Dr. Gregory Soderberg
about the teacher
Dr. Gregory Soderberg and his wife have five children and enjoy hiking, boating, reading, and traveling. He has served in a wide range of church ministries and non-profits, ranging from church planting and prison ministry to foster care and Safe Families for Children. He has spoken at conferences in the US, Germany, and South Korea and has taught at Grace Life College and Seminary in Liberia, with Training Leaders International.
He has 20+ years of experience in Christian education, both in brick and mortar schools and online. Besides earning Permanent Teacher Certification in the Association of Classical Christian Schools, he holds a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Culture (New St. Andrews College), an M.A. in Church History (University of Pretoria), and a Ph.D. in Historical Theology (Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam). He also studied theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and Trinity Theological College, in Bristol (UK). He served as the founding Academic Dean of LAMP Seminary RDU in Raleigh, and an Adjunct Instructor at New St. Andrews College. Besides teaching at Kepler, he is a Teaching Fellow for the BibleMesh Institute, and a Mentor-Professor at Redemption Seminary.
He has published articles in Intellectual Takeout, Common Good, Touchstone and SALVO magazine. His dissertation on communion frequency in Reformed churches was published in V&R's "Reformed Historical Theology" series. In addition to publishing book reviews in various academic journals he was a contributing author to the Omnibus VI: The Modern World textbook, and the books More Than Luther: The Reformation and the Rise of Pluralism in Europe and Reforming the Catholic Tradition: The Whole Word for the Whole Church. He currently serves on the editorial board of Consortium: A Journal of Classical Christian Education.
A Note About Special Needs: Classical Christian education should be accessible to as many types of students as possible. Families with students who have learning differences/challenges are welcome to contact Dr. Soderberg about whether his classes would be a good fit for their child. Two of Dr. Soderberg's classes (The Greeks: Old Western Culture and The Romans: Old Western Culture) are specifically open to Spellers. “Spellers” are individuals who use a letterboard to communicate. They have apraxia, which limits their ability to speak reliably. Apraxia is common with Autism and Down Syndrome, and various other diagnoses. Frequently, people with apraxia are thought to have cognitive deficits. However, these individuals routinely demonstrate normal and higher than normal cognition once they are fluent on their letterboards. For more, see this FAQs on what this option entails for families, and how this might affect the overall class experience.
Teaching Philosophy
I love investing in students and leaders of all ages through teaching, writing, and speaking. I aim to help people learn lessons from the past, to inspire them to live wisely in the present. I love teaching because I love learning, and the pursuit of wisdom, in community with other learners.
As a teacher, my goal is to help equip and train students to embark on a lifetime of learning. As a Christian, my goal is to help them think about everything in a way grounded in the Scriptures, and informed by the wisdom of the Christian tradition.
Statement of Faith
I believe in the historic doctrines of the Christian church. I affirm the absolute priority of the Holy Scriptures, and the interpretive authority of documents like the Nicene Creed. I affirm the points of belief and practice that have traditionally been part of Christian teaching (in regards to the sanctity of life, the meaning and practice of marriage, the nature of gender, etc.).
Beyond my commitment to “core,” or “mere” Christianity, I love and value the Reformed tradition. By training and inclination, I affirm many of the distinctives of Reformed churches. But, like John Calvin and the other reformers, I also love and value our church fathers, and church mothers.
I feel most at home in churches that worship according to the ancient liturgies of the church, but I also realize that God works through all sorts of worship styles and denominational structures, for His own purposes.
One of my goals in all of my teaching is to help my students understand and appreciate the wisdom of the past, to equip them to live wisely in the present.
Video Introduction
Testimonials
> The Rhetoric class taught by Mr. Soderberg is excellent. Even though...the Phaedrus dialogues are difficult, he presented it in the way that is relatable, which inspired students to be interested in the subject and have lively discussions. The review games and speech assignments that illustrate the learnings kept my student interested and motivated. It is a wonderful opportunity learn rhetoric. - Peiwen Lu, Kepler parent
> Mr. Soderberg is an excellent teacher. He makes tough material engaging. [My child] was never bored during class, but rather looked forward to the weekly meetings. - Kimberly Locke