Mark Allan Powell

Who is Mark Allan Powell?

Mark Allan Powell is the Robert and Phyllis Leatherman Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He is editor of the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary and author of more than 100 articles and 25 books on the Bible and religion, including a widely used textbook, Introducing the New Testament.

Powell has also worked as a professional music critic, with more than 1000 published reviews in the fields of rock and pop music. The two fields of music criticism and religious scholarship come together in his 1200-page volume Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, a critical survey and analysis of artists in both the religious and mainstream markets who have produced faith-oriented products.

Powell has held a number of positions in the academic guild of theological studies. From 1992 - 1996, he served as co-chair of The Matthew Group, a section of the Society of Biblical Literature devoted to the study of Matthew's Gospel, and from 2000 - 2006, he served as Chair of The Historical Jesus Section for that same organization.