American New Testament scholar, historian, theologian and author
Scot McKnight (born 1953) is an American New Testament scholar, historian of early Christianity, theologian, and author who has written widely on the historical Jesus, early Christianity and Christian living. He is currently the Julius R. Mantey Chair of New Testament at Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lisle, Illinois, but announced in January 2024 that he would leave the faculty by the end of the academic year, due to allegations of mismanagement in Northern.
McKnight is an ordained Anglican deacon and canon theologian for the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others with anabaptist leanings, and has also written on issues in modern anabaptism.
Childhood and education.
McKnight was raised in Freeport, Illinois. He earned a B.A. from Grand Rapids Baptist College (now known as Cornerstone University), an M.A. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and, in 1986, a Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham, where he studied under James D. G. Dunn, who is known for his work on the New Perspective on Paul.
Career.
McKnight began his career at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, first as Assistant Professor of New Testament Greek Exegesis from 1987 to 1992, then as Associate Professor from 1992 to 1995. He was appointed the Karl A. Olsson Professor in Religious Studies at North Park University from 1995 to 2013. Then in 2013, he took up a post as Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary and, in 2015, was appointed the Julius R. Mantey Professor of New Testament.
On January 3, 2024 McKnight announced with "grief and lament" that he would be resigning from Northern Seminary, effective at the end of the academic year. This comes after other resignations in 2023 from Northern due to allegations of abuse of power by the former President of the seminary.
Jesus Creed.
McKnight is a prolific author, and has written more than fifty books. His book "The Jesus Creed" won the Christianity Today book award for 2004 in the area of Christian living, and has spawned a number of small group studies and a DVD series.
McKnight's blog, Jesus Creed (formerly hosted by "Beliefnet" and now by "Patheos") is currently one of the most popular Evangelical blogs online.
McKnight is an author and speaker on issues related to the emerging church; his blog was named the most popular blog online related to the movement. He has supported many of the movement's aims. In recent years, however, he has expressed concern about the direction of the movement, particularly regarding the "emergent" stream within the emerging church and some of the work of Brian McLaren. McKnight and California pastor Dan Kimball more or less officially broke with the emerging movement, and have since formed ReGeneration, an initiative that focuses on ministry to and with young adults.
McKnight has lectured in numerous countries, including Canada, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Denmark, England, and Ireland. He has also been identified with the New Perspective on Paul.
Personal life.
McKnight and his wife, Kristen, a psychologist, live in Libertyville, Illinois and have two grown children.
He and his daughter, Laura Barringer, coauthored "A Church Called Tov" (2019) and "Pivot" (2023) as well as the children's version of "The Jesus Creed", called "Sharing God's Love: The Jesus Creed for Children" (2014). His son, Lukas McKnight, was a minor league catcher in the Chicago Cubs system, and was part of the Cubs' front office during the 2016 World Series championship.
In April 2014 McKnight announced that he had joined the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA), a denomination founded by former members of the Episcopal Church of the United States and the Anglican Church of Canada. On April 26, 2014 he was ordained into Anglican Holy Orders as a Deacon at Church of the Redeemer in Highwood, Illinois by Bishop Todd Hunter. In January 2017, McKnight began a series of posts explaining more about his transition into the Anglican tradition. He emphasized how much the church calendar was key in his decision to become Anglican, and included screen shots from Robert Webber's 2004 book "Ancient Future Time: Forming Spirituality through the Christian Year".
References.
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