Bates is Associate Professor of Theology at Quincy University in Quincy, Illinois. He is the author of Salvation by Allegiance Alone(Baker Academic, 2017), The Birth of the Trinity (Oxford University Press, 2015), and The Hermeneutics of the Apostolic Proclamation (Baylor University Press, 2012). Bates writes with a posture of faith seeking understanding, striving to serve the church, academy, and any reader of goodwill. He also co-hosts OnScript, a popular Bible-themed podcast. He and his wife Sarah have six children. He has an affection for conversation, hiking, baseball, and Truth.