Contributors

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  Randy Newman

  Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism, CSLI
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Team Members

Randy Newman
Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism, CSLI
Randy Newman (1956-2024) was the Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism at the C.S. Lewis Institute. He taught at several evangelical seminaries. After serving for over 30 years with Campus Crusade for Christ, he established Connection Points, a ministry to help Christians engage people’s hearts the way Jesus did. He has written seven books, Questioning Evangelism, Corner Conversations, Bringing the Gospel Home, Engaging with Jewish People, Unlikely Converts: Improbable Stories of Faith and What They Teach Us About Evangelism, Mere Evangelism. and his most recent, Questioning Faith: Indirect Journeys of Belief through Terrains of Doubt. Randy has also written numerous articles about evangelism and other ways our lives intertwine with God’s creation. He earned his MDiv and PhD in Intercultural Studies from Trinity International University. Randy went home to be with the Lord in May 2024.
 
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  Mike McKinley

  Pastor
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Team Members



Mike McKinley

Pastor

Mike McKinley, Pastor, was raised in suburban Philadelphia. He received a B.A. in Religion and Classics from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and an M.Div. from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. In 2004, Mike was brought onto the pastoral staff at Capitol Hill Baptist Church as a church planter. He now serves as the senior pastor of Sterling Park Baptist Church in Sterling, Virginia. He is the author of Church Planting Is for Wimps, Am I Really a Christian?, Did the Devil Make Me Do It?, Passion, The Resurrection in Your Life and his most recent publication, Friendship with God: A Path to Deeper Fellowship with the Father, Son, and Spirit. Mike also co-authored with Mark Dever, 90 Days in Ruth, Jeremiah and 1 Corinthians.
 

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  Jana Harmon

  Senior Fellow For Christian Apologetics, CSLI
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Team Members

Jana Harmon
Senior Fellow For Christian Apologetics, CSLI
Jana Harmon, Ph.D, is the Senior Fellow For Christian Apologetics for the C.S. Lewis Institute and a Teaching Fellow for C.S. Lewis Institute Atlanta. She serves on the Atlanta Advisory Board and as an Adjunct Professor of Cultural Apologetics at Biola University. Her doctoral research studied the religious conversion of atheists to Christianity looking at the perspectives and stories of 50 former Atheists. She views apologetics through a practical, evangelistic lens. She is the host of the podcast eX-skeptic for the C.S. Lewis Institute. Jana received her PhD from the University of Birmingham, England.
 
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  Rick Allan

  Speaker
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Team Members

Rick Allan
Speaker
Rick Allan, Speaker/Author, is a self-professed skeptic and former atheist turned Christian. As an atheist he was attending church services only to support his wife, believing much of what he heard was simply a made-up story. However, he came to realize his belief was apathetic, based only on anecdotal evidence and opinions. So, he began a journey, “A Skeptics Journey”, to investigate the evidence for himself. He discovered there was substantial evidence for both God and Christianity.
 
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  Mark R. Talbot

  Professor
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Team Members

Mark R. Talbot
Professor
Mark R. Talbot is associate professor of philosophy at Wheaton College.  He received his B.A. at Seattle Pacific College, did graduate studies at Saint Louis University, and received His Ph.D. from University of Pennsylvania. His areas of academic expertise include philosophical theology, philosophical psychology, the epistemologies of the early modern philosophers, and the works of David Hume, St. Augustine, and Jonathan Edwards. His books include Suffering and the Sovereignty of God, Personal Identity in Theological Perspective, and The Indispensability of the Trinity, Modern Reformation.
 
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  Aimee Riegert

  CSLI Fellow
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Team Members

Aimee Riegert
CSLI Fellow
Aimee Riegert, CSLI Fellow, earned bachelor’s degrees in mathematics and foreign language studies from Southern Methodist University. In addition to supporting various national security efforts in Northern Virginia, she has worked as an itinerant high school math teacher and drama coach, and has served in women’s ministries, praise teams, on the adult support team for Young Life and as a “mentor mom” for MOPS International ministries, as well as English instructor in several ESL programs in Japan. She is a graduate of the C.S. Lewis Institute Year One Fellows Program.
 
