Julia Lambert Fogg, Ph.D.
Professor
she /her /ella
Office Hours: by appointment
About
The Rev. Dr. Julia Lambert Fogg is a full Professor in the Religion Department. She specializes in the New Testament, first century Christianity, theologies from the margins, border crossing narratives, and cross-cultural reading practices. Named Professor of the Year by CLU class of 2008, she led the Religion department for 7 years as Chair (2009-2016). She has also served in faculty governance as Faculty Assembly chair and as Chair of the inaugural CLU Faculty Senate (2020-21).
In her teaching Dr. Fogg follows culturally responsive pedagogies and attends to neurodiversity in student learning practices. She works to develop innovative, immersive, and relational pedagogical methods, and employs experiential learning to take students on community visits in courses like Pauline letters, Global Jesus, New Testament, and Liberation Theology. She believes that learning is most transformative when we step outside our comfort zones to engage people and communities who are different from us.
Dr. Fogg's current research focuses on strategies for building communities across divisions and diversity for a book project tentatively titled, Creating Bodies: St. Paul's Strategies for Saving Communities, 2027 Baylor University Press. For example, "A Neurocognitive Approach Reveals Paul's Embodied Emotional Strategies," Religions 2024, 15(8), 946. Other projects include: "Neuro-cognition and Joy in Philippians: Paul's Emotional Strategies for Building the Body of Christ," a paper accepted at the Society of Biblical Literature annual meeting in San Diego, Nov 2024; a forthcoming chapter, “Called into Relationship: Creating Teaching and Learning Communities in College Classrooms Today” for the Network on Vocation in Undergraduate Education' next book, expected 2025; a forthcoming article, “The Kind of Reception We Had Among You: Practicing Hospitality in the Pauline Letters” for the Chicago Symposium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture in February 2025, to be published in the journal Ex Auditu.
Fogg's first book, Finding Jesus at the Border: Opening Our Hearts to the Stories of Our Immigrant Neighbors focuses on biblical readings from the margins (Baker-Brazos Press. April 2020). Here she examines border crossing narratives in the gospels and shows how these narratives illumine and are illumined by the experiences of young Latino/a immigrants who crossed borders to arrive in Southern California.
In earlier work on Paul’s letters, especially Philippians, Dr. Fogg argues that Paul understands salvation in terms of a present and future, material and spiritual, social communion between Christ and his followers embodied in their concrete daily practices. This puts community life at the center of theology and engaged practices.
Dr. Fogg has taught for 8 years in the Lutheran Theological Education for Emerging Ministries (TEEM) program at CLU's seminary, PLTS in Berkeley. In her public scholarship, she has written for Working Preacher.org in Spanish and Vocation Matters as well as Leadership Foundations, and "The Story of Scripture" for the Practicing Discipleship Initiative for Lutheran Youth and worked for a time with a nonprofit farm for land, farmworker, and food justice, The Abundant Table in Ventura County.
Education
Ph.D., Emory University, Graduate Division of Religion, May 2006
Th.M. (cum Laude), Candler School of Theology, Emory University, 1997
M.Div. Yale Divinity School, 1996
B.A. (magna cum laude) Spanish Literature, Colgate University, 1992
Phi Beta Kappa
Phi Kappa Sigma
Expertise
Primary:
Cultural & Literary Readings of the New Testament
Pauline Theology & Interpretation
Liberation Theologies
Biblical Theologies of Community
Immigration, Border Crossing & Community Identity
Biblical Greek
Secondary:
The Social World of First Century Mediterranean Cultures
The Art & Culture of Global Jesus
Revelation & Empire
Publications
“The Kind of Reception We Had Among You: Practicing Hospitality in the Pauline Letters” for the Chicago Symposium on the Theological Interpretation of Scripture in February 2025, to be published in the journal Ex Auditu.
Showers Lecture, Indianapolis University, March 8, 2023.
Book publication: April 2020
This book explores contemporary US immigrant, dreamer, and deportee narratives in conversation with Jesus’s border crossing narratives in the Gospels and Paul’s border crossing and detention experiences in the New Testament Letters. I argue that Jesus, like many family members living among Christian communities today, crossed the social, political, ethnic, and geographical borders that so many have experienced today. Paul experienced incarceration for crossing social and political borders and articulates a Christology of border crossing out of that experience. Because Jesus crossed these borders we, as Jesus’s followers, should welcome those who also cross borders, learn from their experiences, and cultivate the skill of crossing borders to step out of our own geographic, ethnic, religious comfort zones to meet others in Christ.
Presidential Address: March 2020 Society of Biblical Literature, Pacific Coast Region (recorded on line)
On Account of This Word: The Crucible of Mark 7:24-30
Book Chapters
“Immigration, Migration and Border Crossing: Scenarios from the College Classroom.” Chapter 15 in Global Lutheranism: Vitality and Challenges. Edited by Peter Vethanayagamony and F. Voelker Griefenhagen. Minneapolis, Minnesota: Lutheran University Press, 2018.
“Philippians.” Pages 543-556. In The New Testament Fortress Commentary on the Bible. Edited by Margaret Aymer, Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, David A. Sánchez. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.
“All the Senses of Revelation 8: Experiencing First Century Rhetorical Strategies,” in Teaching the Bible: Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction, (ed. Patrick Gray and Mark Roncace; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, November 2005).
“Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: A Lesson in Citizenship,” in Teaching the Bible: Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction, (ed. Patrick Gray and Mark Roncace; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, November 2005).
