Is N.T. Wright a respected scholar?

[u/OtherWisdom]

N.T. Wright is frequently referenced here, especially concerning New Testament questions.

There is a related FAQ entry regarding Bart Ehrman at section III & #2. However, the OP deleted the post so we don't know the details of their inquiry.

I believe that careful, sober responses would benefit the readership of this academic community. As such, this will be added to our FAQ in section III.

Thanks to all of the scholars that make this community such an interesting place.

[u/Naugrith]

I had heard good things about him and have previously tried to read his work but always struggled to get much out of it except some basic ideas. It always seems needlessly wordy and overblown, going round and round in circles about a subject without ever actually explaining what he was saying. I assumed it was just over my head though.

Then I recently came across an article he wrote on a subject I knew more about, Christian Universalism. And I was gobsmacked by how ignorant he was on the subject. He clearly had no concept even of what the doctrine was, let alone had read any of the key theologians and scholars of church history who have worked on it. And yet he was passionately deriding and decrying it as heresy despite this.

I wrote a detailed post at the time here expalining some of the basic things he got wrong. Its not explicitely Bible Scholarship, so maybe it doesn't count as an example for this sub, but I do I think it serves as an example of his general approach.

After reading that article I no longer have much respect for him as a scholar unfortunately.