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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A Thought About Resurrection

By Suse McBay • July 28, 2026

Let me start by asking a question: if someone came up to you and asked what's the benefit or blessing of being a Christian, what would you include in your answer? There's the things we might know to say from Sunday School: Jesus loves me, died for me, so I can be forgiven and free. Or something like that. Would it naturally come to your lips to say this: The gift of my faith is that no matter how hard life gets, no matter the sorrow or suffering that comes my way, I am reassured and strengthened by the confidence that God does not ignore the unjust lives or deaths of those who stick close to Him? *** This summer I’m taking some time to look at Daniel 11-12 and Book 4 of the Jewish poetic writings I research, the Sibylline Oracles . This post is an observation and an out-loud thought from some of my reading. Again and again, both in Daniel, the Sibyllines, an array of other Jewish literature, and the gospels (as well as elsewhere in the NT—e.g. Mark 8:38-9:1, 10:29-31, John 11:25, 1 Cor 15:16-19, 2 Corinthians 4), resurrection and the post-mortem life appears as an encouragement and response to the problem of human suffering. Not a rationale or justification. It’s not an answer to the question of ‘why does God allow suffering’ in any overt sense. But an end to the story of God’s peoples that shapes how the present might be lived. When I was very young, I thought resurrection was more-or-less a get of jail free card for the crucifixion. Jesus died on a cross to deal with sin and death. But if he isn't raised it's all pointless: so God has to raise him. Resurrection as an after thought, if you will. But resurrection isn't an epilogue. It's the victory. Without it the whole story is pointless. It's a real, substantial, material hope. *** Life is hard work. Life does not always go our way. Even when it does, that way isn't usually what we really wanted anyway! There's the normal hard stuff of life: work, family, friendships, health and so on. Then there's the hard stuff of following God. We are given so much goodness in the gospel: a relationship with God for starters! But also forgiveness, healing, reconciled relationships, a change and liberation of priorities, freedom and new life. All such wonderful and good things. Yet they are all a foretaste. Reconciliation doesn't always happen. We might have an interior freedom but experience hardship after hardship externally. I've been reading the diaries of Etty Hillesum who expereinced just that. She was a young Jewish woman in the 1940s. She experienced such a bliss and joy because of her faith and spirituality that found contentment even in life in a concentration camp. Yet her life ended at the tender age of 29. So much life left to live, so much potential unrealised. *** Resurrection is a reminder and encouragement that our real hope and the true fulfilment of the gospel isn't in the here and now (it begins now, but as a foretaste of what's to come). We aren't to expect ' everything will go my way ' in this life or that I should experience the perennial blessing of God in my earthly life and relationships. Following God will not be easy. The things He calls us to do may not succeed. The people we love may not love us back. The person we pray for may never come to faith. The change we want to see manifest in the world around us may not happen in this life. But resurrection says this: God has not forgotten. God sees it all. God will set right. Unjust deaths will be dealt with. Unfair hardship will be set straight. This life is not all there is. There is so much more to come, that all of this--even the heart-breaking stuff—will pale in significance in comparison. Yes, that doesn't stop it hurting in the present moment. It doesn't stop grief or stem the tide of darkness today. But it allows us to let go. Surrender. Trust. None of this has to be fixed now. We do what we can. But the outcome of it all is not one realised in this life, but the next. So take courage. There is more to come. ******

