Daniel McClellan

Daniel Orrin McClellan (born July 23, 1980) is an American biblical scholar. He is well known for his activities on social media, regularly creating and sharing videos on religious topics from a historical critical perspective. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 2023, McClellan received the Society of Biblical Literature's Richards Award for Public Scholarship. He has also been involved in politics, running unsuccessfully for state office in Utah twice.

Biography

Early and personal life McClellan was born on July 23, 1980. He is originally from West Virginia and has lived in multiple locations, including Maryland, California, Colorado, Texas, Uruguay, Utah, the United Kingdom, and Washington. He did not grow up in a particularly religious household.

Education and academic career From 2013 to 2023, McClellan worked as scripture translation supervisor for the LDS Church.

According to McClellan, he was expelled from the University of Northern Colorado before attending Collin Community College in Plano, Texas. He received a bachelor's degree in ancient Near Eastern studies from Brigham Young University with a minor in Classical Greek, a master's degree in Jewish studies at the University of Oxford, and a master of arts in biblical studies from Trinity Western University. In 2020, he received a PhD from the University of Exeter, where he wrote a dissertation under the supervision of Francesca Stavrakopoulou. A revised version of his dissertation was published in 2022, titled YHWH's Divine Images: A Cognitive Approach.

McClellan's academic interests include Second Temple Judaism, the early Israelite religion, the cognitive science of religion, and textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible. He promotes a scholarly, historical-critical approach to biblical texts and advocates for incorporating perspectives from historically underrepresented groups.

Social media Since 2021, McClellan has been active on social media about the academic study of the Bible and religion. and is also active on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.

Podcasting In 2023, McClellan and podcast producer Dan Beecher began cohosting the Data Over Dogma podcast, which focuses on applying academic study of the Bible to popular questions about scripture. In an episode of the KUER public-radio program RadioWest, the show was described as an exploration of “what the Bible actually says” that seeks to discuss disagreements about the Bible without vitriol, debate, or confrontation, instead emphasizing close attention to the details of the text.

The podcast won a gold Signal Award, as well as being included among the 2025 Listener's Choice winners.

Political campaigns McClellan has run for public office in Utah twice. In both elections, he was defeated by the incumbent candidate. His first bid was for Utah State House of Representatives (District 52) in 2018; he received 33.5% of the vote. In 2020, he ran for Utah's State Senate (District 10) and received 34.8% of the vote. As of 2025, he is a registered Democrat, though he has acknowledged having also voted for Republicans and Independents at times in the past.

Electoral history

Reception McClellan's online content has gained a broad following, including religious individuals, atheists, agnostics, and those experiencing or recovering from religious trauma. His work has received both support and criticism, particularly from some conservative evangelical communities who disagree with his interpretations.

He was the winner of the Society of Biblical Literature's 2023 Richards Award for Public Scholarship for his work in providing access to the academic study of the Bible.

Publications General audience books

Academic books

Theses

Book chapters

Articles