Bias in Archaeology and Biblical Studies

When most people think of the bias of theologians, archaeologists, or people who engage in biblical studies, conservatives normally come to mind. But, as Colby Willen skillfully illustrates, bias resides not only with conservatives, but liberals as well. In the course of my PhD work (which I am truly earning--see discussion for details) I constantly am confronted with bias toward the Bible, events reported in ancient Near East documents, etc. Many people seem to have an allergic reaction with ancient documents and dismiss them with haste. But, on the other hand, many people accept every new finding or new hypothesis that seems to support the validity of the Bible before these novelties have been thought through and investigated. As for me, I'm with Colby--I'm a conservative skeptic.