Language Competency
Arabic: Mother tongue
English: fluent
German: intermediary
Koine Greek: Basic knowledge and reading ability
Biblical Hebrew: basic knowledge
Teaching and Academic Experience:
Goettingen University/EL Missionsseminar, Lecturer in Systematic and Intercultural Theology (2010)
Yale Divinity School, Yale University, Visiting-Fellow (Aug. 2008-Jul. 2009)
Near East School of Theology, Beirut, Lebanon, Part-time Lecturer in Systematic Theology & Christian Doctrine (2006-2007).
Université La Sagesse, Faculté des Sciences Ecclésiales, Beirut, Lebanon, Lecturer on the Theology of the Reformation (Spring 2006)
American University of London, UK, “Judaism and Jewish Religion”, a lecture in World Religions course (Fall 2001).
Crowther Hall Center for Mission Education and Training, Selly Oak, Birmingham
“Scripture V/S Quran”, a lecture in Understanding Islam course (Spring 2000).
National Presbyterian Church of Lattakia, Syria.
“Science and Religion”, Series of taught lectures for lay people on the relation between science and religion (spring 1999)
Other Professional Activities:
Reviewer and Script Liaison Officer
OCI-SAT7 TEACH Pilot Project, in SAT7 Christian Space Channel, Beirut, Lebanon (Feb. 2008- Jul. 2008)
Moderator and Editor in Chief
Alnashra Theological Magazine of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon, Beirut, Lebanon (April. 2005- Aug. 2008, Sept. 2009- Jan.2010)
Director of Youth Ministry
The Reformed Churches of Syria; the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (Sept.1998- Dec. 1999).
Chair Person of the Religious Work Committee
The Religious Work Committee for the Reformed Churches in Syria, the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (Feb. 1997- Dec. 1999)
Co-Moderator of Elementary School
The Evangelical Elementary School; the National Reformed Church of Alhaskeh, Syria (Apr.1997-Aug.1998)
Church Senior Minister
Alhaskeh National Presbyterian Church (Apr. 1997- Aug. 1998)
Director of Religious Activities
Aljazerah Province, North-East of Syria, The National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (Apr.1997- Aug. 1998)
Scholarly Publications
Theological Books:
2011 God without a Face? on the Personal Individuation of the Holy Spirit, Tuebingen: Mohr Siebeck GmbH & Co (English)
2004 God, Man and Evil: a Theologico-Existential Study, Damascus: Codmus Publishers, pp. 380. (Arabic)
2003 The Passion Narrative in the Gospel of Matthew: A Historico-Narrative
Criticism, Cairo: Al-Thaquafa Publishing House, pp.158 (Arabic)
Theological Articles (Peer-reviewed):
2012 “Thomas Aquinas’ Metaphysics of ‘Relation’ and ‘Participation’ and Contemporary Trinitarian Theology”, in New Blackfriars Review (forthcoming)
‘Another Puzzle is…the Holy Spirit’: De Trinitate as Augustine’s Pneumatology,” in Scottish Journal of Theology, 2(65), April (forthcoming)
2011 “Theology of Religions, Universal Salvation and the Holy Spirit,” in Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 20(2), (forthcoming)
“Time/History, Self-disclosure and Anticipation: Pannenberg, Heidegger and the Question of Metaphysics,” in Sophia, 50(1), 2011, pp. 113-133.
2010 “Is a Perichoresis between Theological Interpretation and Historical Criticism Possible? toward a Balanced Hermeneutics of Scriptural Christology,” in Theological Review, 31/2, pp. 152-178.
“The Influence of John Chrysostom’s Hermeneutics on John Calvin’s Exegetical Approach to Paul’s Epistle to the Romans” in Scottish Journal of Theology, 63: 4, 414-436.
“Personhood as Particularity: John Zizioulas, Colin Gunton and the Trinitarian Theology of Personhood,” in The Reformed Journal of Theology, 4(1), pp. 1-22.
2009 “Where is the Gospel, What Happened to Culture? The Reformed Church in Syria and Lebanon,” in Journal of Reformed Theology, 3(3), pp. 288-306 (English).
2008 “How the Church Fathers Read the Gospel of Mark as a Reliable Text? A
Comparison between Early and Modern Scholarship,” in Theological Review, XXXIX, pp. 83-114 (English).
