It was fairly simple in order to find information about Michael W. Holmes, and decide whether or not he is a reliable author about the subject of the Bible Canon. Holmes began teaching Biblical and Theological Studies at Bethel College in 1982, and has received many awards and recognition for his work. He is described as a world-renowned scholar in the area of biblical studies, and has a Ph.D. in Theological Seminary from Princeton and an M.A. in New Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Because of all of this information, Holmes seems to be a credible and reliable source of the Bible. One area where he may not be completely reliable, however, would be the Old Testament, since his specialization is in the New Testament. Also, he teaches currently at Bethel University, which is a Christian institution, and this might show some biases in his teachings.
It was fairly easy to find other New Testament scholars on the internet. I found Richard B. Hays, a professor at Duke Divinity School. He is recognized worldwide for his work on the New Testament, letters of Paul, and the Gospels. He also has many books and lectures all around of world. Hays is also an ordained United Methodist minister and preaches in many different cities. This might be a source for bias.
The Oxford University Press, the largest university press in the world, published this book that includes Michael Holme’s work. I have confidence that this is a reliable source of information, because Oxford is a very reputable press and has the widest global presence.
In this lesson, I learned the importance of questioning credibility not only of the author, but of the publisher of works, too. It is critical to gain an understanding of where the information is coming from, and how certain biases may affect it. There is probably no such thing as a completely unbiased person; human beings are not perfect. It is important, however, to take into consideration how the biases will affect the information you are getting.