Why study Scripture? A case for academic study of the Bible

August 8, 2025

Why study academic theology? Here's a few observations from me.

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I had a lovely lunch with my sister-in-law, Lola, the other day. In the course of all the various topics we were catching each other up on, I got talking about why I do what I do. Why is thoughtful, academic scholarship and study of the Bible important for Christians seeking to do God's will in the world? What's its value?

I didn't give an exhaustive answer to Lola. I'm not even going to attempt to do that now. But I think there are two pointers that are really helpful and are, at least, part of the answer.

(1) Academic study of the Bible is evidence-based. (We learn to see God (and his people) as He is depicted in Scripture, not as we want Him to be)

I've not been teaching at Wycliffe for very long. I've only just passed the 18month mark. But what I encounter quite frequently when people come to study the Bible for the first time, is how easy it is to read what we think the text says rather than what it actually says. It's really easy to do. So much so, we've all done it. I remember reading something a trained and locally-prestigious professional once said:

"The essential meaning of the Book of Jonah is individuation and becoming who you are."

Really?!

That's a stretch by any measure. Jonah is more about the propensity of God's people to draw boundaries which want to exclude repentent outsiders in comparison to a God who is far more generously-minded. The book concludes with very little resolve--it actually wraps up in chapter 4 with Jonah still angry (angry enough to die no less!) and God asking a question about his right to have mercy on a city full of people and animals. It's not about individuation.

We are prone to bring things into our reading of a biblical text that aren't there. Even good, honourable and perhpas noble things. Yes, there's more than one way to read a story as there is any text. But there are also readings that haven't really grappled with what the text actually says and seems to miss the point entirely (and perhaps invent an entirely novel one).

Take the Book of Amos. It has very little hope. It's a rougher ride than any other OT prophet. It's largely judgement and doom-and-gloom on the people of Israel. Does that mean I believe God is all doom-and-gloom? No! But I'm not going to read Amos and pretend that it is something it's not. The Book of Amos is important. It has a lot to say that, if we are wise, we will listen to. Instead, I'm going to learn from the book about God's demand for righteousness, justice and equity from his own people. I'm going to learn to take seriously how abhorrent God finds it when his people take advantage of their position and oppress, marginlise, and dehumanise others.

The academic study of Scripture engages with what is actually there. Academic journals, books and articles have arguments based in the text, in conversation with archaeology, sociology, and anthropology. Things that can be weighed, considered and evaluated by anyone (regardless of their faith). This is a good thing! The Bible is humanly written and divinely inspired. And God isn't afraid of humanity, penmanship or literary criticism. He is the God of all and saw fit to take on human flesh. Dealing with the "flesh" of biblical literature honours Him.

So we can ask what is actually in this passage? What does the story say? What does the psalm say? What do the gospels actually say?

Academic biblical studies trains people to think well [side note: remember that thing Jesus said about loving God with our heart and our mind? This is part of it!]. To read the text well. To set aside their preconceptions and see what's actually happening on the page. I could say a lot here about the value of learning Greek and Hebrew here, but I'll stop...

The long and short of it is this: it helps the Christian to read the Bible well. Not perfectly (we never escape our own situation and bias), but well. And my hope for every student is that they go away from class a bit more attuned to the details of the text and a little less atuned to their own interpretation of what they think it says.

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(2) Reading differently = living differently. (Or simplistic answers = simplistic pastors)

Learning to look at the evidence, consider the reasoned arguments of others and evaluate them (hopefully charitably) leads to a better reading of the Bible. Which leads to a better understanding of how God has revealed Himself (not how we assume He has). But I also believe it makes us better listeners and readers of the world around us. Of pastoral situations. Of opportunities for outreach and mission. Of our own faith journeys and spiritual growth.

I read somewhere this year a piece of wisdom that has stuck with me. It was about doing things like laundry or washing-up. It said "how you do the mundane task is how you do every task." Or something like that. Probably a bit pithier. The point was about how we so often rush through the things we don't want to do bcause of an urgent sense we must maximise our time on the things we deem important [side note: I'm guilty of this one...]. But the logic is flawed. The truth is if we are faithful and diligent in the washing-up or laundry (or whatever other task we try and avoid), we are training ourselves in smaller ways to be faithful and diligent in the "urgent" stuff we want to spend our time on. We may not have as many minutes for those things, but we'll use the time we have far more wisely (not to mention, we won't be as rushed). We'll be better equipped for the work.

So how does laundry connect to academic biblical study? Well, learning to think well is learning to think well.

Learning to look at the evidence is learning to look at the evidence. Academic study of the Bible is an especially important place to do this. Why? Because it can make people better pastors. Because they'll think better. They'll engage better with evidence. They'll not assume they have the answers but be willing to wrestle with reality and reframe their perspective as needed.

Now, you might argue, if they have any academic degree, shouldn't that apply? What's so special at biblical studies? Great point. And, to some extent, I agree. But here's where people often get stuck. Academic biblical study brings together ones reasoning mind and personal faith into conversation. Someone can have the most wonderful education in another subject, but never have had to bring their faith into that conversation, so when they study the Bible for the first time, they struggle. [This is not true for all people. I am generalising a bit to make a point.] Academic study of Scripture is unusual in that it is a space in which people learn to think well in overt connection with things that affect and shape their faith.