“Does God Save the Non-Christians? On the Universality of the Divine Salvation”, In Toward a Contemporary Arabic Theology, George Sabra (ed.), Cairo: Dar-Althakafa, pp. 341-445 (Arabic)
“Should We Dispense with ‘Sola Scriptura’? Scripture, Tradition and Postmodern Theology,” in Dialog: Journal of Theology, 47: 1, pp. 64-79 (English)
“Futural Ousia or Eschatological Disclosure? A Systematic Analysis of
Pannenberg’s Trinitarian Theology, in Kerygma Und Dogma, 54: 1, pp. 37-52 (English)
2007 “Between Subordination and Koinonia: toward a New Reading of the Cappadocian Theology”, in Modern Theology, 32: 2, pp. 181-204 (English)
“The Holy Spirit will Come upon You: The Doctrine of the Incarnation and the Holy Spirit,” in The Theological Review, 28: 1, pp. 23-45 (English)
2005 “Revelation, History and Idealism: Re-examining the Conceptual Roots of Wolfhart Pannenberg’s Theology”, in The Theological Review, XXVI/2, pp.91-110 (English)
Other Theological Articles
“The Eucharist in the Reformed Theology”, in Awrak Ruhbaniaah, Kaslik, N. 82/83, 2005, pp. 109-132 (Arabic)
“Beyond Dialogue: Is the Dialogue for Religious Co-existence Enough?” in Alnashra of the Royal Institute for Religious Studies, Jordan, N. 35, 2005, pp. 4-9 (Arabic).
“The Forum of Dialogue in NEST: Exceeding Diplomacy Toward a Serious Christian-Muslim Dialogue”, in www.annahar.com, Beirut, October. 2005. (Arabic)
“Meditations on the Christian Theology of Hope”, in www.annahar.com Beirut, August. 2005. (Arabic).
“The Trinitarian God who Saves Non-Christians”, in www.annahar.com Beirut, January. 2004 (Arabic)
“Theology Between Pietism and Catechism: The Meaning and Value of Theological Education”, (series of articles), in, Alnashra, Beirut, June 2003 onward. (Arabic).
“The problem of Evil: Which Question?” in, Alnashra, Beirut, N.26, Feb.2002, (Arabic)
“Is Theology for Common Believers?” in, Alnashra, N.18, Jun. 2001 (Arabic)
“Let us Narrate Theology”, in, Alnashra, Beirut, N.12, Jen.2000. (Arabic)
“Theological Education and Nurturing: Disengagement”, in Alnashra, Beirut, V.10, Oct.1999. (Arabic)
Book Reviews:
Holy Trinity, Perfect Community, by Leonardo Boff, Phillip Berryman (trans.), Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2001,in International Journal of Systematic Theology, Vol.5, N.2, July. 2003 (English)
The Christian Faith: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, by Colin E. Gunton. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, ltd. 2002, in, Near East School of Theology Theological Review, Vol. XXIV, N.2, Apr. 2003 (English)
God: An Open Question, by Anton Houtepen, John Bowden (trans.), London & New York: Continuum, 2003, in, Near East School of Theology Theological Review, Vol. XXV, N.1, Apr. 2004 (English).
In Search for Ecumenical Dialogue: Theological, Evangelical Essays, by George Sabra, Beirut: An-Nafeer Publishing, 2001, in, Alnashra, Beirut, N.29, May.2002. (Arabic)
The Other Hand of God: The Holy Spirit as the Universal Touch and Goal, by Killian McDonnell, Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2003, in International Journal of Systematic Theology, Vol. 6, N. 4, Oct. 2004. (English)
Other Scholarly Articles:
“Jeehad is the Essence of ‘Hizbullah’ and Weapon is its Tool,” in www.assafir.com , the page of political issues, N. 11342, 13/07/2009 (Arabic)
“Where Does the Palestinian Spirit of Sacrifice Come From? We Need to Understand Ourselves,” in www.assafir.com , The Cultural Page, N. 11215, 06/02/ 2009 (Arabic)
“Scares a Deity, the Fear of Whom Does Not Lead to Wisdom,” in www.assafir.com, The Cultural Mulhak, N. 11156, 21/11/2007 (Arabic)
“The Culture of Vengeance,” in www.assafir.com , the Cultural Mulhak, N. 10829, 19/10/2007 (Arabic)
“More than Mere Terrorization”, in www.annahar.com , the Cultural Mulhak, N. 708, 2/10/2005 (Arabic)
“Under the Shadow of Being: The Self between Relationship and knowledge in Postmodernity”, in www.annahar.com , the Cultural Mulhak, N. 694, 26, June, 2005. (Arabic)
“From Inside or from Outside? The Intellectual and the Reading of History: Francis Fukuyama as a Case Study”, in Alam Alfkr, Vol. 33. 4, June. 2005, pp. 39-53 (Arabic).
