News

Regent College is delighted to announce that Dr. Brittany N. Melton will join our full-time faculty as Associate Professor of Old Testament starting in the 2023/2024 academic year.

Brittany is an accomplished scholar and prolific writer, whose work in the Old Testament focuses on the Megilloth (Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, and Lamentations), divine presence and absence, wisdom literature, and more. She is currently Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Palm Beach Atlantic University (Florida, USA). In addition, she serves as Research Fellow at the University of the Free State (Bloemfontein, South Africa) and as Chair of the Tyndale Fellowship’s Old Testament Study Group (Cambridge, UK).

Regent’s Academic Dean Paul Spilsbury expressed the whole College’s excitement about this appointment, saying: "Dr. Melton brings a wealth of expertise and personal depth that will be deeply appreciated by students and colleagues alike. I am delighted to be welcoming such a gifted scholar and teacher to our community and am eagerly looking forward to her arrival next summer."

Brittany is the author of Where is God in the Megilloth? A Dialogue on the Ambiguity of Divine Presence and Absence (Brill, 2018) and the co-editor of two volumes in the Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies (LHBOTS) series: Reading Lamentations Intertextually (Bloomsbury T &T Clark, 2021) and Reading Esther Intertextually (Bloomsbury T &T Clark, 2022). She is also the co-editor of the forthcoming Reading the Book of the Twelve Minor Prophets (Lexham, 2022) and has written several book chapters on divine presence and absence, the Megilloth, and biblical wisdom literature. Her current and forthcoming work includes the New Handbook on Wisdom Books and Psalms (Baker Academic, 2024) as well as commentaries on Esther in the Bible in God’s World Commentary series (Wipf & Stock, 2026), Job in the Hodder Bible Commentary (Hodder & Stoughton, 2027), and Ruth in the Baker Commentary on the Old Testament: Historical Books (Baker Academic, 2028).

Dr. Melton received her PhD from University of Cambridge, her MA from Fuller Theological Seminary, and her BA from Oklahoma Baptist University. She has known a calling to ministry since her teenage years, and has pursued her vocation with excellence and conviction in both academic and ecclesial worlds. Her love of the Old Testament is rooted in a passion for the church to rediscover the riches of Old Testament theology for the life of faith. Brittany currently serves as an elder at Providencia Church in West Palm Beach, Florida, where her husband works as a teaching pastor. This demonstrated commitment to the whole people of God is just one reason why Brittany is a perfect fit for Regent College.

Associate Professor of Old Testament Matthew Lynch shared his excitement about Brittany becoming a member of Regent’s faculty, saying: "What a gift to have Dr. Melton joining Regent next year! Her curiosity, passion for teaching, academic abilities, and pastoral sensitivities will challenge and bless students for years to come. I'm honoured to have her as a colleague and excited for the ways God is going to continue shaping and moulding Regent through her service within this community."

Brittany is married to Drew, who also teaches at Palm Beach Atlantic University as the Accelerated Ministry Preparation Program Coordinator in the School of Ministry, where he brings extensive pastoral experience to his role. Drew and Brittany met during their undergraduate degree, and have been married for twelve years. They have two children, Owen and Afton. At home and in her spare time, Brittany enjoys reading, running, yoga, rock climbing, and knitting. Please pray for Brittany’s whole family as they prepare to relocate from Florida to Vancouver next summer so she can begin her position at Regent College in August 2023.