Author

Tyler Mayfield, the A.B. Rhodes Professor of Old Testament and Director of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, is a biblical scholar, United Church of Christ minister, and administrator. He leads a triennial travel seminar to Israel and Palestine to explore the ancient biblical sites as well as contemporary Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. As the Director of the Grawemeyer Award in Religion, he coordinates and moderates a three-committee, year-long selection process to award a $100,000 prize for the best new idea in religion.

Tyler is the author of five books. The first book, Literary Structure and Setting in Ezekiel (2010), reads Ezekiel as a deliberate prophetic composition with a highly structured form; it is his revised dissertation. A Guide to Bible Basics (2018), his second book, presents the content of the Christian Bible in an accessible and concise way. His third book, Unto Us a Child Is Born: Isaiah, Advent, and Our Jewish Neighbors (2020), helps Christian clergy read the prophetic book of Isaiah liturgically through the lens of Advent and ethically through the lens of love for Jewish neighbor. Father Abraham’s Many Children: The Bible in a World of Religious Difference (2022) reflects on the stories of three of the most significant “other brothers” in the Bible—namely, on God’s continued engagement with Cain after he murders Abel, Ishmael’s circumcision as a sign of God’s covenant, and Esau’s reconciliation with Jacob. His most recent book, Hard and Holy Work: A Lenten Journey Through the Book of Exodus, takes readers through a unique Lenten journey, encouraging us to see those who are marginalized or suffering as God sees them; contemplate how privilege, fear, risk, and feelings of uncertainty can cloud our attention; and practice endurance for the messy middle of justice work, leaning on God’s provision and rest when the way forward is unclear.

He has also written several book chapters and journal articles and enjoys writing regularly for WorkingPreacher.org.

Tyler is a member of St. Andrew United Church of Christ and Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He also enjoys regularly preaching and lecturing at churches.

Tyler holds degrees from Samford University, Yale Divinity School, and Claremont Graduate University. He is married to the Rev. Dr. Lauren Jones Mayfield and has three children: Livia, Jude, and Taft.