Sigurd Grindheim

Cand.theol., The Norwegian Lutheran School of Theology

Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

Visiting Lecturer, The Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

I was born and raised in Oslo , Norway, and grew up on goat cheese, cross-country skiing, and Edvard Grieg.

As a teenager, I felt a calling to become a minister of God's word, so I enrolled in seminary and got my cand.theol. degree, which is the requirement for ordination in the Church of Norway. When I was a student, I worked part-time as a freelance journalist, and thus I got to meet many interesting people. My most spectacular assignment was to interview Ariel Sharon.

As Norway has conscription, I was called on after graduation to serve as a chaplain in the Norwegian army. I was sent to the northern part of the country, the land of the midnight sun; except that I was there during the winter, when we don't see the sun at all for three months. For my Christmas service, I chose the text from the Gospel of John.

Later, I worked on a Bible translation and a Norwegian Study Bible before I decided to get more education and moved to Deerfield, Illinois. Coming to the States for the first time, I was unable to conceal my enthusiasm, as I associated everything I saw with some movie I knew. When I experienced my first ride on a school bus I said to my fellow passengers: “This is very glamorous.” The other passengers were not so impressed, and it didn't help much that I explained to them that I felt I was now part of “Forrest Gump.” I still enjoy the US, even though my fascination with the school buses has decreased.

After four wonderful years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, I moved to Birmingham, Alabama, where I would be teaching at Beeson Divinity School. And things kept getting better. Birmingham was the place where I met the love of my life, Melissa. Melissa was just coming back from two years as a missionary in Kenya, where she had learned to appreciate the great sport of soccer. We clicked immediately and got married on May 22, 2004.

From 2003 to 2006, I have been teaching at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, which I have enjoyed tremendously. When my contract at TEDS expired in 2006 Melissa and I moved to Ethiopia as missionaries with the Norwegian Lutheran Mission.