Michael J. Kruger

Michael J. Kruger is an American Reformed New Testament scholar^[4] and the Samuel C. Patterson Chancellor's Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary. He served as President of RTS-Charlotte from 2013-2025.^[5] In 2025 he left the office of President and transitioned to the role of Chancellor’s Professor where he will teach at multiple RTS campuses.^[6] He was first ordained and spent many years as a minister in the Presbyterian Church in America. In 2021 he transferred his ministerial credentials to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.^[7]

Michael J. Kruger
Occupations	New Testament scholar Presbyterian minister
Spouse	Melissa B. Kruger
Academic background
Education	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (BS) Westminster Seminary California (MDiv) University of Edinburgh (PhD)
Thesis	The Gospel of the Savior: An Analysis of P.Oxy. 840 and Its Place in the Gospel Traditions of Early Christianity (2004)
Doctoral advisor	Larry W. Hurtado
Academic work
Discipline	Biblical studies
Institutions	Reformed Theological Seminary
Main interests	New Testament canon
Notable works	The Heresy of Orthodoxy: How Contemporary Culture's Fascination with Diversity Has Reshaped Our Understanding of Early Christianity (2010)[1][a] Canon Revisited: Establishing the Origins and Authority of the New Testament Books (2012)[2] The Question of Canon: Challenging the Status Quo in the New Testament Debate (2013)[3]
Website	michaeljkruger.com

Education

Kruger obtained his bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill followed by an M. Div. from Westminster Seminary California. His doctoral studies were at the University of Edinburgh where his advisor was Larry Hurtado.^[8] His dissertation is a study of P.Oxy. 840.^[9]

Career

During the 2009-2010 academic year, Kruger was a visiting scholar at Saint Edmund's College, Cambridge. In 2019, Kruger served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society.^[10]

Thought and research

Kruger's work focuses on the Canon of the New Testament, particularly how the Christian church has historically understood which books belong in the Bible.^[9]

Works

• Kruger, Michael J. (2005). The Gospel of the Savior : an Analysis of P. Oxy. 840 and its Place in the Gospel Traditions of Early Christianity. Leiden [u.a.]: Brill. ISBN 978-9004143937.
• Kraus, Thomas J.; Kruger, Michael J.; Nicklas, Tobias, eds. (2009). Gospel fragments. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199208159.
• Köstenberger, Andreas J.; Kruger, Michael J. (2010). The heresy of orthodoxy : how contemporary culture's fascination with diversity has reshaped our understanding of early Christianity. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway. ISBN 978-1433501432.
• Hill, Charles E.; Kruger, Michael J., eds. (2012). The early text of the New Testament (1st ed.). Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199566365.
• Kruger, Michael J. (2012). Canon revisited : establishing the origins and authority of the New Testament books. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway. ISBN 978-1433505003.
• Kruger, Michael J. (2013). The question of Canon : challenging the status quo in the New Testament debate. Downers Grove, Ill., USA: IVP Academic, InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0830840311.
• Kruger, Michael J., ed. (2016). A biblical-theological introduction to the New Testament: the gospel realized. Wheaton, Ill., USA: Crossway. ISBN 978-1433536762.
• Kruger, Michael J. (2018). Christianity at the crossroads : how the second century shaped the future of the church. Downers Grove, Ill., USA: IVP Academic, InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0830852031.
• Kruger, Michael J. (2019). The Ten Commandments of Progressive Christianity. Minneapolis: Cruciform Press. ISBN 978-1949253214.

Notes

1. Co-authored with Andreas J. Köstenberger.