Dr. Mark Seifrid, professor of Exegetical Theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, was recently honored with a festschrift, or collection of essays, Always Reforming: Reflections on Martin Luther and Biblical Studies (Lexham Press, 2021).

Before joining the Concordia Seminary faculty six years ago, Seifrid occupied a chair in New Testament studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS), Louisville, Ky., where he taught for 23 years.

The book’s editors, Dr. Channing Crisler, associate professor of New Testament and Biblical Greek, Anderson University; and Dr. Robert Plummer, the Collin and Evelyn Aikman Professor of Biblical Studies at SBTS, studied under Seifrid when he taught at SBTS.

“We were fortunate to be two of his former students, but he’s had quite an influence on countless other students,” said Crisler, during a recent concordiatheology.org interview with Dr. Erik Herrmann, professor of Historical Theology and dean of Theological Research and Publication at Concordia Seminary. “If you know Dr. Seifrid, you know that he is a great New Testament scholar, and he has a great love for Luther. We tried to combine those two things to have a theme for the festschrift. It was a real joy to collaborate on it with Rob and to honor somebody who is special to both of us.”

The festschrift includes a foreword by Dr. D.A. Carson, emeritus professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and essays from other scholars including Dr. Oswald Bayer, Dr. Thomas Schreiner and Concordia Seminary’s Emeritus Professor of Systematic Theology Dr. Robert Kolb, who contributed the chapter, “Martin Luther’s Pedagogical Exposition of the Letter to Titus.”

“Mark is renowned not only for his scholarship — he is an internationally recognized New Testament scholar — but also his Christian witness and collegiality,” Herrmann said. “I tell my students that I tend to learn more about Pauline theology during a half-hour lunch with Mark than I do reading commentaries and books.”

The book is available for purchase at Lexham Press and Amazon.

“It is deeply touching to be honored by former students, colleagues and friends,” said Seifrid. “Each of the contributions to the festschrift speaks the message of Christ afresh for our time. And that is what it is all about.”

About Concordia Seminary

Concordia Seminary, St. Louis provides Gospel-centered graduate-level theological education for pastors, missionaries, deaconesses, scholars and other leaders in the name of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS). To learn more, visit csl.edu.