Christian Apologetics: Honoring Role Models, Part 2

I know that I can not possibly cover all of the people that I would like to honor in the field of Apologetics, but I wanted to take time out to honor the top two biggest influences on me and this ministry in Christian Apologetics: Nabeel Qureshi (last week) and J. Warner Wallace. I encourage you to follow the work done by these Disciples of Christ so that you too can become a bold and confident defender of the faith by letting them help you answer the tough questions asked in our culture today!

This week I am focusing on the ministry of J. Warner Wallace, Homicide Cold Case Detective, who I consider to be my favorite mentor in Christian Apologetics. His website: coldcasechristianity.com has so many available resources that will help anyone from a seasoned apologist to a first time reader, and especially the next generation!

J. Warner Wallace’s journey from atheism to Christianity is amazing because he uses his skills as a detective to come to the undeniable conclusion that God exists, that Jesus proved who he claimed to be, and that the Bible is the inspired and reliable Word of God. Under Wallace’s teaching at Biola University, he encouraged me (and all his students) to not sit on the sidelines, but to get in the game against anti-Christian sentiment and pornography that run rampant on social media. I begin this website and my postings on social media to share these truths, and I continue to get that encouragement from him years later.

A little more about Wallace from his website, Cold Case Christianity: 

“J. Warner Wallace is a cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker and author. He serves as an adjunct professor of apologetics at Biola University and as a faculty member at Summit Ministries. J. Warner was a conscientious and vocal atheist until the age of thirty-five, when he took a serious and expansive look at the evidence for the Christian Worldview and determined that Christianity was demonstrably true. He eventually earned a Master’s Degree in Theological Studies from Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary. J. Warner’s professional investigative work has received national recognition and his cases have been featured more than any other detective on NBC’s Dateline, and his work has also appeared on CourtTV and Fox News. In addition, he had a role in God’s Not Dead 2, as a witness making the case for the historicity of Jesus.”

J. Warner’s books (and subsequent articles, videos, podcasts and curriculums) include:

• “Cold-Case Christianity, A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels.” This book provides readers with ten principles of cold case investigations and utilizes these principles to examine the reliability of the Gospel eyewitness accounts.
• “God’s Crime Scene, A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe.” In this book, Wallace investigates eight pieces of evidence in the universe to make the case for God’s existence.
• “Forensic Faith, A Cold Case Detective Helps You Rethink and Share Your Christian Beliefs.” This book will help readers understand why they have a duty to defend the truth, learn how to employ the techniques of a detective to discover new insights from God’s Word and become better communicators. It includes real-life detective stories, fascinating strategies, and Biblical insights.
• “Alive, A Cold Case Approach to the Resurrection.” This is a short, 48 page, defense of the Resurrection. Wallace applies his skills as a detective to the claims of the New Testament, and comes to a startling realization that the case for Christianity, and the Resurrection, is as convincing as any case he’d ever worked as a detective!
• “So the Next Generation Will Know, Preparing Young Christians For A Challenging World.” Co-authored with Sean McDowell, this is a powerful book that will help Christian parents, youth leaders, or educators who works with our “next generation.” This book shows how to share biblical truth with young people that desperately need to hear it in a way that draws them in instead of pushing them away.

Cold Case Christianity, God’s Crime Scene, and Forensic Faith all have “Kid’s Versions” of these books as well as curriculums that can be used for any level of study. I highly recommend them for home study, small groups and individual study. There is also a “Cold Case Christianity” App for your phones, that has “Quick Shot” and “Rapid Response” sections that are easy to maneuver and read. They give you those quick answers to tough questions (because we know most people will only give you a minute or so to respond before you lose their attention)!

Watch J. Warner Wallace’s 47 minute presentation on evidence for the reliability of the Bible. This is one of my favorite presentations, packed with great visuals and connections to real cold-case investigations that help make the case for the reliability of the Bible!

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  2 Corinthians 5:20

Join us next week as we begin a new class and Bible study called “A Case for the Old Testament!”

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