WHATEVER HAPPENED TO the author bio? Somewhere along the way, the basic verbal snapshot got sidetracked. What used to be a simple reference point for the reader of a book or a magazine article has turned into something that’s a cross between an online dating ad, a job application and a premature self-eulogy.

Time was when you learned where the writer went to school, where they have worked  and their professional or life experience. All data points intended to lend some credibility to their words: “OK, maybe they know what they are talking about.”

Now, we get to read about the writer’s beautiful/hunky spouse and their “amazing” or otherwise extraordinary children. How this scribe is innovative and visionary, driven by a passion to change the world. That they are committed to justice and the pursuit of world peace. That they are a blend of courage and creativity.

All of which sounds very noble, but also a bit self-aggrandizing. If you’re that good at something, you don’t need to blow your own trumpet: have someone else tell me (“described by The New York Times as …”). And while I’m glad that they love their children, frankly, those offspring probably seem less amazing to anyone outside their immediate family. 

It could be that I’m just a curmudgeon, but all this humble-bragging undermines my inclination to trust what the writer has to say. If they’re happy to state opinions and aspirations as facts when they are talking about themselves, it makes me wonder if they are as casual when it comes to the substance of their writing.

Maybe this new form of bio—which is more of a “brio”—is just a reflection of contemporary culture, the literary equivalent of the picture-perfect social media post. But I don’t see this self-promotion in Scripture. The apostle Paul said the only thing he would brag about was his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:5). He introduced himself as a servant (Romans 1:1) and the least of the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:9).

With his example in mind, maybe let’s drop the virtue-signaling and self-promotion. Just give me the facts, please, and I’ll make my own mind up. Stick to the “who” and drop the “hoopla.”