A Scottish Scandal & the Gift of Healthy Shame

By Suse McBay • June 24, 2026

Peter Murrell, a Scottish political worker and now ex-husband of Nicola Sturgeon (former SNP party leader), was this week sentenced to 5 years in prison for embezzlement. Over the years he had used party money to buy all manner of things. It began with a Play Station 3 but escalated, to buying silver wine coaster, a Jaguar, and a motor home (the list goes on and on). Now embezzlement is not new. Nor is using political office for personal gain. But what struck me were the comments from the lawyer following the sentencing: “ The accused is now an individual overwhelmed by feelings of embarrassment and shame .” Shame. We don’t know if it’s true or not, but I wonder how you respond to hearing such contrition? Responses can range from the judgemental (“ Good! He deserves it ”) to the overly sympathetic (“ Perhaps he’s learned his lesson ”). But regardless of where we individually fall on the sympathy scale, it was an interesting example of what I’ve been thinking about recently: healthy shame . Mr Murrell has undeniably done something wrong and has betrayed the office given to him. He’s estranged from his wife. He’s headed to prison. He was there to represent the people, but instead, he has preyed on the sheep (Ezek. 34:2 has things to say about this). That uncomfortable feeling of recognising where we have transgressed our limits and have become hoodwinked by our own hubris and entitlement. His inadequacies have been publicly exposed. His dirty laundry is out in public. We may be more accustomed to scandal given the internet age, so we may be desensitised to it, but I bet Peter Murrell is not. When it happens to you, it’s painful. It’s uncomfortable. It’s exposing. I’m no psychologist, so I’d recommend John Bradshaw’s book on Healing the Shame That Binds You , if you want to think more about it. Dan Allender and Tremper Longman have a good Christian reflection on different emotions in Cry of the Soul. But I’ve been noticing where healthy shame appears in Scripture. Shame crops up again and again and again. I’m still in the early stages of thinking about where it appears and why, but one clear example of where it occurs is in scenes of divine judgement, both those in the present and those yet to come. God’s People Exposed (1) Daniel 12:1-4 talks about how Jewish believers in the 2 nd century BCE would be raised. The wise and understanding ones who didn’t comply with the political schemes of Antiochus IV would be raised to shine like stars. The others? Those who had aligned themselves with the emperor and in the process forsaken their covenant loyalty to God? They would be faced with everlasting shame (and contempt). (2) Jeremiah 2 has strong words for God’s people of Israel who have got so wrapped up in themselves they have stopped seeking where God is at work and instead are playing with other idols under the illusion of thinking they’re faithful because they keep the Law. They even say they don’t run after false gods (v.23). They’ve tried to seek out gain from the political powers (v.18) rather than humbly submit themselves to God (v.20). The result? They will be put to shame by Egypt (v.36). In an eerily similar statement to the news from Scotland: “As a thief is shamed when caught, So the house of Israel shall be shamed: They, their kings, their officials, Their priests, and their prophets.” (Jer 2:26) And the same is true in the New Testament. Mark 8:38 says this: "Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." I suspect these are words for people who don’t listen to Jesus’ words in the preceding lines: the message that to follow Jesus is to take up your cross, deny yourself. Surrender your own wants and desires. Those who, like Peter, wanted to avoid death. Avoid suffering. Avoid hardship. Those who wanted a Messiah that came on a horse not a donkey. One who wore a crown of gold, not one of thorns. ** So what a bout us? How do we avoid that fate? Well, like a bill that if you don’t pay now you’ll be paying a lot more later, we need to start facing our inner shame today. Both the healthy shame and the shame we’ve been given that doesn’t belong to us. We might take some time to pray, be still, listen. See what comes up when we think about our uncomfortable feelings that usually stay in the shadows. The great gift of shame is that it shows us our limits. Where we’ve crossed the line and harmed ourselves, others, and our relationship with God. Where we’ve tried to be more than human (or acted in fear that we’re less than human). But shame also dies on exposure. Though I’d also add that shame dies on exposure in the presence of a loving other. We find a person or a group where we can start doing the crazy thing and actually revealing our shameful selves to others. Peter Murrell is full of shame, his lawyer says. The question is: what will he do with it? Will he use this public humiliation to face himself as he is? Does he have people around him to listen to him and to help him through it? I hope so. Genuinely. I hope that for all of us. That we would have the courage to allow the One who is Light to bring light into the midst of our shame today. To bring us out of hiding. Shame is a horrible feeling: I’m not a fan. But I do know that on the other side is acceptance, serenity, and a joy that really does make it worth it. It is true freedom—and it’s only in that freedom I can become who God has made me to be. Because whatever I’ve done, however humiliating, the deepest truth of all is that I’m made in the image of God. I am loved. ****** Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash