Twenty years after graduating from 鶹Ƶ's Beeson Divinity School, Michael Straus, ’MTS 06, is now giving back to the school he said gave him an “amazingly enriching experience.”
Straus was winding down his legal career in 2006 and began considering pursuing theological studies. While in college, he had studied Greek, but not in-depth, so Beeson’s Master of Theological Studies, a forerunner to the Master of Arts in Theological Studies, was a great fit.
“I just found it an amazingly enriching experience,” Straus said. “I was astonished at the depth and quality of the faculty, who were characterized by their own personal faith across denominations.”
Straus absorbed as much Greek as he could, bolstering his understanding of the language while deepening his appreciation of God’s Word by learning the original language of the New Testament.
“By the time I finished those studies, I realized that in order to solidify the language, I needed to go further with it,” Straus said.
He eventually earned a Master of Philosophy in Greek from the 鶹Ƶ of Cambridge and a PhD with a focus on divinity in 2021 from the 鶹Ƶ of Aberdeen.
In his career, Straus has published numerous works dealing with translation, including a of the New Testament. He also published a book version of his thesis, .
Straus recently joined the advisory board at Beeson and is excited by the school’s growth in recent years. He also began contributing to Beeson’s new Financial Assistance Fund, helping meet students’ financial needs beyond tuition, including housing.
“Students come from anywhere in the country as well as from abroad, and, especially if they have a family, there can easily be a cost of housing issue,” Straus said. “Contributing to supporting them even in a very modest way was one way we felt we could help make the (full-tuition) Our Risen Lord scholarships viable.”
Being able to return any gift is a ‘gift’ in itself,” Straus said, whether that’s contributing to the local parish, the homeless or giving food to the hungry.
“I see it as a worthwhile and viable stewardship of the funds we’ve been given. It’s something I believe is helpful,” he said. “Giving is one form of expressing your faith. We give out of an underlying faith, and it's a blessing to be able to do that.”