When I first studied theology, as a fairly naive 19 year old, I found it hard to reconcile Abraham as a middle eastern nomad among middle eastern nomads with the Sunday School version of Abraham I had formed in my head. The Abraham I'd learned about at church was a borderline superhero. Now, I had top grades in my subjects at school. I knew how to think. Deal with evidence. But my faith had a lot growing to do. And it was in studying the Bible academically, that I began to wrestle these things out. I was confronted with something in my studies that, in turn, confronted my faith. It was a refining and growing experience. Learning to see the humanity in the text helped me see my own humanity better. It helped me see the world around me better. God's people aren't superheroes. They are painfully normal, broken and confused people. Dealing with the evidence of the text and history and then wrestling it out with my faith, helps me to be better at doing the same in the world around me. It helped make me a better pastor (and continues to do so).

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Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not convinced that theology degrees are all that useful in the New Creation. God cares little about anyone's educational status or intellectual ability. Scholars in theological colleges and faculties are no better than anyone else, morally, spiritually or otherwise. Some study theology but never let it do the spiritual work I've suggested above.

But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Otherwise we could end up in a fantasy land where we create gods of our own imagination. We are minds as well as bodies and hearts. We are called to mental action as well as physical. To think well. And to be trained in our thinking. We each have gifts we have been given to use, appreciate and allow God to integrate within us. Why? So we can all grow into all that God has made us to be. We have gifts, including academic ones. So let's use them. Even if it's a little painful at times.

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And a shameless, shameless plug here... If you're interested in stretching your mind in this way, here are some upcoming possibilities that Wycliffe Hall are providing:

Forum in Houston, November 2025 - Wycliffe Hall Forum | WYCLIFFE HALL
Summer School in Oxford, 2026 - Wycliffe Hall Summer School 2026 | WYCLIFFE HALL
Study Week in Oxford, 2026 - Wycliffe Hall Study Week 2026 | WYCLIFFE HALL

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The Wisdom of "100%" (or the Lack of It)