“A Political Reading in the Light of Charles Malik’s Israel, America and the Arabs: Reading in Half a Century”, in www.rezgar.com, The Modern Dialogue, N.1080, 16/1/2005. (Arabic)
“Martin Heidegger and the Ontology of Poetry”, in www.annahar.com, the Cultural Mulhak, N. 683, 10, April 2005.(Arabic)
“Derrida and the Deconstruction of Theological Discourse: Between Ontology and Text”, in www.annahar.com, the Cultural Mulhak, N. 659, 24, October 2004.(Arabic)
“Don’t Throw the Baby with the Bathing Water: Which Inside and which Outside?”, in www.elaph.com, 15,9,2004 (Arabic)
“Human Rights, Political Reformation and Civil Society”, www.all4syria.org 1, 3, 2004; www.rezgar.com 26, 2, 2004. (in Arabic)
“Iraq Between Optimism and Pessimism: Is Democracy Opposite of Resistance?” www.elaph.com 23, Sept.2003, search word: Najeeb Awad (in Arabic letters) (Arabic).
“The Battle of the Giants: ‘The Clash of Civilizations’ under Scrutiny”, in, Al-Nahj, Damascus, Summer. 2003. (in Arabic)
“On Change and Stability in Syria”, in www.elaph.com, December, 2003 (Arabic).
“The Missionaries and Their Role in the Middle East: Conspiracy, or Cultural Intercourse?” in, Al-Nahj, Damascus, spring, 2002. (Arabic)
“The Destinies of philosophy: Apology, or Offence?” in, Al-Adab, Beirut, Fall.1999. (Arabic).
Poetry (Short List):
On My Lips A Kiss I Will Not Get, Beirut: Al-Ghaoon, 2009
“My Water Returns, Opposite the Revere, to the Fountain”, in the cultural page, 23, October, 2005, www.annahar.com (Arabic).
“God if He Escaped His Silence”, in Al-Mada, Vol.5, 2005. (Arabic)
“A Woman Like You”, in www.jehat.com (Arabic)
“Death Thinks I am a God”, in The Cultural Mulhak, 1. May, 2005, www.annahar.com (Arabic)
“In the Insomnia of your Night I Lit my Body”, in the Cultural Mulhak, 29. August, 2004, www.annahar.com (Arabic)
Barefoot Rituals, Damascus: Kana’an Publishing House, 2003. (Arabic)
“Public Defeats”, in Al-Mada, Vol. 3. 41, 2003. (Arabic)
“Three Poems”, in Al-Mada, Vol. 4. 38, 2002. (Arabic)
Scholarly Presentations and Lectures
“On the Uprisings in the Arab World and the Situation of the Eastern Christians: How is the Present? What Can the Future Be?” A Block-Seminar to the Intercultural Theology and Euroculture Programmes, Göttingen University, 19, May. 2011.
“Where is Gospel? What Happened to Culture? the Reformed Church in the Near East,” a public lecture in The Overseas Ministries Study Centre (OMSC), New Haven, CT. USA, March. 2009
"Building the Bridges, or Uncovering Them? Islamic and Christian Chant at a Crossroads in the Middle East," A Group Lecture with Tala Jarjour & Lejla Damiri presented in the National Graduate Conference for Ethnomusicology, New
Directions in Music Studies, organized by Music Faculty, University of Cambridge, England, July. 2006
"Religious Inclusivisim, Universal Salvation and the Holy Spirit”. A public lecture presented at the Near East School of Theology (NEST), Beirut, Lebanon, February. 2006.
“Theology of Religions,Universal Salvation and the Spirit.” a short paper presented in the Conference of Theology and the World Religions, organized by SST, the Society for Studying Theology, Leeds, England, April. 2006.
“Salvation between the Son and the Spirit: A Brief Study of a Biblical Trinitarian Attestation”, a Seminar Paper presented at the seminar on Trinity and Christology at the conference Theology and the World Religions, organized by the Society for the Study of Theology (SST), Leeds, England, 2006.
“Between Subordinationism and Koinonia: A Reading in the Cappadocian Trinitarian Theology” presented in the conference Monotheism and Trinitarianism; scheduled held in the Center for Arabic Christian Studies, St. Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon, April. 2006.
“The Promise of Gregory Nazianzen’s Pneumatology: Toward a New Perichoretic Reading of the Cappadocian Theology”, presented at King’s College Research Center for Systematic Theology, December, 2003.
