Te-Li Lau, PhD

Professor of New Testament
My goal in teaching is to serve the church, by encouraging my students to develop a greater love for God and for people through the study of the Scriptures. The advice of Johann Bengel is apropos: 'Apply yourself wholly to the text; apply the text wholly to yourself.'

Before pursuing theological studies, Dr. Lau worked in Silicon Valley for ten years, obtaining several patents in the field of computer engineering. As a recovering engineer, he is eager to see how technology can facilitate effective pedagogy in theological studies. He still loves Emacs and writes his lecture notes with it.

Apart from academic teaching, Dr. Lau is actively involved in the local church. He has served in various capacities as a small group leader, teacher, elder, conference speaker, and preacher. 

Dr. Lau loves Asian cuisine, be it Malay, Chinese, Japanese, or Indian. He enjoys watching action movies and listening to Jazz music. His favorite Jazz artists include Stan Getz, Chet Baker, and Keith Jarrett. He is married to Karen and has two daughters, Amelia and Anastasia. He enjoys walking in the woods with his family.
 

  • PhD New Testament (Emory University, GA; 2008)
  • ThM New Testament (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, IL; 2002)
  • MDiv Summa cum laude (Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, IL; 2000)
  • MS Eletrical Engineering (Stanford University, CA; 1992)
  • BS Electrical Engineering (Stanford University, CA; 1989)
     

Expertise

Pauline studies, the comparison of New Testament texts with Confucian writings, moral psychology, and the role of emotions in spiritual formation

Awards & Honours

  • Center for Biblical Studies Book Award 2020: Best New Testament book Defending Shame (2021)
  • PhD dissertation awarded with distinction, Emory University (2008)
  • Woodruff Library Fellowship: Emory Center of Interactive Teaching, Emory University (2006)
  • Graduate School Fellowship: Emory University (2002–2005)
  • Ludvig Pedersen Award for best NT thesis: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (2002)
  • Co-inventor on 9 patents in the field of computer engineering issued by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (1996–2011)
     

Recent Publications

Books

  • Defending Shame: Its Formative Power in Paul’s Letters.  Grand Rapids: Baker, 2020.
  • The Politics of Peace: Ephesians, Dio Chrysostom, and the Confucian Four Book. Supplements to Novum Testamentum 133. Leiden: Brill, 2010.
     

Selected Book Chapters

  • “Shame.” Pages xx-xx in T&T Handbook on the Bible and Emotion. Edited by Katherine Hockey and Ari Mermelstein. T&T Clark: Bloomsbury, forthcoming.
  • “Greek and Roman Philosophical Schools.” Pages 25–32 in Behind the Scenes of the New Testament: Cultural, Social, and Historical Contexts. Edited by Bruce Longenecker, Elizabeth E. Shively, and T. J. Lang. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2024.
  • “Shame.” Pages 783–87 in Dictionary of the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Edited by G. K. Beale, D. A. Carson, Benjamin L. Gladd, and Andrew David Naselli. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2023.
  • “Romans and the Far East.” Pages 152–66 in Preaching Romans from Here: Diverse Voices Engage Paul’s Most Famous Letter. Edited by Lisa M. Bowens, Scot McKnight, and Joseph B. Modica. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2023.
  • “Knowing the Bible is the Word of God Despite Competing Claims.” Pages 989–1012 in The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures. Edited by D. A. Carson. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2016.

Peer-reviewed Articles

  • “Biography and Historical Reliability in the Gospel of John.” TrinJ 43 (2022): 45-58.
  • “I Write These Things Not to Shame You.” JETS 60 (2017): 105–24.
     

Study Bible Projects

  • NET Study Bible. Nashville: Nelson, forthcoming. Introduction and notes for 1 Corinthians.
  • NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2018. Introduction and notes for Ephesians. 
     

Affiliations & Memberships

  • Society of Biblical Literature
  • Evangelical Theological Society
  • Institute for Biblical Research