Garrett, Susan R.
Professor of New Testament
Schlegel 303
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992-9396; 396

Duke University, B.A.; Princeton Theological Seminary, M.Div.; Yale University, M.A., M.Phil., Ph.D.; Fulbright Fellow, University of Tübingen, West Germany; 1998-99 recipient of a Henry Luce III Fellowship in Theology.

Susan Renninger Garrett is Professor of New Testament with a specialized interest in the Gospels and how they reflect the world view and theology of biblical authors. Early Judaism, including apocalyptic thinking, is also a particular specialty.

“I try to help students to explore their own understanding of what the Bible is, and of what are the sources of its authority and the means by which it exercises that authority in the life of faith. I also want to show students that such critical thinking can go hand-in-hand with a deep passion for the Scriptures and for sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Dr. Garrett joined the faculty at Louisville Seminary in 1995 and welcomed its atmosphere of collegiality and sense of purpose among its faculty. She says that her years at the Seminary have influenced a shift to writing for the church as well as for the academy. Some of her published works include The Demise of the Devil: Magic and the Demonic in Luke’s Writings (Fortress, 1989), The Temptations of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel (Eerdmans, 1998), Making Time for God: Daily Devotions for Children and Families to Share (Baker Book House, 2002); co-authored with LPTS professor Amy Plantinga Pauw, and No Ordinary Angel: Celestial Spirits and Christian Claims about Jesus (Yale University Press, fall 2008).

In addition to pursuing her teaching responsibilities and research interests, Dr. Garrett is the coordinator of the Louisville Grawemeyer Award in Religion, a $200,000 annual prize given jointly by Louisville Seminary and the University of Louisville for creative ideas that best illuminate the relationship between human beings and the divine.

Selected Publications