Max Botner on “What Makes a Good Biblical Scholar or Theologian?”

From my perspective, a good biblical scholar is someone who is immersed in the primary sources, has a firm grasp of the history of the discipline, and communicates clearly with and listens to the voices of others.

A healthy dose of self-awareness about one’s own ideological commitments is also in order—after all, the vast majority of watershed moments in biblical studies are marked by someone who had a theological (or, if one prefers, an ideological) axe to grind.

Max Botner (PhD, St Andrews) is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, Cornerstone University.