Contributors

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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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  Kirk Shanahan

  Scientist
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Team Members



Kirk Shanahan

Scientist

Kirk Shanahan is a research scientist who holds a PhD. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California-Berkley.


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  Stuart McAllister

  Apologist
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Team Members

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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Team Members

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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  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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  Lee Strobel

  Author
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Team Members



Lee Strobel

Author

Lee Strobel, Author, was educated at the University of Missouri (Bachelor of Journalism degree) and Yale Law School (Master of Studies in Law degree). He was a journalist for 14 years at The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers, winning Illinois' highest honor for public service journalism from United Press International. Lee joined the staff of Willow Creek Community Church in 1987 and later became a teaching pastor, eventually moving on to write books and host the national network TV program Faith Under Fire. He is a member of the Evangelical Philosophical Society. He has won Gold Medallions for The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for a Creator, which have been made into documentaries distributed by Lionsgate.
 

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  Alister McGrath

  Professor
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Team Members



Alister McGrath

Professor

Alister McGrath serves as Senior Research Fellow at the Ian Ramsey Centre for Science and Religion at Oxford. He has also served as the Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College in Oxford, the President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and associate priest in Cotswolds for a group of village parishes (Church of England.) McGrath’s best known books include The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?, Dawkins’ God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, A Scientific Theology and his most recent, Christian Theology: An Introduction, 7th Edition. He received his MA and DPhil from Oxford University.
 

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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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  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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  Dave Rankin

  Teacher
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Team Members



Dave Rankin

Teacher

Dave Rankin is an author and podcast guest who shares his unexpected journey from atheism to faith.


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  Matthew Mullins

  Professor
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Team Members

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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  Gary Thomas

  Pastor
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Team Members

Gary Thomas
Pastor
Gary Thomas received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Western Washington University in 1984. He studied under the Christian theologian J. I. Packer at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, receiving a master's degree in 1988 in systematic theology. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, in 2006 in recognition of his contributions made in the field of spiritual formation. Thomas is a regular teaching pastor at Second Baptist Church Houston, the fourth-largest church in the United States in 2013, with over 21,000 in weekly attendance. Thomas is the author of 20 published books. His most notable works include Sacred Marriage, Sacred Pathways, and Authentic Faith.