“Visual Exegesis: An Introduction to Biblical Interpretation,” in Teaching the Bible: Practical Strategies for Classroom Instruction, (ed. Patrick Gray and Mark Roncace; Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, November 2005).
Articles in Biblical Commentaries
“Galatians,” The CEB Women’s Bible. Edited by Jaime Clark-Soles: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House, 2016.
“Ephesians,” The CEB Women’s Bible. Edited by Jaime Clark-Soles: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House, 2016.
“Colossians,” The CEB Women’s Bible. Edited by Jaime Clark-Soles: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House, 2016.
“Mark,” The CEB Student Bible. Edited by Elizabeth Corrie. Nashville, TN: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House. August 2015.
“2 Corinthians,” The CEB Student Bible. Edited by Elizabeth Corrie. Nashville, TN: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House. August 2015.
“1 Thessalonians,” The CEB Student Bible. Edited by Elizabeth Corrie. Nashville, TN: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House. August 2015.
“2 Thessalonians,” The CEB Student Bible. Edited by Elizabeth Corrie. Nashville, TN: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House. August 2015.
“Galatians,” The CEB Student Bible. Edited by Elizabeth Corrie. Nashville, TN: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House. August 2015.
“Philippians,” “James,” The CEB Student Bible. Edited by Elizabeth Corrie. Nashville, TN: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House. August 2015.
“James,” The CEB Student Bible. Edited by Elizabeth Corrie. Nashville, TN: Contemporary English Bible, UMC Publishing House. August 2015.
Journals
"A Neurocognitive Approach Reveals Paul's Embodied Emotional Strategies," Religions 2024, 15(8), 946, MDPI on line, open access peer-reviewed journal.
2023 “Can the Carnegie Hour Support the Vocation of Student Learning?” May 11.
Vocation Matters, Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Research.
2022 “Discovering the Contours of Vocation through Undergraduate Summer Research,”
Vocation Matters, Network for Vocation in Undergraduate Research. Aug 18.
2022 “What is Our Work Now?” Vocation Matters, Network for Vocation in Undergraduate
Research. March 23. https://vocationmatters.org/2022/03/23/what-is-our-work-now/
“Comentario del San Juan 18:1-19:42,” April 19, 2019. Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertsen. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4030
“Comentario del San Juan 20:1-18,” April 21, 2019. Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertsen. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4044
“Comentario del San Juan 20:19-31,” April 28, 2019. Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertsen. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4045
“Comentario del San Juan 21:1-19,” May 5, 2019. Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertsen. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=4046
“Comentario del San Juan 1:1-9 (10-18),” January 3, 2016. Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertsen. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2743
“Comentario del San Lucas 2:1-14, (15-20),” Dec 24, 2015. Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertson. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2738
“Comentario del San Lucas 2:41-52,” Dec 27, 2015.Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertson. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2739
“Comentario del San Juan 1:1-9 (10-18),” January 3, 2016. Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertson. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2743
“Comentario del San Mateo 2:1-12,” January 6, 2016.Working Preacher Commentary, an on-line journal en español. Edited by Andrés Albertson. http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2740
“A Response to ‘Personalized vs. Parallel Eating,’” Leaven: Vol 20:1 (2012): article 5. Available at: http://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol20/iss1/5
On-Line Pedagogical Resources
“God’s Story in Scripture: Border Crossing.” The Practice Discipleship Initiative written for The Network, and presented at Extravaganza Youth Conference, Jan 2015. Available on-line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raC4vmz4Lp8&feature=youtu.be.
“Story in Scripture.” The Practice Discipleship Initiative, March 3, 2015. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/pd-2015-webinar-story-of-scripture/45150965?from_search=0
“Prepping Class with Newspaper in Hand.” Seminarium: Elements of Great Teaching, August 25 2014. http://www.highly.co/hl/541230186c696c5b21120000,.
“Sustainable Service Learning: A SLO Transformation.” Seminarium: Elements of Great Teaching, July 11, 2014, http://seminariumblog.org/general/semclass/sustainable-service-learning/.
Creation of on-line and in-class Teaching Materials for Introducing the New Testament: A Historical Literary and Theological Survey, by Mark Allen Powell, Baker Publishing, 2009.
Encyclopedic Entries
“Antioch.” Society of Biblical Literature’s Bible Odyssey. June 2014, http://www.bibleodyssey.org/places/main-articles/antioch.aspx.
Grant Funding
Most recent awards
2024 Whiteley Scholar in residence at the University of Washington Friday Harbor Research Laboratories
2024 Foster Family Fellowship for Summer undergraduate student research in religion and theology
2023 Foster Family Fellowship for Summer undergraduate student research in religion and theology
2022 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship for undergraduate student research in humanities
2022 Foster Family Fellowship for undergraduate student research in religion and theology
2021 Foster Family Fellowship for undergraduate student research in religion and theology
2020 $5,000.00 Faculty Research and Creative Work Fellowship, CLU
2019 $1,500.00 Community Leaders Association Grant, CLU
2019 President’s Diversity mini grant awarded for Homelessness and Housing Crisis at Hope Hollywood Lutheran Church, CLU
2018 $1,500.00 Community Leaders Association Grant, CLU
2017 President’s Diversity mini grant awarded for Homelessness and Housing Crisis at Hope Hollywood Lutheran Church, CLU
2012 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship, CLU
2011 Wabash Teaching Grant
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