PhD in Biblical Studies

Dr. Mark Meyer serves as the Director of the PhD in Biblical Studies program. Dr. Meyer initially served the Lord in the field of engineering prior to his call to full-time Christian ministry. After earning his BS in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University, he went on to complete the MS in Electrical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University while also pursuing the MDiv degree at Capital Bible Seminary. During his time working as an engineer for the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University, he completed the MA and PhD in Semitic Languages and Literatures at Catholic University. Dr. Meyer also completed studies in Israel with Jerusalem University College, focusing on the historical and geographical settings of the Bible and the life and times of Jesus. He is the author of A Comparative Dialectical Study of Genitive Constructions in Aramaic Translations of Exodus, and he recently translated the book of Exodus from the Syriac Peshitta into English for The Antioch Bible Set. In addition to serving as the director, Dr. Meyer teaches a number of courses in the program. His area of expertise is the biblical languages and the languages of the Ancient Near Eastern cultures which surrounded the nation of Israel during both the Old and New Testament periods. In addition to his facility with Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, Dr. Meyer is conversant in Akkadian, Ugaritic, and Syriac. With this unique skill set, Dr. Meyer brings the ancient world of the Bible to life for students in courses like BIB903 OT Backgrounds, BIB905 OT Exegesis, and BIB911 New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Additionally, he teaches BIB901 Advanced Biblical Research & Writing and BIB907 Reading French. Dr. Meyer is passionate about equipping students with even greater ministry and teaching skills as they pursue a deeper understanding of the Word of God through the study of the original languages, cultures, and literatures that serve as the foundations of Scripture. His door is always open to his students, and his ready words of encouragement always point them to the Lord. Dr. Meyer is married to his college sweetheart, Karen. While he is passionate about teaching seminary students, he and Karen also have a great love for the local church and especially for international congregations. They have served side by side in a wide variety of these ministries from the time they first met in college, beginning with their ministry with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship of North Carolina State University. An ordained minister since 1993, Dr. Meyer has also served as the English Pastor for Korean and Chinese congregations and as a pastor and elder in other churches. He currently preaches and teaches in a number of local churches, including Hengtong Church in Baltimore and The Light of Life, a Chinese congregation which meets in the chapel of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Meyer and his wife reside in Columbia, Maryland.

Sam Harbin is blessed to have been a follower of Jesus Christ since childhood, and brings more than 30 years of experience in pastoral and Christian higher education ministry to the classroom. He has served in a variety of roles, including assistant pastor, senior pastor, seminary chaplain and professor, and seminary president. His ministry has taken him throughout the United States and to seven countries internationally. Sam holds degrees from Indiana Baptist College (B.A., 1982), Calvary Baptist Theological Seminary (Master of Divinity, 1985), and Dallas Theological Seminary (Doctor of Ministry, 2001). His doctoral studies focused on effective interpretation and communication of Old Testament narratives. As chair of the Bible & Theology department, Sam enjoys leading his talented team to serve with excellence every program at Lancaster Bible College / Capital Seminary and Graduate School. Tasked with providing the biblical and theological content for every major, the Bible & Theology team seek to build growing believers who understand Scripture and know how to integrate biblical truth into life and service regardless of vocational calling. Sam teaches at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas of hermeneutics, English Bible, and homiletics. He also maintains an active speaking and consulting ministry and particularly enjoys serving local churches who are in the pastoral search process. He holds pastoral counseling certification with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors. A native of southern Indiana, Sam’s hobbies include following Indiana University “Hoosier” basketball, woodworking, bluegrass music, and playing several stringed instruments. Sam and his wife, Elaine, have three grown sons and two grandchildren. They reside in Manheim, PA.

Dr. Doug Finkbeiner and his wife Sheri have been married for 32 years and have 6 children between the ages of 20 and 29. Doug has 13 years of pastoral experience and speaks extensively at churches and conferences. In 1997 Doug became a full-time professor at Calvary Baptist Seminary and began teaching in the area of New Testament and Practical Theology. In 2014 Doug became a full-time professor at Lancaster Bible College, where he teaches primarily in the area of the New Testament at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral level. He especially enjoys teaching undergraduate and graduate students how to interpret and communicate the Bible. He has completed four graduate degrees-- a Master of Divinity from Calvary Baptist Seminary (1985), a Master of Theology from Calvary Baptist Seminary (1989), a Doctor of Ministry from Denver Seminary (1995), and a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania (2010). While his doctoral degree at Denver Seminary focused on preaching, his doctoral degree at the University of Pennsylvania focused on Early Judaism and Early Christianity.

Dr. Joseph Kim has taught Bible and theology courses at Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary and graduate school since 2009. He holds a bachelor's degree from Kettering University and earned his Master of Theology and PhD from Dallas Theological Seminary.

John Soden was blessed to grow up in a pastor’s family and trusted Christ at an early age. Desiring from high school to serve the kingdom in some full-time capacity, John attended Biola University (B.S. in Physical Science, 1978), followed by Dallas Theological seminary (Th.M., 1983, and Ph.D., 1989, both in Semitics and Old Testament Studies). After nearly 10 years of pastoral ministry in rural Colorado, God brought John, his wife Janet, and their three children to Lancaster to train men and women for service to the kingdom. John has been teaching at Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary since the fall of 1998. His mission, in the words of Paul, is to “proclaim [Christ], warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ” (Col. 1:28). The pastorate was a wonderful experience for the Sodens and was very difficult to leave, but teaching has always been a passion and a pleasure. John has the privilege of teaching and serving on the elder board of his local church, as well as teaching and preaching in Lancaster and across the globe. His teaching on both the undergraduate and graduate levels has included various aspects of Old Testament studies, Hebrew, hermeneutics, and even preaching. In 2012 he published In the Beginning…We Misunderstood with Kregel. John loves playing games with his family, traveling, everything outdoors, playing his guitar, and taking students of all ages to Israel for touring and archaeology. With their three children and one grandchild grown and scattered, John and his wife Janet live close to the college in Lancaster, PA.