Mark Harlan is a scholar, theologian, and educator whose life's work has been built at the crossroads of biblical studies, Islamic thought, and Christian-Muslim relations. While a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy, Mark’s knowledge of the Scriptures deepened, and the reality of God’s love, the experience of God’s presence, and the frequency of answered prayers, transformed his daily life. He committed himself to following Jesus Christ who commands us to love God above all else, to love others as himself, and to teach people of all nations to obey his commands. After graduation and completion of his military service, he pursued theological study at Dallas Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Theology with honors, and eventually a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary, where he received the Islamic Studies Award.

Drawn to the Arab world, Mark moved to Egypt to study Arabic. Through the Center for Arabic Studies Abroad at the American University of Cairo, he studied Islam under scholars from Al-Azhar University, Dar al-ʿUlum, and the Dominican Institute for Oriental Studies. Later, he served as Associate Professor and Academic Dean at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary in Amman, Jordan, teaching entirely in Arabic for nearly a decade. Mark has since taught at numerous institutions across the globe — from Dallas International University, where he served as a professor and program director of Abrahamic Studies for over a decade, to seminaries and training centers in Russia, Armenia, the Philippines, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, and beyond. He has engaged in public dialogues with Muslims, taught the Bible to Muslims, and the Qur’an to Christians.

Mark has published in journals such as the Journal of Ecumenical Studies, the Journal of Language, Culture and Religion, and Christianity Today. His scholarship focuses on developing a biblical theology of Islam, hermeneutics of the Bible and Qur’an, the role of Ishmael in Scripture, contextualization in Muslim-majority contexts, and Christian- Muslim dialogue. Through Bridging Scriptures, Mark brings together decades of fieldwork, scholarship, and cross-cultural ministry in one place — offering resources for anyone seeking to engage with Islam with intellectual honesty, theological depth, and genuine respect.