![]() ![]() When he returned from his mission in 2003, the internet was just taking off, and he began using as a go-to username for all of his social media accounts. When Spanish speakers struggled with the Scottish name “McClellan,” he began spelling it phonetically as Maklelan to help them out. In fact, his TikTok moniker, stems from his missionary days in Uruguay 20 years ago. It’s that combination of serious scholarship and accessibility that fans appreciate, as he explains biblical scholarship in sharp, funny videos that usually run only a minute or two.įollowers are sometimes surprised to learn that McClellan is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. McClellan has several Bible-nerd publications to his credit, including a new open-access book published by the Society of Biblical Literature’s publishing arm and articles in academic journals such as the Journal of Biblical Literature and Biblical Interpretation.Īll the while, his demeanor remains approachable - for his RNS Zoom interview, he sported a “Jurassic Park” T-shirt and sat surrounded by framed superhero comics on the wall behind him. ![]() He has the rare ability to explain legitimate biblical scholarship to ordinary people. In just over a year and a half, the channel has attracted more than a quarter-million followers, drawn in by McClellan’s blend of fact-based nerdiness about the Bible and dry humor as he confronts other content creators’ dubious claims. “This was mainly an opportunity for my 13-year-old to make fun of me,” McClellan told Religion News Service in a Zoom interview, taking the fame in stride.Įxperiences like that, once unthinkable, are becoming more common for McClellan, who started his TikTok channel in spring 2021 to combat a sea of misinformation about the Bible and religion.
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