Biblical Scholarship

Biblical Studies: An Asset or Liability for People of Faith?

Volume 1 | June 6, 2022

Theme: Biblical Scholarship, Debate

Discipline: Religious Studies

One of the touchstones of Protestant traditions like the Churches of Christ is the importance of the Bible. Within churches, the Bible is read as Holy Scripture that discloses divine will. Within seminaries and universities, the Bible is read through the lens of biblical studies, and it is evaluated critically. Does biblical studies as a…

A Case for Biblical Studies as Asset to People of Faith

Volume 1 | June 6, 2022

Theme: Biblical Scholarship, Debate

Discipline: Religious Studies

In any given academic year, I read the New Testament with 200 nineteen year olds. Some of them bring Bibles that are still shrink wrapped, purchased only as a required text for a required class. They sit next to peers who quite literally cut their teeth in cradle roll on those little leather New Testaments.…

Tom Olbricht as Interpreter of the Old Testament

Volume 1 | June 6, 2022

Theme: Biblical Scholarship, In Memoriam

Discipline: Religious Studies

The editor of Ecclesiastes spoke of Qohelet as one who “sought to find pleasing words and to write true words.” That tribute to his teacher certainly applies to ours as well. Thomas H. Olbricht sought to integrate his own life, the ongoing history of his ecclesial family, and the Bible into a coherent whole. Part…

Introduction to Biblical Studies: An Asset or Liability for People of Faith?

Volume 1 | June 6, 2022

Theme: Biblical Scholarship, Debate

Discipline: Religious Studies

A friend of mine, who is the past chairperson of the board of trustees for an Ivy League university—not Yale, in case you are wondering—recently read a book, which was an introduction to the Bible. He and I chat routinely, and he said, “It seems to me that biblical scholars have created sophisticated barriers that…

The Blinders that We Wear: When Biblical Scholarship Becomes a Liability for People of Faith

Volume 1 | June 6, 2022

Theme: Biblical Scholarship, Debate

Discipline: American Religious History

When Dean Greg Sterling asked me to help explore whether biblical studies are an asset or a liability for people of faith, I thought to myself, “Why, they are both, of course.” I have always prized biblical studies for their ability to illumine the biblical text. Yet, when biblical scholarship becomes an end in itself,…

The Liabilities of Biblical Studies: Conjuring the Past and Camouflaging the Present

Volume 1 | June 6, 2022

Theme: Biblical Scholarship, Debate

Discipline: Theology

As a matter of framing this brief paper, I will first address the Locus Theologicus, that is, the theological place or location in which Church of Christ biblical scholars do their work in relation to history. Secondly I will briefly describe the choice I have made to confront it, and, finally, offer three brief points…

Thomas H. Olbricht’s Scholarship on Rhetoric and Scripture: Some Lingering Methodological Questions

Volume 1 | June 6, 2022

Theme: Biblical Scholarship, In Memoriam

Discipline: Religious Studies

I am honored to reflect on the biblical scholarship of my teacher and mentor Dr. Thomas H. Olbricht. Before I begin my comments on his scholarly work, I will provide some personal context. I first met Tom in the fall of 1990, when I began the M.Div. program at Pepperdine University. Four years before, he…

Biblical Scholarship: Bane or Blessing?

Volume 1 | June 6, 2022

Theme: Biblical Scholarship, Debate

Discipline: Religious Studies

Since I was a college debater at Freed-Hardeman and Abilene Christian, I will frame my argument as a debate proposition: Resolved: Biblical scholarship is essential to the life of faith. “Essential” is a key term—it is essential in the sense that it is inherent (i.e., that it directly relates to the essence of faith), but…