A legacy of faith and scholarship

By Hannah Diles 

For the first time in University history, two Harding undergraduate students were named among the top three finalists at the Stone-Campbell Journal Conference. Seniors Theo Westbrook and Madeline Hansen Broshears represent two distinct areas of scholarship from the College of Bible and Ministry. Westbrook’s research explores nuance and broader criticism in the flood narrative, while Broshears examines the Christological concept of atonement. Their achievements highlight the strength and breadth of their education and the ongoing legacy of scholarship at Harding.

The SCJ, which aligns with the perspective of the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement, hosts the annual conference as a platform for students to present their scholarly work in biblical interpretation, history, theology, philosophy, apologetics and cultural criticism. Winners receive a scholarship and online publication. Now in its 24th year, the SCJ student competition will be hosted by Johnson University in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Professors in the College of Bible and Ministry encourage students to apply for the SCJ Conference when they demonstrate strong argumentation and scholarly research. Dr. Scott Adair, in particular, has regularly encouraged students from his fall Christology seminar, Doctrine of Christ, to submit their work. Christology students have been successful at the SCJ conference for the past three years: finalist Johnny Galloway in 2023, finalist and winner Avery Hawkins in 2024 and now finalist Madeline Broshears in 2025.

Adair sees himself as a guide, helping students develop their research and theological reflection. “I attribute the SCJ attendance to having great students in Christology,” he said. “It’s an honor for me to direct their brilliance toward reflecting on who God is and what he has done through Christ.”

Broshears took Adair’s Christology seminar in Fall 2024, and she was inspired to further explore the concept of atonement. Her paper, “A Living Atonement: Understanding Christ’s Work Through Christus Victor and Recapitulation,” examines two key themes: Christus Victor and recapitulation. The first concept argues that Christ’s death on the cross was a moment of victory over the powers of sin and death. The second views Jesus’ life and death as a rewalking of Adam’s steps in Genesis — but with obedience and relational restoration with God. By connecting these ideas, Broshears paints a more complete picture of why Jesus’ life and death are both essential to salvation.

Through this research process, Broshears recognized the value of rigorous biblical study and the support of a scholarly community. 

“If anything, I have learned that rigorous biblical study is a huge responsibility,” she said. “I constantly refined my language and argumentation because I never wanted to misrepresent God or his word. Because of this, it is so important that biblical study is not an isolated activity — it requires accountability. I am so grateful for my professor and peers, and this paper is much stronger because of them.”

As he prepares for the conference, Westbrook carries forward the legacy of not only Harding University but also his family. His sister, Alina Stout, won the competition in 2021, and now he is eager to contribute his perspective on the flood narrative in Genesis. His research in this area began as he prepared for his Inspire Lectureship presentation, where he conducted a comparative study of the Babylonian flood epic Atrahasis and Genesis 6–9 to illustrate how God speaks through familiar idioms to teach countercultural worldviews. He continued developing thathis work which culminated in his paper, “The Flood Catastrophe and the Establishing of a Gattung,” for the Critical Issues course with Dr. Daniel Oden. In this paper, he applied genre criticism to establish a gattung, or genre, for the flood catastrophe. Drawing from the biblical narrative and Ancient Near Eastern flood accounts, he examined the mythic themes of destruction and restoration.

Through this experience, Westbrook was humbled and honored to study biblical texts as a way of sharing God’s love and compassion.

“In the very formation of the biblical text, we have observed God humble himself to human language and cultural idiom to produce a text that we can understand,” he said. “The fact that we have a Bible is evidence of that humility. Thus, we, as readers of the text, must follow our Lord and humble  ourselves in faith that the message God is teaching through his Scripture is a message of truth and given in love.”

Both Westbrook and Broshears recognize the importance of scholarly endeavors and the value of hard work. After graduation, Westbrook plans to continue his biblical studies at Harding School of Theology, pursuing a Master of Arts in Old Testament and a Master of Divinity. Broshears will relocate to Massachusetts to attend Harvard Law School in the fall. Their achievements are a testament to the excellence of scholarship at Harding, and they will continue to honor the University as they advance in their academic pursuits.