Misplaced Pages

Michael F. Bird (born 18 November 1974) is an Australian New Testament scholar, theologian and Anglican priest.

Life and career

In his teenage years, Bird was an atheist who saw Christianity "as a way of oppressing people, a purely human construct". After becoming a Christian he was firstly a Baptist, then a Presbyterian and now an Anglican. He has been called by the ecumenical media platform Eternity a "heavy hitter" in the world of New Testament scholarship and Jesus's divinity.

Bird is vice principal and lecturer in theology and New Testament at Ridley College, having previously taught at the Brisbane School of Theology and Highland Theological College. He studied at Malyon College and the University of Queensland. He is also Distinguished Research Professor of Theology at Houston Baptist University.

Bird has written a number of books, including The New Testament in Its World (2019, with N. T. Wright), Evangelical Theology: A Biblical and Systematic Introduction (2013) and The Gospel of the Lord: How the Early Church Wrote the Story of Jesus (2014). The Gospel of the Lord won the Biblical Studies section of the 2015 Christianity Today Book Awards. Bird is also the author of a fantasy novel titled Iskandar: And the Immortal King of Iona.

Bird is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, the Society of Biblical Literature and Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas.

In November 2015, he was ordained as a priest in the Anglican Church of Australia.

Works

Books

• Bird, Michael F. (2006). Jesus and the Origins of the Gentile Mission. The Library of New Testament Studies. Vol. 331. London: T&T Clark. ISBN 9780567044730.
• ——— (2007). The Saving Righteousness of God: studies on Paul, justification and the new perspective. Paternoster biblical monographs. Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster. ISBN 9781842274651. OCLC 154723550.
• ———; Crossley, James G. (2008). How did Christianity Begin?: a believer and non-believer examine the evidence. London: SPCK ; Peabody, Mass. : Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 9780281058501. OCLC 233940908.
• ——— (2008). Introducing Paul: the man, his mission, and his message. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830828975. OCLC 262430760.
• ——— (2009). Colossians & Philemon: a new covenant commentary. New Covenant Commentary Series. Cambridge, England: The Lutterworth Press. ISBN 9780718842819. OCLC 889271472.
• ——— (2010). Crossing over Sea and Land: Jewish missionary activity in the Second Temple period. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 9781598564341. OCLC 430054695.
• ——— (2012). Jesus is the Christ: the Messianic testimony of the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press. ISBN 9780830828234. OCLC 812258100.
• ——— (2013). Evangelical Theology: a Biblical and systematic introduction. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 9780310494416. OCLC 829239510.
• ——— (2014). The Gospel of the Lord: how the early church wrote the story of Jesus. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802867766. OCLC 854612618.
• ———; Evans, Craig A.; Gathercole, Simon J.; Hill, Charles E.; Tilling, Chris (2014). How God became Jesus : the real origins of belief in Jesus' divine nature--a response to Bart Ehrman. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. ISBN 9780310519591. OCLC 871186821.
• ———; Johnson, Adam J. (2016). The Reconciling Wisdom of God: Reframing the Doctrine of the Atonement. Snaphots. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. ISBN 9781577997252. OCLC 989057109.
• ———; Wright, N. T. (2019). The New Testament in its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. ISBN 9780310499305. - (forthcoming Nov. 2019)<ref>"Coming in November 2019: N.T. Wright and Michael Bird - the New Testament in its World". 18 December 2018.
• ———; Wright, N. T. (2024). Jesus and the Powers. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. ISBN 9780310162247.

As editor

• ———; Willitts, Joel, eds. (2011). Paul and the Gospels: christologies, conflicts, and convergences. Library of New Testament studies. Vol. 411. London & New York: T & T Clark. ISBN 9780567617422. OCLC 697599761.
• ———; Dodson, Joseph R., eds. (2011). Paul and the Second Century. Library of New Testament studies. Vol. 412. London & New York: T & T Clark. ISBN 9780567158277. OCLC 657604488.

References

1. Halcomb, T. Michael W. (2012). Entering the Fray: A Primer on New Testament Issues for the Church and Academy. Wipf and Stock. p. 280. ISBN 9781620323281. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
2. "Michael F. Bird's - CurriculumVitae". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
3. Bird, Michael (20 May 2016). "Go Ahead, Evangelicals: Use the P-Word". Christianity Today. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
4. Lim, Anne (11 March 2016). "How an atheist became a leading Christian scholar". Eternity News. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
5. ^ "Mike Bird". Ridley College. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
6. "Houston Baptist University hires four new professors in School of Christian Thought". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
7. "Christianity Today's 2015 Book Awards". Christianity Today. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
8. Bird, Michael F. (9 January 2013). Iskandar: And the Immortal King of Iona. ISBN 9781621896470.
9. Bird, Michael. "Go Ahead, Evangelicals: Use the P-Word". ChristianityToday.com. Retrieved 19 July 2021.

External links

• "Michael F. Bird's - CurriculumVitae". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
• "Bird's Personal blog". Retrieved 7 March 2019.
• Michael F. Bird (26 August 2014). "Ending religion won't end the conflict". ABC News. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
• "The Thessalonian Strategy". Facebook.com. Retrieved 7 March 2019.

• 1974 births
• Living people
• Australian biblical scholars
• Australian Baptist theologians
• Australian expatriates in the United States
• Christian bloggers
• Houston Christian University faculty
• New Testament scholars
• University of Queensland alumni
• Australian lecturers