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Rev Associate Professor Adam White

Head of Biblical Studies; Associate Professor of Biblical Studies

Biography

Adam began his working career as a spraypainter and from there moved into ministry as a youth pastor then an associate pastor at Riverlands Christian Church in Penrith. Then at the age of 25 he felt called to study theology at Southern Cross College (now AC); this continued through an honours degree up to a Doctorate of Ancient History at Macquarie University. \ Adam is now a senior lecturer in New Testament, with particular focus on Paul and his letters, as well as Graeco-Roman culture more broadly. He is also an ordained minister in the ACC and preaches in churches around the country. His passion is to help bring the bible to life for Christians everywhere.\

Adam is a member of the Biblical Studies research cluster.

Qualifications

PhD in Ancient History (Macquarie University), “Where is the Wise Man? Graeco-Roman Education as a Background to the Divisions in 1 Corinthians 1–4.” – 2013

BTh with Honours (Alphacrucis College), “A Comparative Analysis of 1 Corinthians 1–4 and 2 Corinthians 10–13 in Light of Paul’s Ongoing Relationship with the Church.” – 2009

  • Research Publications

    Books

    • 2021
      • White, A. G.(2021). Paul, Community, and Discipline: Establishing Boundaries and Dealing with the Disorderly. Lexington Books.
    • 2015
      • White, A. G.(2015). Where is the Wise Man? Graeco-Roman Education as a Background to the Divisions in 1 Corinthians 1-4. (Library of New Testament Studies 536.). T&T Clark.

    Book Chapters

    • 2019
      • White, A. G.(2019). God Chose the Poor: Recapturing the Radical Vision of Early Pentecostalism and the Original Pauline Communities. In Antipas Harris and Michael Palmer, The Holy Spirit and Social Justice: Interdisciplinary Global Perspectives (pp. 194–216). Seymour Press.
    • 2018
      • White, A. G.(2018). New Adventures in Sound Mapping: A First-Timer’s Attempt at a New Methodology In Margaret Lee, Sound Matters: New Testament Studies in Sound Mapping (pp. 27-42). Wipf & Stock. | External link

    Journal Articles

    • 2025
      • White, Adam G. (2025). Acting the Slave: Reinterpreting Paul’s Metaphorical Slavery (1 Cor 9:19–23).. Biblical Theology Bulletin, 55 64-76.
    • 2023
      • White, A. (2023). "You actors!" An examination of Jesus' charge of hypocrisy in Matt 6:1-18 and 23:13-32. Australian Biblical Review, 71 70-82.
    • 2022
      • White, A. G.(2022). Setting the Boundaries: Reading 1 Timothy and Titus as Community Charters. Biblical Theology Bulletin, 52.4.
    • 2021
      • White, A. G.(2021). “You’re Stealing from Us, Paul": An Examination of Paul’s "Painful" Visit to Corinth and the Charge of Embezzlement. Australian Biblical Review, 69 37-46.
    • 2020
      • White, A. G.(2020). Paul’s Absence from Corinth as Voluntary Exile: Reading 2 Corinthians 1.1–2.13 and 7.5–16 as a Letter from Exile.. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 43.1 44-66.
      • White, A. G.(2020). 'Three Strikes, You’re Out!’ A Reflection on Church Excommunication in Light of Pauline Practice.”. Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 29.2 275-296.
    • 2018
      • Adam G. White, Lily Arasaratnam-Smith (2018). The Messenger Now and Then: A Socio-cultural Analysis of the Roles and Responsibilities of the ‘Preacher.’. Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 27.1 146-158. | External link
    • 2017
      • White, A. G.(2017). The Rod as Excommunication: A Possible Meaning for an Ambiguous Metaphor in 1 Corinthians 4.21.. Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 39.4 388–411. | External link | AC Link
      • White, A. G.(2017). Visualising Paul’s Appeal: A Performance Critical Analysis of the Letter to Philemon. The Oral History Journal of South Africa, 5.2 1-16. | External link
    • 2016
      • White, A. G.(2016). Pentecostal Preaching as a Modern Epistle: A Comparison of Pentecostal Preaching with Paul’s Practice of Letter Writing.. Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 25.1 123-149. | AC Link
      • White, A. G.(2016). Obey as to the Lord: Christian Slaves and the Call to Worship. Australasian Pentecostal Studies, 18.
    • 2015
      • White, A. G.(2015). Not in Lofty Speech or Media: A Reflection on Pentecostal Preaching in Light of 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.. Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 24.1 117-135. | AC Link
    • 2014
      • White, A. G.(2014). Servants, Not Intellectual Clients: The Significance of Paul’s Role as an Oikonomos in 1 Cor 4:1 and 9:17.. Australian Biblical Review, 62 44-57.
    • 2012
      • White, A. G.(2012). Knowledge and Transformation: towards a ‘Pentecostal Paideia'. Australasian Pentecostal Studies, 14 111-120.

