There seems to be a notion that one must choose between a career that capitalizes on their skill and experience or fulfills their passion.
This is not Gregory MaGee’s reality.
MaGee is professor of biblical studies and program director for the biblical studies program at Taylor University.
Though not a Taylor graduate himself, MaGee feels that he is right at home amongst the students in his sphere.
“I’ve always enjoyed the critical years (and) strategic years of college life, and just see that as a fun thing to be invested in with students who are forming a lot of their own convictions and are asking big questions about faith and their walk with God and the Bible,” MaGee said. “So I love working with college age students for that reason, and I think especially Taylor students, because there’s a rare enthusiasm about Christianity and faith that you see here reflected across the student body.”
MaGee considers his work at Taylor his second career.
After his graduation from Rice University, MaGee spent 10 years working full-time with Cru, an international Christian ministry he became involved with as an undergraduate.
He and his wife met in college, but their relationship grew throughout their dual involvement with Cru over the years. Together, they served for two years on college campuses across America and four years in East Asia.
Their experience living and working in East Asia was not without its challenges, but it awakened MaGee and his wife to the work of the Spirit in coming alongside the students they served.
MaGee’s years with Cru were crucial in giving him a passion that still fuels his work today.
“I got shaped as a leader in Cru in ways that I wouldn’t have otherwise,” he said. “I developed a heart for ministry that probably wouldn’t have come as easily on other paths. I think both of those came with me … going back to school and going the academic route to lead me to Taylor. I always was carrying with me my heart for ministry.”
Ministry in East Asia helped MaGee to see students as whole persons, he said. The desire to see them adequately discipled and cared for grew within him.
Discipleship is a recurring theme within MaGee’s own story, too.
During his college years, MaGee’s Cru leaders were a major source of encouragement in his walk with Christ. Rice students were often very intellectual, so it was especially impactful to have leaders that were discerning of the needs of the students they served, he said.
“They gave space for us to really dig deeply into God’s word, even as we were learning ministry approaches that we were applying in our lives,” MaGee said.
MaGee’s professional pursuits have been greatly influenced by the seeds sown in his college years.
A Cru small group that MaGee participated in made it their aim to memorize the Book of Ephesians while studying it together — a book which he would later co-write a commentary for.
It is MaGee’s joy to make Scripture come alive for his students, especially the writings of Paul, which were his focus for his dissertation and became the subject of two books he has authored.
In teaching a section of Biblical Literature 2 every year, MaGee sets aside one day of some fun for his class, where he pretends to represent Paul to his students, complete with his best Paul accent.
His hope for this Q&A style discussion is that students might feel comfortable asking questions that you wouldn’t normally think to ask a Bible character and that they would gain his perspective on things of the modern day.
This spring, MaGee is looking forward to taking a sabbatical to work on a new book project, one that will help readers employ practical tools for teaching biblical theology.
Ultimately, it is a love for God’s word that motivates him each day.
Even in repeated study of the New Testament, MaGee continues to glean new insights from its texts. In reading, he aims to listen for both things that sound familiar and new details as well as questions that arise.
“In particular, over maybe the last decade, seeing the connections across Scripture has become something I’ve really enjoyed, and I think a lifetime of increasing familiarity with Scripture has helped me see some of those connections that I hadn’t been able to see before,” MaGee said.
