Contributors

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  Jerry Root

  Professor, Christopher W. Mitchell Senior Fellow for C.S. Lewis Studies
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Team Members

Jerry Root
Professor, Christopher W. Mitchell Senior Fellow for C.S. Lewis Studies
Jerry Root is the Christopher W. Mitchell Senior Fellow for C.S. Lewis Studies at the C.S. Lewis Institute; Emeritus Professor of Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois and a visiting Professor at Biola University. He received his Ph.D. from the Open University through the Oxford Centre for Missions Studies. Jerry has nine published books, as well as numerous articles and publications about C. S. Lewis and evangelism in other books, journals, and periodicals, as well as read numerous academic papers at various academic venues. Recently, he published, Splendour in the Dark, a book about C. S. Lewis’s narrative poem Dymer (the book also includes Lewis’s 100-page poem). Jerry has lectured on Lewis topics at 79 Universities in 19 different countries.
 
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  Brandon Cleaver

  Reverend, Prog. Dir. Matthew 5:9 Fellowship
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Brandon Cleaver
Reverend, Prog. Dir. Matthew 5:9 FellowshipBrandon Cleaver serves as the Matthew 5:9 Program Director. He views the pursuit of unity as an integral part of his life. For years, he has spoken to diverse groups around the country on various topics, which are often inherently divisive, seeking to bring clarity, compassion, and peace to these conversations. Ultimately, Brandon has sought to engage cultural questions and concerns within the context of Christian hope. Brandon graduated from Michigan State University with a major in Journalism and a minor in Sociology. He completed a Master’s in Christian Apologetics from Biola University and a Master’s of Divinity in Interdisciplinary Studies through Moody Theological Seminary.  
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  Kathleen Durham

  CSLI Dallas, Dir of Development & Admin
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Kathleen Durham
CSLI Dallas, Dir of Development & AdminKathleen Durham serves as the Director of Development and Administration for the C.S. Lewis Institute - Dallas. She is passionate about people, literature, languages and above all about helping people have a deeper understanding and experience of God’s goodness and love through Scripture. She is also deeply committed to social justice as essential to the Gospel and the fullness of the faith. She is a graduate of Belmont University (Spanish, minor in Italian), Georgetown University (Masters and A.B.D. in Spanish and Portuguese Literature and Cultural Studies), and the Oxford Center for Christian Apologetics, Oxford University.
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  Stuart McAllister

  Apologist
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Stuart McAllister
Apologist
Stuart McAllister is an itinerant speaker and writer. Since becoming a Christian in his home country of Scotland in 1977, he has traveled the globe, first smuggling bibles and other Christian resources behind the Iron Curtain. Throughout almost forty-five years of ministry, he has spoken to business groups, medical professionals, and government and community leaders. He has been a frequent contributor to many publications over the years. He has contributed chapters in the books Beyond Opinion (Thomas Nelson, 2007) and Global Missiology for the 21st Century (World Evangelical Fellowship, 2000). He and his son, Cameron, have co- written a book, Faith That Lasts: A Father and Son on Cultivating Lifelong Belief , which was published in 2021.
 
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  Cameron McAllister

  Director of Apologetics, CSLI
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Cameron McAllister
Director of Apologetics, CSLICameron McAllister is Director of Apologetics for the C.S. Lewis Institute. He cofounded Thinking Out Loud, where he’s a speaker, writer and one half of the Thinking Out Loud podcast, a weekly podcast about current events and Christian hope. He and his father co-authored Faith That Lasts: A Father and Son on Cultivating Lifelong Belief. A staff writer with Christ & Pop Culture, Cameron’s writing has appeared in Christianity Today, Relevant Magazine, Think Christian, and Fathom Magazine. He holds a master’s degree in apologetics from Houston Baptist University. Cameron and his wife Heather live in the Atlanta area with their two children. Support the ministry of Cameron with CSLI.  
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  Matthew Mullins

  Professor
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Matthew Mullins
Professor
Matthew Mullins is Associate Professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University. He joined the Department of Language and Literature at OBU in 2024, having taught at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary from 2012 to 2024. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He teaches courses in American literature, English Composition, and the Western Civilization sequence. His research focuses on contemporary literature, and his academic articles have appeared in journals such as African American Review, Arizona Quarterly, and Christianity and Literature. Mullins’s book, Enjoying the Bible: Literary Approaches to Loving the Scriptures, was published in 2021 by Baker Academic and won an Award of Merit in Christianity Today’s 2022 Book Awards.
 
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  Randy Newman

  Senior Fellow for Apologetics and Evangelism, CSLI
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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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  Christin Ditchfield Lazo

  Speaker
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Team Members



Christin Ditchfield Lazo

Speaker

Christin Ditchfield Lazo is the author of the best-selling A Family Guide to Narnia: Biblical Truths in C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia, and more than 80 other books, including several literature curriculum guides introducing thousands of elementary school children to the world of Narnia. For seventeen years, she hosted her own syndicated radio program, Take It To Heart!® broadcast daily in the U.S. and around the world. For thirty years, Christin has been speaking at conferences and retreats all over the country, calling believers to a deeper life of faith, a life of passion and purpose. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Christian Leadership, a master’s degree in Bible and Theology, and a doctorate in Spiritual Formation.
 

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  Andrew Lazo

  Reverend
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Andrew Lazo
ReverendAndrew Lazo is an internationally-known C. S. Lewis scholar, speaker, writer, and co-host of the Pints with Jack podcast. He earned his M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary and is pursuing his doctorate in Romantic Theology at Northwind Seminary where he serves as a distinguished lecturer. He has authored several articles on C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and the book Mere Christians: Inspiring Encounters with C.S. Lewis.
 
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  Jana Harmon

  Senior Fellow For Christian Apologetics, CSLI
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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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  Chris Armstrong

  Professor
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Chris Armstrong
Professor
Chris Armstrong is an educator, author, editor, academic entrepreneur, and church historian (Duke PhD, Gordon-Conwell MA). He taught from 2004 to 2013 at Bethel Seminary where he founded and directed an initiative on faith, work, and economics called Work with Purpose. From 2014 to 2018 he served as faculty member and founding director of Opus: The Art of Work at Wheaton College. From 2019 to 2023, he served the Kern Family Foundation as Program Fellow. Since 2012, Chris has also served as Senior Editor of Christian History magazine. His most recent book, Medieval Wisdom for Modern Christians: Finding Authentic Faith in a Forgotten Age with C.S. Lewis, retrieves medieval themes of faith and life as a resource for today’s Christians.
 
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  Amy Orr-Ewing

  Speaker
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Team Members



Amy Orr-Ewing

Speaker

Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing is an international author, speaker and theologian who addresses the deep questions of our day with meaningful answers found in the Christian Faith. Travelling internationally Amy is a regular speaker across university campuses, businesses, parliaments, churches and conferences as well as on TV and radio. She holds a DPhil in Theology from the University of Oxford and is the author of multiple publications and books including ‘Where is God in All the Suffering?’ and bestselling, ‘Why Trust the Bible?’

 

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  Tony Reinke

  Author
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Tony Reinke
Author
Tony Reinke is an author, non-profit journalist, Senior Teacher for Desiring God, and produces and hosts John Piper’s podcast, “Ask Pastor John” which is dedicated to questions of Christian theology and ethics. The bulk of his work centers on how we best flourish in the tech age saturated by innovation, media, and enough on-demand video to fill our eyes for 100 lifetimes. He is the author of numerous books including, 12 Ways Your Phone is Changing You, and God, Technology, and the Christian Life.