We're delighted to invite you to join us this February as we welcome Rev. Dr Jennifer Powell McNutt as ADM's 2026 Visiting Fellow.

Dr McNutt is an award-winning author and professor who holds the Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College. During her visit, she'll help us explore how we read Scripture, understand the resurrection, and bring together academic work and ministry.

We have three opportunities for you to learn with us from this pre-eminent scholar and theologian.

Public Lecture: Surprised by Jesus: Rediscovering the First Witness of the Resurrection

Thursday, 26 February | 7.30-9pm | Venue: The Sibyl Centre |

There is no resurrection account without the presence of Mary Magdalene, but what does her witness mean?

During the earliest era of Christianity, Mary Magdalene was recognised as "first to witness and to worship the risen Lord".

Over the centuries, this encounter has been misunderstood, obscuring how we understand Mary Magdalene’s life-changing encounter with Jesus at the garden tomb.

Dr McNutt will trace how that confusion occurred, and suggest a restorative way to rediscover Mary Magdalene and her historical record in the Gospels. Through a combination of transfiguration theology and a rereading of the resurrection witness, Dr McNutt will offer a way to receive Mary’s witness to the One who healed her, taught her, received her presence and resources, appeared to her, and sent her to proclaim the saving message.

This lecture will deepen your understanding of the resurrection as we rediscover one of Scripture's most significant witnesses.

We look forward to having you learn with us.

Masterclass: Reading with Wonder: The Hermeneutic of Surprise and the Gospels (20 tickets available)

Saturday, 28 February | 2-4pm | Venue: ADM |

Over the course of Christian history, clergy and theologians have developed and practised various approaches to understanding the layered meanings of Scripture. These avenues of meaning are increasingly being retrieved among scholars today and put into conversation with the biblical-critical methods of the modern era. Dr McNutt’s masterclass is for participants looking to ground and refresh their engagement with Scripture in two primary ways. Firstly, through exposure to the landscape of hermeneutical approaches employed by Christians over the centuries of exegetical history. Secondly, by engaging with Dr McNutt’s “Hermeneutic of Surprise” as another fruitful way to employ historical contextualisation. Join us as we turn modern suspicions into biblical surprise to recapture the wonder of Scripture that points us to the truth of God’s revelatory Word!

Dinner with Dr McNutt (women only, spaces limited)

Saturday, 28 February | 6-9pm | Venue: ADM |

Join us for Magnify - an evening with Dr McNutt inspired by Mary's song in Luke 1:46-55. Through Q&A and conversation, Dr McNutt will share her journey pairing academic work with ministry, her research interests, and her story of faith. Dr McNutt will share what it has meant for her to pursue theological scholarship in service of the church – magnifying the work of the Lord - encouraging us to remember that like Mary, our lives can magnify the Lord too. This is a chance to hear how one scholar's life reflects God's faithfulness and to be encouraged in how your own story can do the same.

Contact the host of 2026 ADM Visiting Fellow Events