Dr. Brian D. Russell is the professor of Biblical Studies and Dean of the School of Urban Ministries at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is based on Asbury's Orlando, Florida campus. He has taught at the seminary since 2000 and is the recipient of the 2004-2005 Award for Teaching and Learning. He received a B.A. from the University of Akron, 1991; a M.Div. from Asbury Seminary, 1994; and a Ph.D. in Bible from Union Presbyterian Seminary, 2002. Brian is an expert on the missional interpretation of Scripture and creating a missional ethos in communities of faith. He is the author of The Song of the Sea: The Date of Composition and Influence of Exodus 15:1-21 (Peter Lang, 2007) as well as many articles and reviews. He also contributed the study notes on the book of Exodus for the Wesley Study Bible and served as part of the scholarly review team for The Voice translation of the Bible. As part of his commitment to reading Scripture for the Church, he regularly writes curriculum for Adult Bible study classes. He has two projects that are forthcoming: (re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World (Wipf and Stock early 2015) and Invitation to the Bible (Seedbed late 2014). Brian’s passion is the study of the Scriptures. His engaging teaching style brings the Bible to life and inspires others to live as God’s missional people in and for the world. You can sample his writing at http://missionalhermeneutics.blogspot.com. Brian is married to Astrid Robles. He is passionate about soccer, playing guitar and eating well.