“A Message from the Middle East…to Scotland”, a short word I presented as the Delegate of the Middle East Council of Churches (M.E.C.C) to the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly, Edinburgh, Spring, 2003.
“Christianity in the Middle East, Past, Present and Future”, presented at Augustine United Church, Edinburgh, Spring 2003.
“Between Faith and Knowledge: When Culture Challenges Faith”, a series of lectures presented at the conference of the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon for University Students, Dhur Shower Conferences Center, Lebanon, Summer 2003 (Arabic)
“Music, Worship and Christian Church”, two-parts lecture presented at the National Evangelical Synod of Syrian and Lebanon’s conference on Church Music, Dhur Shower Conferences Centre, Summer 2003 (Arabic).
“Gospel and Culture: Faith in Relation to History”, series of lectures presented at the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon’s Conference to University Students, Dhur Shower Conferences Centre, Summer 2002 (Arabic)
“Christian Ethics and Contemporary Social Issues: Freedom, Abortion, Execution, Ecology and Sexuality”, a series of lectures presented at the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon’s conference for University Students, Dhur Shower Conferences Centre, Lebanon, Summer 2001 (Arabic)
“The Historicity of the Incarnational Narrative: A Brief Reading in Chapter Eight
of Stephen Evans, The Historical Christ and the Jesus of Faith: The Incarnational Narrative as History”, presented at King’s College Research Center for Systematic Theology, Spring, 2001.
“Revelation from Below: A Brief Display of Pannenberg’s Concept of Revelation”, presented at King’s College Research Center for Systematic Theology, November, 2000.
“The Concept of Poverty: ‘God is on the Side of the Poor’ fails to Do Justice to the Message of the Bible”, presented in the course on Mission and the Bible at Crowther Hall Centre for Mission Education and Training, Selly Oak, Birmingham, Spring, 2000.
“Christianity in the Middle East”, presented at Crowther Hall Centre for Mission Education and Training, Selly Oak, Birmingham, Spring, 2000.
“Proselytism or Dialogue? Study in Acts17: 16-34”, presented in the course on Mission and the Bible at Crowther Hall Centre for Mission Education and Training, Selly Oak, Birmingham, Spring, 2000.
“Muslims &Christians in the Near East: The Case of Syria &Lebanon”, presented at Crowther Hall Centre for Mission Education and Training, Selly Oak, Birmingham, Winter 2000.
“The Philosophy of Perception and Christian Leadership”, two-parts lecture presented at the Youth Leadership Training Conference of The Fellowship of the Middle East Evangelical Churches (F.M.E.E.C), Dhur Shower, Lebanon, Summer 1999.
Professional Organizational Membership and Services:
Member of The American Academy of Religion (AAR),
Member of The Fellowship of Langham Scholars (FLS)
Member of The Society for the Study of Theology (SST)
Member of The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC)
Member of The Media and Publication Committee in the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon
Delegate for The Middle East Council of Churches to the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly, Edinburgh (Spring, 2003).
Chair Person of The Religious Work Committee of the Presbyterian Churches of Syria (1997-1999)
Member of The Association of the Theological Institutes in the Middle East (ATIME) (1993-1995)
Delegate for The Middle East Council of Churches to the United Nations’ Youth Summit, New York (Summer, 1995)
Scholarships and Grants
John Stott Ministries (Sept. 2008-July. 2009)
Received a one-year grant of $10,000 for visiting fellowship in Systematic Theology at the Divinity School, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Langham Trust Research Scholarship (Sept, 2001- April, 2005)
Received half a scholarship of ₤ 9000 per year for my doctoral studies in Systematic Theology at King’s College, London
All Saints Educational Trust (Sept, 2001- Sept, 2004)
Received a grant of ₤ 5,500 towards fees for my doctoral studies in Systematic Theology at King’s College, London
International leadership Development Scholarship, the Presbyterian Church (USA)
(2002-2004). Received an International Leadership Scholar Grant of $ 3,000.00
per year for my doctoral Studies in Systematic Theology at King’s College, London.
L'Action chrétienne en Orient, through the National Evangelical Synod of Syria and
Lebanon (2001-2004) received a grant of ₤ 4,500 per year for my doctoral
Studies in Systematic Theology at King’s College, London.
Church Mission Society Scholarship (CMS) (January, 2000- Sept, 2001)
Received a grant of ₤ 8,000 for the Master Degree Studies in Systematic Theology at King’s College, London.
