Craig S. Keener

Craig S. Keener (born 4 July 1960) is an American Protestant theologian, Biblical scholar and professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Early life
Keener was born on 4 July 1960.

Education
He studied at Central Bible College (now part of Evangel University) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1982, then studied theology at Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (now of Evangel University) and earned a Master's degree in 1982 and a Master of Divinity in 1987. He also studied at Duke University in New Testament and Christian origins and has earned a Doctor of Philosophy in 1991.

Career
In 1991 he was ordained as a minister by the National Baptist Convention, USA. In 2001, he became an associate pastor at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia until 2011.

Keener became a professor at Hood Theological Seminary, then professor of New Testament at Palmer Theological Seminary at Eastern University for nearly 15 years. Since 2011, Keener has been (F. M. and Ada Thompson) professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. Keener has taught in various countries, especially countries in Africa.

From 2014 to 2019, Keener was the editor of the Bulletin for Biblical Research. He has authored a number of commentaries on New Testament books as well as books and articles. His popular IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (1993) has sold over half a million copies.

In 2020, he served as the president of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Scholarly expertise and views
Keener's expertise lies in New Testament Background, the book of Acts, Jesus, Miracles, the Gospels and Ethnic/racial Reconciliation.

Bruce Chilton lauded Keener's 2009 book The Historical Jesus of the Gospels, writing that it "marks a notable moment in the critical study of Jesus." He based this claim on the fact that Keener uses the study of Jesus' Jewish environment to argue for the authenticity of the Gospels. Keener has an Arminian theological standpoint on soteriology, supporting conditional preservation of the believer. Keener holds egalitarian, and continuationist views.

Awards
The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, for which Keener authored most of the New Testament notes, won Bible of the Year in the 2017 Christian Book Awards, and also won Book of the Year in the Religion: Christianity category of the International Book Awards.

Personal life
He is married to Médine Moussounga Keener, who holds a Ph.D. from University of Paris 7. He and his wife have two children, David and Keren.

Books

 * - based on the author's Ph.D. thesis
 * - based on the author's Ph.D. thesis
 * - based on the author's Ph.D. thesis
 * - based on the author's Ph.D. thesis

Articles and chapters
(n.b. partial list)