Advice to Younger Scholars

Over at Zondervan’s Koinonia blog is a short video I did on advice to my students, specifically, advice to younger scholars.

Michael Bird, contributor to Five Views on Biblical Inerrancy, has three things to say to young Bird and young up-and-comers:

(1) Don’t be a man pleaser. “Because if you go chasing respect or chasing some sort of validity in a certain camp, ultimately you’re going to sell out.”

(2) Work in the primary languages and sources. Bird admits this is something he wishes he would’ve done more of as a young scholar.

(3) Take measures to keep your work spiritually fresh. “Because like a cookie that’s been left out too long,” as Bird says, “it is so easy to go stale.” He suggests some practical ways to avoid this kind of staleness.