for the Biblical Archaeology Society to Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece. He also blogs periodically for Bible History Daily. He is the author and editor of numerous books, articles, and reviews including Biblical Turkey: A Guide to the Jewish and Christian Sites of Asia Minor. His particular research interest is the ancient Jewish communities, Roman roads, and Biblical routes in Turkey. Mark has been married to Dindy for thirty-nine years; they have four adult children, four grandsons and four granddaughters.

Dr. Fairchild received his Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Drew University. He also completed Ph.D. coursework at Union Theological Seminary (NY) and Princeton Theological Seminary. Dr. Fairchild has twice received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1992, he collaborated with 11 other scholars at Yeshiva University exploring the Greek encounter with Judaism during the Hellenistic Period. In 2002, he joined 20 other scholars at the University of Chicago to investigate societal transformations and the legitimization of power in the early Islamic states.

Fairchild’s recent discovery of two previously unknown ancient synagogues in Turkey (including the world’s oldest known synagogue) was published in the Biblical Archaeology Review in 2012. Research at this ancient synagogue was also published in the Journal of Ancient Judaism in 2014. The Biblical Archaeology Review also published Fairchild’s research on St. Paul’s first mission from Perga to Antioch (2013) and another article on the biblical city of Laodicea (2017). Fairchild’s book on Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor (originally published in 2015) has been expanded and a second edition is currently available with Hendrickson Publishers (2017).

Dr. Fairchild is currently the Program Director for the Ephesus Meeting, an academic conference at the ancient site of Ephesus in Turkey. He annually travels to Turkey, Greece, Israel, Egypt and Jordan for research and to conduct study tours.

Dr. Stutzman’s curiosity for the world and commitment to sharing the good news of Jesus began as a teen-ager in British Columbia where his parents were missionaries among Native Americans. Service in Israel, long-term mission assignments in Germany and Australia, a BA from EMU, and MAR from EMS, and a PhD in Religion and Culture from The Catholic University of America, provide the experiential and educational foundation for Dr. Stutzman’s passion for taking students into the world to learn from Jesus and his early followers.

Bible scholar Ben Witherington is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and on the doctoral faculty at St. Andrews University in Scotland. A graduate of UNC, Chapel Hill, he went on to receive the M.Div. degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from the University of Durham in England. He is now considered one of the top evangelical scholars in the world, and is an elected member of the prestigious SNTS, a society dedicated to New Testament studies. Witherington has also taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School and Gordon-Conwell. A popular lecturer, Witherington has presented seminars for churches, colleges and biblical meetings not only in the United States but also in England, Estonia, Russia, Europe, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia. He has also led tours to Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Jordan, and Egypt.

EDUCATION: Ph.D., Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (2007), M.Div., Mid-America Seminary in Memphis (2002), B.A., Clear Creek Baptist Bible College, (1998)

TEACHING SPECIALIZATIONS: New Testament, The Apocalypse of John

Dr. Jeffrey Weima is Professor of New Testament at Calvin Theological Seminary, where he has taught for 31 years. He is a sought-after speaker who is able to communicate well the truths of the Bible in an interesting, contemporary and practical manner. Jeff has published six books thus far: Neglected Endings: The Significance of the Pauline Letter Closings (Sheffield 1994); An Annotated Bibliography of 1 and 2 Thessalonians (Brill 1998); two commentaries on 1 & 2 Thessalonians--one brief (Zondervan 2002) and the other extensive (710 pages; Baker 2014); and Paul the Ancient Letter Writer: An Introduction to Epistolary Analysis (Baker 2016). His sixth book, The Sermons to the Seven Churches of Revelation: A Commentary & Guide (Baker 2021) won the "NT Commentary of the Year" award. Jeff is also the author of numerous scholarly articles, academic essays and book reviews. He is an active member of several academic societies, lectures in countries all over the world, leads biblical study tours to Greece, Turkey, Israel/Jordan, and Italy, conducts intensive preaching seminars for pastors, and preaches/speaks widely in churches in both the USA and Canada. Jeff and his wife, Bernice, have been married for 39 years. They have four children and nine very cute grandkids.

Douglas Jacoby is a Bible teacher who has served as a minister on church staff for 20 years, in London, Birmingham, Sydney, Stockholm, Philadelphia, Indianapolis, and Washington DC, Douglas. Since 2003 he has worked as a freelance teacher and consultant.

Douglas has engaged in a number of public debates (Islam, atheism, theology, Judaism). He also serves an adjunct professor of theology at Lincoln Christian University and professor of theology in the Rocky Mountain School of Theology and Ministry. With degrees from Drew, Harvard, and Duke, Douglas has written 35 books, recorded nearly 900 podcasts, and spoken in over 100 universities, and in over 500 cities, in 126 nations around the world. Douglas has led 25 tours to the biblical world. The Jacobys have three adult children. Douglas and his wife, Vicki, reside in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Sharon L. Baker Putt is Professor of Theology and Religion at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, PA. She earned a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Southern Methodist University and is the author of Razing Hell, Executing God, and A Non-Violent Theology of Love: Peacefully Confessing the Apostles’ Creed. She has traveled with extensively throughout Europe and the Middle-east, and has significant experience traveling abroad with students on cross-cultural trips. Her disciplines are world religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Christian theology, specifically in the areas of divine non-violence, atonement, and interfaith theologies.

Keith Putt has focused his teaching and research on Continental philosophies of language and interpretation theory, particularly those related to phenomenological hermeneutics and deconstruction. His work delves into how these traditions impact post-metaphysical philosophies of religion and non-classical theistic philosophical theologies. Rooted in these contrarian conventions, his pedagogical intent aims to emulate Socratic irony, emphasizing the wisdom of humility and the role of the philosopher as an intellectual "salmon" – a cautious educator determined to swim against the stream of the status quo. The "salmon" scholar believes that the best antidote against authoritarianism, superstition, and ignorance is skepticism through questioning, critique, and incredulity. As a result, his primary goal in his classes is to disseminate philosophical content, while the ultimate goal is to encourage his students to think for themselves – liberally, critically, and humbly.

Nazim has a Dept of Tourism degree (University of Ankara at 2000) and is a professionally qualified licensed Turkish tour guide. He is personable, flexible, has a good sense of humor, and always stays abreast of the current affairs. He takes pride in offering a sensitive and professional service at all times.