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  Ben Hein

  Church Planting Pastor
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Team Members



Ben Hein

Church Planting Pastor

Ben Hein grew up in Alexandria, VA before earning his B.S. in Computer Science from James Madison University (2009) and working for five years in the Northern Virginia area as a software developer and analyst. In 2017 he earned his M.Div. from Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, DC, before serving as an assistant pastor at Shady Grove Presbyterian Church. Ben now lives in Indianapolis, IN with his family where he has the privilege of serving as the Church Planting Pastor for Redeemer Presbyterian Church. As the church planting resident, Ben is focused on building a vision and team for a future church plant on the Near Westside of the city that aligns with God’s deep love for the people there.

 

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  Marie Wood

  Speaker
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Team Members

Marie Wood
Speaker
Marie Wood, Speaker, Former atheist, she left her devoted childhood faith in the face of intellectual doubts but eventually found her way to an intellectually robust belief in God and Christianity. She is also the Vice President of MTM-CNM Family Connection which supports families affected by Myotubular Myopathy.
 
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  Thomas A. Tarrants

  Author, President Emeritus, CSLI
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Team Members



Thomas A. Tarrants

Author, President Emeritus, CSLI

Thomas A. Tarrants is President Emeritus of the C.S. Lewis Institute. After serving twelve years as president and nine years as vice President, he retired from his position as Vice President for Ministry and Director, Washington Area Fellows Program, with CSLI in June 2019. He holds a Master's of Divinity Degree, as well as a Doctor of Ministry Degree in Christian Spirituality. Tom is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Church Alliance and a member of the Evangelical Theological Society. He spends his time writing, mentoring, consulting and traveling. His life story is told in Consumed by Hate, Redeemed by Love, published by Thomas Nelson Publishers.

 

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  Rebecca McLaughlin

  Author
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Team Members

Rebecca McLaughlin
Author
Rebecca McLaughlin, Author, grew up in the UK and holds a Ph.D. in English literature from Cambridge University and a theology degree from Oak Hill College in London. In 2008, she moved to America and spent 9 years with The Veritas Forum. In September 2017, she co-founded Vocable Communications. Rebecca is the author of Confronting Christianity; 12 Hard Questions for the World’s Largest Religion and 10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity. She continues her writing and speaking as one of the world’s leading Christian apologists while enjoying her family life with her husband and three children.
 
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  Jon Noyes

  Speaker
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Team Members

Jon Noyes
Speaker
Jon Noyes, Podcast Guest, is a Former atheist, who was driven to fully live out his life-long atheism, but his pursuit was challenged when he began to consider which worldview best fit with reality.
 
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  Christopher Mitchell

  Theologian
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Team Members

Christopher Mitchell
Theologian
Christopher Mitchell, Theologian, (1951 – 2014) was the third director of the Marion E. Wade Center from 1994 to 2013, and the first holder of the Marion E. Wade Chair of Christian Thought at Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois. Mitchell was also the Consulting Editor for VII: An Anglo-American Literary Review (now VII: Journal of the Marion E. Wade Center). Prior to coming to Wheaton College he served as a missionary and pastor. He has published several articles including “C.S. Lewis and Authentic Discipleship,” Knowing and Doing (C.S. Lewis Institute, Spring 2011 Issue.) Mitchell received his M.A. from Wheaton College, and a Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, where his concentration was Historical Theology with a focus on Jonathan Edwards.
 
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  Rico Tice

  Speaker
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Team Members

Rico Tice
SpeakerRico Tice is a passionate evangelist and former Senior Minister of Evangelism at All Souls, Langham Place in London. With the support of John Stott, he co-founded Christianity Explored Ministries, and is a regular speaker at missions and evangelistic events around the world. Rico is the author of two books about understanding the gospel and sharing it with others — Honest Evangelism and Capturing God. His life's work is to inspire others to share their faith in Jesus.