John Miller, Ph.D. is professor of religion in McMurry’s Department of Religion and Philosophy. He’s also an ordained elder in The United Methodist Church and treasures helping students experience how learning and faith can enrich one another.
Dr. Miller joined McMurry in 2004 from Princeton Theological Seminary, where he was an instructor in the New Testament. Having graduated from a large state institution, he values McMurry’s supportive environment, where faculty help students find their own individual paths to success.
Growing up in Las Vegas, Dr. Miller became fascinated with the Bible and ancient languages as a boy—and that passion shines in his teaching at McMurry. In addition to beginning and advanced Greek, Dr. Miller helps students explore the Christian scriptures in a variety of biblical studies courses.
Dr. Miller is engaged in ongoing biblical scholarship and has published a monograph and several articles exploring dreams and visions in the ancient world. His primary specialty is Luke-Acts, but his other research interests include 1 Maccabees and the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Dr. Miller is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a Fulbright fellow (Israel, 1997 – 1998). In 2014, he received McMurry’s E.E. Hall Memorial Scholar Award.
Dr. Miller holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in biblical studies and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in classical languages from the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with highest honors.
Dr. Miller and his wife, Bonnie, are the parents of two children: Kate and Jack. He’s a great lover of music—especially the Grateful Dead and the improvisational jazz of the 1950s—and believes that worship, like jazz, is at its best when it’s an interactive, co-creative experience.