  • Scholarship

    Internal and External Grants

    • 2025
      • AC Conference Funding, $3000, Alphacrucis University College
    • 2024
      • AC Conference Funding, $2000, AC
    • 2023
      • AC Conference Funding, $2000, AC
    • 2022
      • Academic Conference Funding, $1400, Alpahcrucis

    Presentations

    • 2022
      • Staging Incest and Identifying the Enemy: Reading 1 Cor 5 in Light of the Black Sheep Effect and Ancient Theatre (2022), Socio-Scientific Approaches to Religious Enmity, Melbourne, 14 Jun 2022
    • 2021
      • Setting the Boundaries: Reading 1 Timothy and Titus as Community Charters (2021), Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, Virtual, 23 Nov 2021
      • A Scaffolded Biblical Assessment Structure (2021), Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, Virtual, 22 Nov 2021
      • “The Grief of Exile: A Fresh Proposal for Paul’s ‘Near Death Experience’ in 2 Cor 1:8–9" (2021), Fellowship for Biblical Studies Conference, Online, 01 Oct 2021
      • “‘You’re Stealing from Us, Paul’: An Examination of Paul’s ‘Painful’ Visit to Corinth and the Charge of Embezzlement” (2021), Society for the Study of Early Christianity, Sydney, 01 May 2021
      • Review of Holly Beers, A Week in the Life of a Greco-Roman Woman. Panelist: Biblical Interest Group. (2021), Annual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, Online, 10 Mar 2021
    • 2020
      • Review of J. Brian Tucker and Aaron Kuecker, ed., T&T Clark Social Identity Commentary on the New Testament. Panelist: Writing Social-Scientific Commentaries of the New Testament. (2020), Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, Online, 24 Nov 2020
    • 2019
      • “Watch out for that one!” Evaluating a Pauline Command Through the Lens of the Black Sheep Effect (2019), Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting, San Diego, 23 Nov 2019
      • “‘If a Person Doesn’t Work, They Shall Not Eat!’ An Early Christian Formula for Excommunication?” (2019), Society of Biblical Literature International, Rome, Italy, 16 Jul 2019
    • 2018
      • “God Chose the Poor: 1 Corinthians 1:18-31 and the Social Upheaval of the Gospel.” (2018), Annual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, Cleveland, Tennessee, 08 Mar 2018
    • 2017
      • "Visualising Paul’s Appeal: A Performance Critical Reading of Philemon.” (2017), Society of Biblical Literature International Conference, Berlin, 22 Jun 2017
      • "Three Strikes, You're Out!" A Reflection on Church Discipline, Then and Now. (2017), Society for Pentecostal Studies Annual Conference, St Louis, Missouri, 09 Mar 2017
    • 2016
      • Paul, the Rod, and Excommunication: A Possible Meaning to an Ambiguous Metaphor in 1 Corinthians 4:21 (2016), Society of Biblical Literature International Conference, Seoul, Korea, 18 Jul 2016
      • The Transformative Performance of Pentecostal Sermons: a Comparison of Pentecostal Preaching with the Early Church’s Practice of Letter Writing (2016), Annual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, San Dimas, California, 05 Mar 2016
    • 2015
      • Echoes of Empedocles: A Pre-Socratic Citation in 1 Corinthians 2:9? (2015), Society of Biblical Literature, Beunos Aires, Argentina, 24 Jul 2015
    • 2014
      • "Yes, But I Follow Seneca!" Was a Desire for Their Own Seneca Behind the Factions in Corinth? (2014), The second Fellowship for Biblical Studies National Conference, University of Sydney, 14 Sep 2014
      • Obey as to the Lord: Paul’s Advice to the Ephesian Slaves as a “Hermeneutic of Worship” (2014), Annual Meeting of the Society for Pentecostal Studies, Springfield, MO, 28 Mar 2014
    • 2012
      • Value Formation and Value judgement: Graeco-Roman paideia as a backdrop to Paul’s judgement language in 1 Cor 4.1-5 (2012), Fellowship for Biblical Studies National Conference, Melbourne, 03 Sep 2012
      • Paul’s Educational Imagery in His Conflict with the Corinthians (2012), Society of Biblical Literature International Conference, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 13 Jul 2012
    • 2011
      • Paul and Paideia: Greco-Roman education as a background to Paul’s conflict in Corinth (2011), Ancient History Research Seminar, Macquarie University, Sydney, 15 Sep 2011

    Professional Memberships


    Society for Pentecostal Studies interest group at SBL International (since 2017)


  • Teaching

    BIB010 New Testament Foundations
    BIB105 New Testament Foundations
    BIB252 The Prison Epistles
    BIB254 The World of the New Testament
    BIB258 Building Pauline Churches—The Pastoral Epistles and Thessalonians
    BIB352 Romans and Galatians
    BIB353 I & II Corinthians
    BIB405 New Testament Foundations
    BIB552 The Prison Epistles
    BIB554 The World of the New Testament

  • Supervision

    • Current
      • McPherson, K, Australian faith, work & economics through the thinking of Paul in Philippians (PhD thesis)
      • Hills, B, Living Today in the Light of That Day: The Future Judgment and Reward of Believers (PhD thesis)
      • Daariimaa, A, TBA (PhD thesis)
      • Sackitey, F, Reading and Preaching the Bible in Ghana: A Study of Ghanaian Pentecostal Hermeneutics (PhD thesis)
    • Completed
      • 2024
        • Austin, E, “When I see … I will remember” : exploring memorability and nature in the Old Testament through mnemonature (PhD thesis)
        • Hall, C, With what kind of body will they come? Paul's bodily transformation resurrection message and its reception by his audience amidst social diversity in first-century Corinth: a study of 1 Corinthians 15:12, 35-55 (PhD thesis)
        • Kim, K, Studying the imagery of the wedding of the lamb and his bride in Revelation 19:5-10 (MPhil thesis)
      • 2023
        • Keyhanee, M, An Exercise in Comparative Theology: Light in the Bible and the Qu'ran (MPhil thesis)
      • 2020
        • Griffith, J, The Spirit as Gift: The Influence of the Gift of the Spirit on the Community Life as Described by the Summary Statements in Acts (Doctoral Thesis)