Grudem was born on February 11, 1948, in Jim Falls, Wisconsin. As a child, he attended First Baptist Church in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He holds a B.A. in economics from Harvard University, an M.Div and D.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D in New Testament studies from the University of Cambridge. In 2001, Grudem became Research Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary. Prior to that, he had taught for 20 years at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he was chairman of the department of biblical and systematic theology.