PHILADELPHIA (July 2000)-- Dr. Elizabeth F. Huwiler of Schwenksville, PA, is comfortable at The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, which honors her ability to teach about biblical authority and about the lives of women in the Bible. As of July 1, she was appointed from Associate to full Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at the Seminary, where she has taught since 1996.

As a child of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, Dr. Huwiler grew up in a tradition with strong biblical and religious roots. At Carroll College she minored in religion and developed an interest in 20th century Christianity, graduating in 1973. After a year of further study in English literature and a stint at a small publishing company, she decided to enter The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg for further religious study and wrestled with her emerging goal to serve the Church. Would it work best in a parish setting, teaching full time, or another ministry?

"I have respect for both the academic and practical sides of ministry," she says. "Parishes may be the loser when a gifted pastor chooses to teach at a Seminary, and many gifted teachers are in the parish." She served a parish in Illinois for three years prior to deciding to enter the Doctoral Program at Duke University. She earned her Ph.D. in 1988 and taught at Lancaster Theological Seminary, a United Church of Christ school, from 1988 until coming to the Lutheran Seminary in 1996. "I have felt more called to Seminary teaching than to being a parish pastor," she says.

"I really like the Seminary community," Huwiler says. "We study and worship in community and the faculty gets to lead in both areas. You can assess your credibility as a teacher because in chapel you can see how what you teach about the Bible comes out in a sermon a student gives. You can see what they think is important. Also, the Seminary is small enough so that students and the faculty really know each other. They can interact in all kinds of little ways."

Huwiler says biblical interpretation is always an anxiety point for a parish pastor. "You always have the question what if I come in and offer a new approach to the way a group of people have thought about scripture? The challenge is really to persuade people you are fully engaged with the Bible and with them, and that you love both. You know a congregation existed long before you came and will remain after you and you are not creating your own private model." She says the greatest challenge for a new leader is not to give the message that a congregation has been "wrong" before, but to be adventurous about seeking after biblical truth without offending while at the same time being sensitive to controversy.

Another point to remember? "The obvious leaders with the most appropriate qualities may not be the ones with whom God does the niftiest things," Huwiler says. "It’s important for a leader to both affirm and be excited about the gifts of others. Through them God will do wonderful things. A challenge is not to get in the way with what the Holy Spirit is doing with people."

Huwiler says the disciples in Scripture give ample evidence that "God’s power is made perfect in weakness. The Spirit is less blocked if leaders realize they can’t do it all by themselves."

Huwiler is a member of St. John Lutheran Church, Phoenixville, PA. There, her interest in interfaith relationships has come through. She has taught Scripture in the community in tandem with a Phoenixville, PA, rabbi, David Maher. She’ll also teach a study this year on "Women in the Bible" at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lansdale, PA. Huwiler enjoys biblical poetry as well as exploring both the role of women in biblical texts and how women interpret Scripture. A particular focus on the Song of Songs has led her to study the Bible and human sexuality.

Husband, Lowell Humke, enjoys his career as a professional truck driver, especially when gasoline prices are more reasonable.

The Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, founded in 1864, is affiliated with the 5.2-million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), which has 11,000 congregations nationally. The Seminary enrolls some 430 students and anticipates a record enrollment of new first professional degree students this fall. While the Seminary is affiliated with the ELCA, seminarians from some 30 church affiliations have studied on the campus. The Seminary features a 20-year-old Urban Theological Institute, which has an Afro-centric program of studies for seminarians who study part-time, and a new Latino Concentration. The latter program celebrated its first two graduates this past spring.