Hundreds attend SBTS Greek and Hebrew for Life Conference
By Travis Hearne, SBTS
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) welcomed 225 students, pastors, scholars and laypeople from across the country for its 2025 Greek and Hebrew for Life Conference, held on July 25-26.
Leading up to the weekend conference, 146 participants took part in a Monday-Friday review course in either Greek or Hebrew. These intensive sessions gave attendees the chance to sharpen their language skills under the guidance of trusted faculty, reconnect with the texts of Scripture in their original form and gain fresh confidence for both study and teaching.
“It is always such a joy to visit with both pastors and laypeople who delight in studying God’s Word in the original languages,” Rob Plummer, New Testament professor at Southern Seminary, said. “Some are beginners. Some are advanced students. They are all, however, on a lifetime journey of going deeper into the Scriptures, knowing the Triune God and reveling in the grace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
The conference and review course also provided an opportunity for fellowship and mentorship. Southern Seminary professors such as Hershael York, Kaspars Ozolins, Roberto Carrera and James Hamilton each spoke in their areas of expertise and interacted with participants.
Jonathan Ahlgren, administrator of the Daily Dose ministries, said conference attendees “were thankful to grow in their understanding of the Greek and Hebrew.
“They left encouraged to devote themselves more fully to the faithful study of the Bible in the original languages,” Ahlgren said. “Many alumni were able to connect together. There was a good variety of people, both those in vocational ministry and those who are simply members of their local church who love to study the Bible and find joy in reading the text that the apostles and prophets wrote.”
Judson College welcomes Olivia Rall to English faculty
Mary Asta Mountain, SEBTS
WAKE FOREST, N.C. — Olivia Rall is joining the faculty of Judson College, the undergraduate school at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS).
Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Rall is an alumna of Judson, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in English and Christian studies in 2017. She then went on to pursue both her master’s and her doctorate in English at the University of California, Irvine (UCI).
“It is a joy to welcome Dr. Rall back home to Judson College,” said Southeastern President Danny Akin. “Olivia is a gracious and winsome woman. She is also a brilliant scholar with a missionary heart whose doctrinal convictions are without question. What a great combination for a professor of English and literature. Our wonderful college faculty is only getting stronger and better with her addition.”
During her time at UCI, Rall spent several years serving as a teaching associate in the disciplines of writing, English and humanities. Her research specialty is Shakespeare, and she is passionate about how literature can inform and transform the way readers understand the world and humanity’s role in it.
“When we see the world as a stage for God’s revelation, we remember that we are not only spectators but participants in an unfolding drama,” Rall said. “As Christians, we have a responsibility to act. The Great Commission requires nothing less than our Spirit-filled and urgent action.”
Rall is excited to return to Judson, the school that formed and shaped much of her academic and intellectual foundations, especially through her time in the English program.
“Those classes and professors fostered life-changing revelation about God’s Word and His world in me,” she said, noting the many ways her education challenged, encouraged and equipped her, especially for the work of higher education.
“As a proud alumna of Judson College, it is difficult to overestimate the profound impact of my undergraduate education,” said Rall. “I am thrilled to be back teaching in a place that gave me so much. My time at Judson changed my life, and I am so excited to witness my future students undergo that same transformative experience.”
