Dr. Carl Rasmussen

Bethel University

Dr Rasmussen is Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota. He received his PhD in Ancient Near Eastern Studies from Dropsie University (now the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania). He is an Adjunct Professor at the Jerusalem University College in Jerusalem. Dr. Rasmussen is the author of the Zondervan Atlas of the Bible and the Zondervan Essential Atlas of the Bible. He is featured as the main consultant and lecturer in the thirteen part video series — Encountering the Holy Land: A Video Introduction to the History and Geography of the Bible. Carl is the image and content provider to his image website www.HolyLandPhotos.org that presents over 6,034 beautiful images and thoughtful commentary on places of Biblical and Classical interest — from Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Malta, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, France, Spain and a number of European Museums. He lived, taught, and guided in Israel for seven years—two of his three children were born in Jerusalem. Carl and his wife Mary have spent fifteen years of their adult lives leading and teaching academic and adults groups in Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Malta, and Egypt—and they continue to do so.

Dr. Mark Fairchild

Huntington University

Dr. Fairchild received his Ph.D. in New Testament Studies from Drew University. He also completed Ph.D. coursework at Union Theological Seminary (NY) and Princeton Theological Seminary. Dr. Fairchild has twice received research grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities. In 1992, he collaborated with 11 other scholars at Yeshiva University exploring the Greek encounter with Judaism during the Hellenistic Period. In 2002, he joined 20 other scholars at the University of Chicago to investigate societal transformations and the legitimization of power in the early Islamic states.

Fairchild’s recent discovery of two previously unknown ancient synagogues in Turkey (including the world’s oldest known synagogue) was published in the Biblical Archaeology Review in 2012. Research at this ancient synagogue was also published in the Journal of Ancient Judaism in 2014. The Biblical Archaeology Review also published Fairchild’s research on St. Paul’s first mission from Perga to Antioch (2013) and another article on the biblical city of Laodicea (2017). Fairchild’s book on Christian Origins in Ephesus and Asia Minor (originally published in 2015) has been expanded and a second edition is currently available with Hendrickson Publishers (2017).

Dr. Fairchild is currently the Program Director for the Ephesus Meeting, an academic conference at the ancient site of Ephesus in Turkey. He annually travels to Turkey, Greece, Israel, Egypt and Jordan for research and to conduct study tours.

Pastor Bernard Bell

Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino

Bernard Bell is Pastor of Biblical Studies at Peninsula Bible Church Cupertino in California. He has degrees in Geography (MA, Cambridge), Land Surveying (MSc, University College London) and Biblical Studies (MCS, Regent College, Vancouver). Prior to entering the ministry he worked at CERN (Geneva) and the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (Stanford, California). He has led ten tours for his church to Israel, Greece and Turkey, all but the first with his wife Susan.

Dr. Andrew Jackson

Researcher and Author

Dr. Andrew Jackson is a pastor, teacher, and author. He lives in the Phoenix Valley of Arizona, USA with his wife Barbara. He earned his Master of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary, and his specialized Doctor of Ministry in the “History of Church Renewal Movements” from GordonConwell Theological Seminary. Dr. Jackson also studied historical-geography of the Bible for one year at the Jerusalem University College in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Jackson served as a senior teaching pastor at two large churches, as an adjunct Seminary professor, and taught world religion courses at two colleges. He now focuses his time on writing, teaching, and ministry in Turkey. Dr. Andrew Jackson is the translator and writer of the International English Bible: A New Testament Translation. Dr. Jackson leads annual tours in the Bible lands of Israel and Turkey. His expertise is in the New Testament and early church history of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). He authored two books related to Turkey: A Guide Inside the Early Church of Asia Minor: 300 Profiles and The Lost Land of the Bible: Prayer Pilgrimages Through Turkey. He was also the co-host on the travel documentary “Exploring Ephesus: The City of the Apostles.”