By Suse McBay • March 17, 2026

Are you 100% sure about that? Last December, Stephen and I headed for Prague for a few days. We were looking forward to Christmas markets, mulled wine, and shopping. Because we had booked a really early flight, we decided to stay in an airport hotel the night before. We hadn’t banked on one thing though: how to get from the bus station at Heathrow to the hotel. We could see our destination towering ahead of us as we exited the coach, but there was no reliable way to get there on foot. Much like Houston, navigating the surface roads of Heathrow is much easier for those in a car. So, we asked for directions from one of the airport staff. She pointed us over to two elevators, sat right next to each other. One had a line of at least twenty people. The other one had none. Those at the front of the queue hadn’t even pressed the button. That seemed strange and indicated that perhaps the people in line didn’t know what they were doing—or weren’t used to London airports. But why was one line so long and the other non-existent? The signs above weren’t exactly clear, but here were two lifts side-by-side, surely they went to the same place? Towards the back of the line was a middle-aged man, surrounded by luggage and family, who realised what we were trying to puzzle out. “Nah, you can’t use it. The other lift doesn’t go down. Doesn’t go to the same place,” he told us. We looked at him quizzically. “Are you sure?” we asked. “ One hundred percent , mate. One hundred percent.” The certainty with which he declared his answer was persuasive. He crowed like he was the CEO of the airport. That lift would not go where the other one was going. He repeated himself again. 100%. Only, he was wrong. We risked looking like fools. We walked to the vacant elevator, hit the button, and—lo and behold!—an elevator appeared that went to the exact same location as the other. The middle-aged man surrounded by luggage was 100%... in the wrong. Utterly and completely. *** Words, words, words, but no wisdom I don’t personally know the man who so-confidently revealed his wrongness. I’ve no idea whether his bluster was out of character from his usual self. But in the moment of our encounter, he acted every bit the ‘fool’ we find in Book of Proverbs: "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing personal opinion." (Proverbs 18:2) There is much wisdom in Proverbs 17:28: Even fools who keep silent are considered wise; when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent. It seems to me that we live in a world saturated with words, whether written or spoken. There’s an ever-growing number of websites, social media platforms, podcasts, and so on. Even more so now with AI. Yet for all this verbal abundance, there does not seem to be any more wisdom than there used to be. I would argue with AI, there seems to be less (or perhaps it’s simply exposing our foolishness). Part of me wonders about the virtue of writing a blog, when these are so often half-thoughts, explorations, and ideas: am I just adding to the plethora of opinions that exist on the blogosphere? Last year, I was teaching on how to plan and lead funerals with our final year ordinands. I spoke with confidence about what works and what doesn’t. What the role of the cleric is, how to work with the grieving family, how to craft the sermon, what to do afterwards etc. It felt good to be able to give real, lived experience having worked in a church for a decade. But it was only during the Q&A when I realized something. I realized my confidence was borne of a very specific context: I ministered in a large, Episcopal church in Houston, Texas. Not a small parish church, somewhere remote in England. Did the wisdom and experience I bring still have value in the Church of England, where the Church is an established one? Where those who minister do among many people who don’t dare to cross the threshold of a religious building except in such moments of life and death? Now I happen to think it does; but only with some qualification. For what I realized in that moment is that it’s not quite as readily transferable as I’d assumed. Church cultures are different. Expectations are different. How people respond and react to their local vicar is different! What works in one scenario doesn’t necessarily work in another. Consider Proverbs 26:4-5: 4 Do not answer fools according to their folly, or you will be a fool yourself. 5 Answer fools according to their folly, or they will be wise in their own eyes. Proverbs 26 has a seeming contradiction that speaks to the importance of context. In the situation where you’re faced with someone spouting foolishness, what should you do? Speak or not speak? Engage or not engage? The modern equivalent to v.4 might be to say to yourself “not my monkeys, not my circus” and walk away. But what about the times when it is your circus? When they are your monkeys? What about when to walk away is to leave someone blind to their mistakes and doomed to make more? What if responding might feasibly help someone see beyond their own blinkers and make a different choice? Sometimes v.4 might be the path of wisdom. Other times it’s v.5. But it’s not always apparent which is which. Overconfidence is not just dangerous for making us look like fools or giving bad advice. If we stay in our certitude, we miss the heart of the issue revealed in these two verses: we need wisdom. So where do we find it? *** Does ‘wisdom come with age’? I’ve heard it said that ‘wisdom comes with age’. Ironically enough, this line was used when I was in something of a disagreement with someone much older than me. But claiming moral high ground or superior understanding on the basis of some unalterable characteristic that you have but I don’t, is more indicative of pride than wisdom. If age does come with wisdom, there would be no conflict or disagreement within the human species as we age. If age is the sole arbiter, we should collectively do better as the wrinkles and grey hairs multiply. Yet that’s not what happens. Wisdom, sadly, is not inevitable. It can come with age because of one very simple reality: the more time you’ve had on the planet means you’ve had more opportunity to become wise. Now whether or not you’ve taken those opportunities is quite a different thing! *** Wisdom: a gift that needs seeking Proverbs has an interestingly balanced view of wisdom. It is (1) something that requires active seeking, yet also (2) something which only God can give. Proverbs 2:1-4 talks about the need to exert effort in acquisition of wisdom. It’s not something that just lands on our laps: it asks you to be open to learning and sitting with what you receive (v.1), deliberate and intentional in putting your body in a space to grow in it (v.2), and vocal in your search for it (v.3). In other words: humble, open, and hungry. This passage concludes by likening it to searching for silver or hidden treasure (v.4). Think about that for a moment: do you search for wisdom in the same way you seek out growth in income or asset? From a human wisdom point of view, seeking financial gain for our security and future as we age (and our children grow and go off to college etc) makes good sense. But what if we were to seek wisdom with the very same fervour? What if wisdom had the same significance for our spiritual security and future? What if it is important to our growth in the Christian life and readiness for what may come our way? It’s a gift that needs seeking. But Proverbs tells us it is also a gift that is given. Verse 6 reveals “ the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding .” Our seeking is not the whole picture. Longing for wisdom does not mean we get it. Wisdom is God’s domain not ours. Proverbs 8 illustrates that God’s Wisdom is not something to acquire or harvest. It is not a commodity to be doled out. It is not a consumer good. Wisdom was present when God made the world. Wisdom is a part of God’s self that chooses when to be imparted and when not to be (compare 1:28; 8:17; 9:5, 16) The very fabric of our material world is infused with the mystery of Wisdom. Insight and understanding comes from God and helps us to navigate the complexity of our lives, but this gift is just a glimpse of a much greater reality of the divine Wisdom which exists eternally. This, perhaps, brings us back to where I started. True wisdom is never found in loud proclamations of “one hundred percent!”. Why? Because the one who is wise recognises they have a lot to learn. They know that new information can shift and reframe yesterday’s certainty. Maybe the first step is to stop claiming absolute certainty—to stop the all-or-nothing thinking. Maybe we start with recognising what Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13: we only see in part, know in part, understand in part. And from there, we begin actively seeking that gift which only God—from His Wisdom—can give. Wisdom has built her house, she has hewn her seven pillars. 2 She has slaughtered her animals, she has mixed her wine, she has also set her table. 3 She has sent out her servant-girls, she calls from the highest places in the town, 4 "You that are simple, turn in here!" To those without sense she says, 5 "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. 6 Lay aside immaturity, and live, and walk in the way of insight." Proverbs 9:1-6 ****** Photo © Copyright Derek Harper and licensed for reuse under a cc-by-sa/2.0 Creative Commons Licence.

When God Goes Quiet

By Suse McBay • February 13, 2026

What do we do on days when God seems entirely absent? Some thoughts about where I see that in my life today and, looking back, recognising how much has changed.