Dr. Burkholder’s theological interests run vast and wide. Having completed a M.Div. in Spiritual Formation at Talbot School of Theology (2008), he is eager to commend living into the fullness of the spiritual life. For this reason, in addition to his work at Greystone he also serves on the Council and Board at Grafted Life Ministries whose goal is to help the church foster deeper relationships with Christ among its members. After completing the M.Div., he entered Talbot’s Th.M. program in New Testament (2009) and directed his academic energies to understanding the Apostle Paul’s theology of spiritual growth and how this should inform our own pursuit of spiritual wholeness. This degree also gave Dr. Burkholder a predilection for grounding theological reflections and formulations in Scripture and biblical theology. After Talbot, he entered the Ph.D. program in Systematic Theology at Duquesne University (2015). The diversity of the theological program opened up new vistas of inquiry. There he was introduced to Christian ethics and began thinking through how our worldviews impact the ways we choose to live our daily lives as well as make important ethical decisions. He also became immensely fascinated with thinking through what happens with our theology and understanding of the atonement when Jesus and the Gospels are interpreted from the viewpoint of the restoration theology of Second Temple Judaism. This interest birthed his Duquesne Ph.D. dissertation, which assesses René Girard’s soteriology by reading the Gospels as documents informed by the Jewish hopes for restoration of the Second Temple Period. Dr. Burkholder is a ruling elder at North Park Church (EPC).