This guest post is by Karen R. Keen and first appeared on her blog Interpreting Scripture.

After several years of graduate and postgraduate work in biblical studies, I am beginning to form an identity as a biblical scholar. When I first set out on this scholarly adventure several years ago, I jumped in with excited anticipation not realizing the ways the academy would force me to wrestle with complexities I hadn’t known existed. The academy has both invigorated and frustrated me. It has provoked, inspired, prodded, challenged, and even taunted. I love being in a world of constant learning and discovery. Yet, I am mindful of how the academy not only desires to teach me, but also to shape me.  There are competing bids for worldviews, methodologies, and research objectives. Without proper care,  professional identity can end up a product of the “academic machine” rather than wise reflection on vocation. My purpose in writing this post is put “legs” to my own identity by publicly clarifying and articulating how I understand my work. I also hope by sharing my own process to encourage other academics to reflect on what kind of scholar they are and why.  More→