At least according to Superscholar.org. What do you think? Did they leave anybody out? Is there anyone there who shouldn’t be? (Keeping in mind, of course, that the criterion is “most influential,” not “most agreeable to my personal beliefs.”)
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Who?
How can people I have never heard of be most influential?
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I sure hope Michael Bell has his tongue firmly planted in his cheek.
Hi comment–which I take to be facetious–reminds of a very serious student who once labeled me a “heretic” becasue “He teaches things I never heard before.”
Hmm.
I was surpised that Carl Henry or Clack Pinnock didn’t get attention, especially since Al Mohler did. But, maybe being dead erodes the possibilty of influence.
And what about Jurgen Moltmann–still living? Or Stanley Hauerwas?
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interesting list, would like to know their criteria! how Boyd and Mohler could make the list above Kung, and no sign of Moltmann, escapes me. And definately a overestimation of how important the evolution debate is, outside the USA few people give a rip! Glad to see Berger near the top though.
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Rick, Tongue wasn’t planted that far in my cheek. If I, as a sample representative of “Joe Public”, haven’t heard of someone, then their influence on me must be somewhat limited, right? Have they been influential in their fields? Maybe, but is being influential among a group of like minded scholars the same as being influential in general?
Yeah, sure I am aware of most of the people on the list. Even read some of N.T. Wright. But give the list of names to 100 people in random churches and see how many names they recognize. By the way, Clark Pinnock would be on my list of most influential for me.
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Michael you are asuming influence must come with a name tag attached, celebrity and influence don’t necessarily go together.
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