Knight joined the Adventist church through the ministry of Ralph Larson. The Spectrum Blog: QOD conference bulletin two He completed a BA at Pacific Union College, an MA and MDiv from Andrews University, and in 1976 an EdD from the University of Houston.
Knight originally taught in the School of Education. He had a number of doctoral students who did biographical studies of early Adventist educators. He gradually developed an interest in Adventist history that led to his transition to the Church History department in the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. His 1985 book, Myths in Adventism, put him on the map in Adventist circles and he began to rise to prominence in the church. During the 1990s Knight became particularly well-known for his fresh insight and popularization of Seventh-day Adventist history. By the year 2000 he was the best-selling Adventist author in the denomination with a steady stream of doctoral students and graduate assistants who helped him do research for his books. He was also featured as one of the keynote speakers at the 2000 Seventh-day Adventist General Conference Session held in Toronto, Canada. In 2005 he announced his plans for retirement that occurred during the summer of 2006. He has already begun work on the first volumes of a devotional commentary of the entire Bible.
2009. Sin and Salvation: God's Work for Us and In Us.
2009. Exploring the Letters of John and Jude.
2008. Lest We Forget.
2008. The Apocalyptic Vision and the Neutering of Adventism.
2007. If I Were the Devil: Seeing Through the Enemy's Smoke Screen
2006. Philosophy and Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective.
2004. Exploring Galatians and Ephesians: A Devotional Commentary
2004. Exploring Mark: A Devotional Commentary
2004. Joseph Bates: The Real Founder of the Seventh-day Adventism
2003. Exploring Hebrews: A Devotional Commentary
2003. Anticipating the Advent.
2002. Walking with Paul through the Book of Romans.
2001. Organizing to beat the devil: The development of Adventist Church structure
2000. A search for identity: The development of Seventh-day Adventist beliefs; excerpt " What is Adventist in Adventism? Adventist Review online exclusive, 14 June 2001
1999. A Brief History of Seventh-day Adventists
1999. Walking With Ellen White: Her everyday life as a wife, mother, and friend
1998. Philosophy and Education: An Introduction in Christian Perspective.
1998. A User-Friendly Guide to the 1888 Message.
1998. Ellen White's World: A fascinating look at the times in which she lived
1997. Reading Ellen White: How to understand and apply her writings
1996. Meeting Ellen White: A fresh look at her life, writings and major themes
1995. Hebrews: Full of Assurance for Christians Today.
1995. The Fat Lady and the Kingdom.
1994. I Used to be Perfect: A Study of Sin and Salvation.
1993. Millennial Fever and the End of the World: A Study of Millerite Adventism
1990. My Gripe with God: A Study in Divine Justice and the Problem of the Cross.
1989. Angry Saints: Tensions And Possibilities In The Adventist Struggle Over Righteousness By Faith
1987. From 1888 to Apostasy: The Case of A. T. Jones
1985. Myths in Adventism.
1983. Early Adventist Educators
1982. Issues and Alternatives in Educational Philosophy.
