Adventist Society for Religious Studies

Theology professor elected 2020 ASRS president

In November, Mathilde Frey, associate professor of theology at WWU, began a three-year leadership term with the Adventist Society for Religious Studies (ASRS).

During the annual ASRS conference, one of the members nominated Frey as a candidate for the society’s next vice president. The next morning, the meeting attendees voted Frey into the position, where she will not only serve as ASRS vice president in 2018, but president-elect in 2019, and president in 2020.  

At the same conference, Frey presented a scholarly paper to the ASRS community, titled “Righteousness by Faith: When Abraham Was Cynical and Righteous at the Same Time.”

ASRS formed in 1979 as a community of Seventh-day Adventist scholars with a mission to pursue new knowledge in the realm of religious studies and to provide fellowship between members. Frey’s election to the leadership team is a testament to her years of scholarship.

“When I was a young teenager, I felt my call was to become a pastor,” she said. “I was always very interested in the stories, especially in the Old Testament.” Since then, she has been delving into these passages and helping others come to the same level of understanding.

Frey pastored for five years in Germany and, in 2003, moved to the United States with her husband and two daughters to study at Andrews University Theological Seminary. In 2008, she accepted a call to teach in the Philippines, and six years later, found her way back to the U.S. “I always enjoyed work that is more on the academic side,” she recalled, “even as a pastor.” Now, she has a doctorate in Old Testament from Andrews University and teaches a number of religion courses at WWU.

Frey follows after a number of other WWU scholars who have served as ASRS president, including most recently Carl Cosaert, professor of biblical studies, who held the title in 2013.

Posted Jan. 29, 2018

Formal Portrait of Mathilde smiling.