Joel Soza

Professor of Biblical Studies

Education:

Doctor of Theology (2005) in Old Testament through the University of South Africa (with resident studies in Durham, England in 1994-1995).
Master of Arts with Honors in New Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio (1989-1994).
Master of Arts with Honors in Old Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio (1989-1993).
13 completed courses for ordination in the Ohio District Council of the Assemblies of God through Berean Bible College (A/G) (1985-1994).
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio (1979-1984).

Experience

Soza was ordained to the ministry through the Ohio District Council of the Assemblies of God in 1994. He has served the Assemblies of God as a Senior Pastor, Associate/Assistant Pastor, Youth Pastor, Christian Education Pastor, pulpit supply preacher, short-term missionary worker, and evangelist. He also writes worship songs, plays guitar, bass, harmonica, leads in congregational singing, and is an active student of piano/keyboards and voice. He has written, performed, recorded, and produced fourteen original worship songs, as well as released a single entitled, Your Perfect Rest. He continues to study the process of recording, mixing, and mastering music. Dr. Soza has published four academic articles for Inter-Varsity Press (IVP) reference works. A first article entitled 'Jeremiah', and a second entitled 'Lamentations' were written for the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology and were published in 2000. Two other articles were written for IVP's Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (TDOT) series. The first of these, published in 2003, was entitled 'Repentance', and went to market in the TDOT: Pentateuch volume. The second of these, 'Jeroboam', went to press in the TDOT: Historical Books volume in the fall of 2005. He contributed the devotional commentary notes on the Books of Jeremiah and Lamentations for the Abingdon's Press Wesley Study Bible released in January of 2009. He also published through Wipf and Stock a trade book entitled Food and God: A Theological Approach to Eating, Diet, and Weight Control in May of 2009. Dr. Soza is an active member in the Society of Biblical Literature and the Institute for Biblical Research.

Recent Scholarly Work

Presented the new Master of Arts program for Malone University to 500 ministers of the Ohio District Council of the Assemblies of God for the purpose of training and recruiting in graduate theological education (May, 2007). Presented a lecture entitled Paul, the Intellectual Mind of Our Greatest Missionary to the "Our Gathering" assembly of Ohio District Council U.S. & world missionaries (June 16, 2008). Appeared as a guest on various Christian radio programs (fund raising for Mexico mission in 1987 and history of the English Bible lecture in 2006) (book promotion on AM 1220 WHKW Living the Word radio show with Glenn Mertz, July 10, 2009). Also appeared on WDLI-TV 17 as a guest for the Trinity Broadcasting Network on December 11, 2008 to speak on the topic of the birth of Jesus and the Old Testament, and again on September 17, 2009 on the topic of the book Food and God. Read a paper entitled Some 'Striking' Theology in the Story of Moses to the Hebrew Scriptures section of the Eastern Great Lakes Bible Society (EGLBS) (March, 2009). Convened a session of the Hebrew Scriptures section of the Eastern Great Lakes Bible Society (EGLBS) (March, 2009). Sabbatical presentation delivered to Malone University on the topic of the book Food and God: A Theological Approach to Eating, Diet, and Weight Control (Sept.11, 2009). (http://www.hopeandhealing.org/contentPage.aspx?resource_id=401&listWebPage_id=87) Preaching/teaching in many varied contexts.

Teaching Assignments

Joel Soza is currently an Associate Professor of Old Testament at Malone University in Canton, Ohio. He has been a chaplain with the United States Navy Reserve, having earned his commission in 1991. He has held assignments with the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard. He was honorably discharged from the Chaplain Corps in December of 2004. He presently serves the Christian church with his itinerant ministry called "Sh'ma Ministries", in which he preaches, teaches, ministers in music, as well as provides a wider array of ministry (e.g. published books for purchase, military chaplaincy perspective). He graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio with a B.S.B.A. in 1984 while simultaneously earning an honorable discharge from the enlisted ranks (combat arms) of the United States Marine Corps Reserve. He earned two Master of Arts degrees (both Cum Laude) from Ashland Theological Seminary: the first in Old Testament in 1993, and the second in New Testament in 1994. He also studied at the University of Durham in England in 1994/95 in the field of Old Testament theology, having eventually written a 95,000 word/242 page DTh thesis on the book of Jeremiah. He ultimately earned his DTh in Old Testament from the University of South Africa in 2005. Soza was ordained to the ministry through the Ohio District Council of the Assemblies of God in 1994. He has served the Assemblies of God as a Senior Pastor, Associate/Assistant Pastor, Youth Pastor, Christian Education Pastor, pulpit supply preacher, short-term missionary worker, and evangelist. He also writes worship songs, plays guitar, bass, harmonica, leads in congregational singing, and is an active student of piano/keyboards and voice. He has written, performed, recorded, and produced fourteen original worship songs, as well as released a single entitled, Your Perfect Rest. He continues to study the process of recording, mixing, and mastering music. Soza has published four academic articles for Inter-Varsity Press (IVP) reference works. A first article entitled 'Jeremiah', and a second entitled 'Lamentations' were written for the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology and were published in 2000. Two other articles were written for IVP's Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (TDOT) series. The first of these, published in 2003, was entitled 'Repentance', and went to market in the TDOT: Pentateuch volume. The second of these, 'Jeroboam', went to press in the TDOT: Historical Books volume in the fall of 2005. He contributed the devotional commentary notes on the Books of Jeremiah and Lamentations for the Abingdon's Press Wesley Study Bible released in January of 2009. He also published through Wipf and Stock a trade book entitled Food and God: A Theological Approach to Eating, Diet, and Weight Control in May of 2009. Soza is an active member in the Society of Biblical Literature and the Institute for Biblical Research. Soza's personal interests include: physical fitness, especially running and track and field, outdoor/recreational activities, gardening, aviation, music performance and recording, computers and technology, Spanish language, and general reading in a broad array of subjects. Soza and his wife Migdalia have been married since 1989, and are the parents of Joseph (born in 1993), and Shari (born in 2001). They presently reside in Louisville.