Christian Apologetics 101

Mike Licona

Born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1961, Mike became a Christian at the age of 10 and grew up in a Christian home. He attended Liberty University where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Music Performance (Saxophone). During his undergraduate studies, he had a strong desire to know God, devoting himself to studying the Bible daily. He decided to learn Koine Greek in order to read the New Testament in its original language and later completed a Master’s Degree in Religious Studies.
Toward the end of his graduate work in 1985, Mike began to question the veracity of his faith and wondered if there was any evidence to support it. He decided not to go into Christian ministry at that time. Finding answers to his questions consumed him and he almost jettisoned his faith. He investigated the evidence for Christianity and a number of other major world religions. He also considered the arguments for atheism. His investigation solidified his belief that God exists and that he has actually revealed himself to mankind in Jesus Christ and that the Christian view provides the most plausible and unified theory of reality.

In July of 1997, Mike formed TruthQuest Ministries in order to give an official name to his growing ministry and to allow future donors to make tax-deductible gifts. In October 2001, the ministry was renamed “RisenJesus” in order to avoid confusion with other ministries named “TruthQuest” and more closely reflect its vision of equipping 100,000 Christians to share their faith using the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.

Mike has a Ph.D. in New Testament (University of Pretoria). He completed all requirements “with distinction” and the highest marks. He is a frequent speaker on university campuses, churches, Christian groups, retreats, frequently debates, and has appeared as a guest on dozens of radio and television programs. He is a member of the Evangelical Theological and Philosophical Societies, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the prestigious Studitorum Novi Testamenti Societas. Mike is associate professor in theology at Houston Baptist University and the president of Risen Jesus, Inc.

Dan Wallace

Dr. Dan Wallace has been on faculty at Dallas Seminary for more than 35 years. He is Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies and is a member of the Society of New Testament Studies, the Institute for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the Evangelical Theological Society of which he is a past president. He specializes in Greek grammar, textual research, exegesis, and biblical theology. In 2002, Dan founded the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (www.csntm.org), an institute whose initial goal is to digitally photograph every Greek New Testament manuscript and post the images on the internet. The Center has completed nearly four dozen expeditions, photographing hundreds of thousands of pages of unique, handwritten, Greek New Testament manuscripts. Dan travels extensively in search of manuscripts. To date he has been to 35 countries and his institute, CSNTM, has discovered more than seventy-five New Testament manuscripts. Dan has written, co-authored, or contributed to more than three dozen books, and he has been a consultant for several different Bible translations. He is currently on the Committee on Bible Translation (CBT), which is responsible for the New International Version. He and his bride of 48 years, Pati, have four adult sons, two daughters-in-law, four grandchildren, and a Labrador Retriever named Porter. Dan is a fourth-generation Californian and former surf bum from Newport Beach. He misses it deeply; the surf in Dallas sucks.

Clay Jones

Clay Jones holds a doctor of ministry from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and is a Visiting Scholar for the MA program in Christian apologetics at Talbot School of Theology. Formerly, Clay hosted Contend for Truth, a nationally syndicated call-in, talk-radio program where he debated professors, radio talk show hosts, cultists, religious leaders, and representatives from animal rights, abortion rights, gay rights, and atheist organizations. Clay was the CEO of Simon Greenleaf University (now Trinity Law School) and was on the pastoral staff of two large churches. Clay is the Chairman of the Board of the university apologetics ministry Ratio Christi, is a contributing writer for the Christian Research Journal and specializes in issues related to why God allows evil. You can read his blog at http://www.clayjones.net, find his author page on Facebook, and follow him on Twitter at ClayBJones. Clay has authored Why Does God Allow Evil?: Compelling Answers for Life’s Toughest Questions and Immortal: How the Fear of Death Drives Us and What We Can Do About It.

Eric Hernandez

Eric Hernandez is a dynamic evangelist and apologist with a heart for proclaiming the gospel and defending the faith on theological and philosophical grounds. He is a licensed minister, certified formation therapist, on the Denison Forum Advisory Board, and is the Apologetics Lead and Millennial Specialist for The Baptist General Convention of Texas. He has spoken and debated on a public level at university college campuses where he adamantly and adequately defends the Christian faith against atheist, agnostic, and deistic professors of different worldviews. He holds an associate degree in social science, a bachelor’s degree in theology, and a certificate in apologetics from Biola University

Allen Hainline

Allen Hainline graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physics from UT Austin with highest honors and received a Master’s Equivalent degree in Systems and Software Engineering from UT CES. His most recent education included graduate study at Biola University in apologetics. Allen worked at Raytheon for about 12 years in software engineering but left as an Engineering Fellow in 1999 to be involved in 3D-modeling at a startup company. He has taught for Raytheon, UT, and the College of Southwestern. Allen now runs a small company that develops AI algorithms and software. He has worked for about 20 years in commercial satellite imaging, producing the imagery used in Google Maps and other applications. He also has led a Reasonable Faith chapter the past 8 years at UT Dallas and more recently also at a public high school. He recently partnered with Dr. Luke Barnes to write a chapter on fine-tuning evidence for God for a book entitled Story of the Cosmos. He has served as an instructor in the CrossExamined Instructor’s Academy and spoken on apologetics in England, Ecuador, Mexico, Philippines, Russia, and Ukraine on behalf of churches or organizations like Ratio Christi.

Ed Komoszewski

Ed Komoszewski graduated summa cum laude from Dallas Theological seminary with a Th.M. in New Testament Studies and two major honors: The John F. Walvoord Award for outstanding work in the department of Theological Studies and The W. H. Griffith Thomas Award for graduating at the top of his class. He has served as a pastor, professor, and director of research for a large nonprofit organization and is the author or editor of three books: Reinventing Jesus (with M. James Sawyer and Daniel B. Wallace), Putting Jesus in His Place (with Robert M. Bowman Jr.), and Jesus, Skepticism, and the Problem of History (with Darrell L. Bock). Ed and his wife Shelley live in Dallas, Texas where he is the Advisor to the CEO at the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts.

David Sanchez

Dr. Sanchez serves as the Director of Ethics & Justice at the CLC. After getting a BA at Howard-Payne University in ESL, he earned a Master of Arts in Biblical Studies with a Missions minor. His Master’s thesis was entitled: “Paul’s Instructions to the Corinthians Concerning Idol Meat: Principles for Decision Making in Grey Areas.” He also holds a Ph.D in New Testament Studies. Dr. Sanchez has over 20 years of ministry experience, including 11 years as the Youth Pastor at Chinese Baptist Church of Fort Worth. In addition to his roles in ministry, he has taught college and seminary courses in Biblical Greek, New Testament Introduction, and ESL. His teaching style is creative and engaging, and often incorporates the use of a ukulele.