Contributors

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  Andy Bannister

  Author and Speaker
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Team Members

Andy Bannister
Author and Speaker
Andy Bannister is an author, speaker, and broadcaster. He is currently the Director of the Solas Center for Public Christianity, an evangelism and training ministry, as well as the Adjunct Research Fellow at Arthur Jeffery Centre for the Study of Islam at Melbourne School of Theology. He holds a PhD in Islamic Studies and has taught extensively at universities across the world on both Islam and Philosophy. Andy speaks regularly on Christianity to audiences of all faiths across Europe, Canada, the US, and further afield. He is an author of several books including: The Atheist Who Didn't Exist, Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? and most recently, How to Talk About Jesus Without Looking Like an Idiot.
 
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  Jared Kennedy

  Editor
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Team Members

Jared Kennedy
Editor
Jarred Kennedy, MDiv, ThM, serves as an editor for The Gospel Coalition. He is series editor for the TGC Hard Questions series and the author of Keeping Your Children’s Ministry on Mission, The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible, and with Kevin Hippolyte and Trey Kullman, Faith Builder Catechism: Devotions to Level Up Your Family Discipleship. He is also co-founder and principal of Gospel-Centered Family, a ministry that helps churches and families share Jesus with the next generation.
 
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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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  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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  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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  Lynne Marie Kohm

  Professor
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Team Members

Lynne Marie Kohm
Professor
Lynne Marie Kohm serves as the John Brown McCarty Professor of Family Law at Regent University School of Law. She is the author of the books Estate Planning Success for Women and The Christian Guide to Wills, Living Trusts and Estate Planning. Her professional affiliations include and have included the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section Board of Governors, Virginia Bar Association Domestic Relations Council, Christian Legal Society, American Bar Association, Eagle Forum, Alliance Defense Fund, Concerned Women for America, and Bethany Christian Services. She and her husband have two children.
 
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  Ben Doggett

  Director of Worship
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Team Members

Ben Doggett
Director of WorshipBen Doggett serves as the Director of Worship at Capital Presbyterian Church in Herndon, Virginia. He is a graduate of Reformed Theological Seminary and a Fellow of the C.S. Lewis Institute. Ben’s music is used for corporate worship by various denominations and is featured on the album Deep to Deep as well as at www.bendoggettmusic.com  
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  Joel Woodruff

  President, C.S. Lewis Institute
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Team Members

Joel Woodruff
President, C.S. Lewis Institute
Joel Woodruff, President, C.S. Lewis Institute, has worked in higher education, “tent-making,” nonprofit administration, and pastoral ministries in Alaska, Israel, Hungary, France, and Northern Virginia. He served as Dean of Students, Chaplain, and Professor of Bible & Theology at European Bible Institute, where he helped train Europeans both for professional ministry and to be Christian leaders in the marketplace. Prior to joining the Institute, he was on the leadership team of Oakwood Services International, a nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization. He is a graduate of Wheaton College, earned his M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, and has a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Nova Southeastern University. As a Parish-Pulpit Fellow, he studied Biblical Backgrounds & Archaeology in Israel for a year.
 
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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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  Renee Leonard Kennedy

  Author and Speaker
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Team Members



Renee Leonard Kennedy

Author and Speaker

Renee Leonard Kennedy is an author, speaker and orchard keeper. She shares her journey of finding unexpected joy and meaning.
 

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  Steve King

  Pastor
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Team Members

Steve King
Pastor
Steve King served as the Senior Pastor at Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington, VA from 1983 to 2019, and Senior Pastor Emeritus from 2019-2022. Steve has a passion to make disciples who love God and people above all else. He hosted Renewing Hope on WAVA 105.1 FM for 26 years, led the Band of Shepherds pastors’ fellowship for 30 years, served on the board of Pioneers International for 26 years, was on the leadership team of One Heart DC and is lecturer and writer for the C.S. Lewis Institute. He is the author of Beware the Slow Leaks – eight ways ministry leaders can thrive and finish strong (Salem Books). Steve holds degrees from the University of Georgia (BBA) and Western Seminary (MDiv).
 
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  Joseph A. Kohm

  Vice President for Development, CSLI & CSLI City Director, Virginia Beach
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Team Members

Joseph A. Kohm
Vice President for Development, CSLI & CSLI City Director, Virginia BeachJoseph A. Kohm, C.S. Lewis Institute Vice President for Development and City Director for Virginia Beach. Joe is an attorney and formerly worked as a Certified Major League Baseball Player Agent. He earned his Master’s in Management Science from the State University of New York at Oswego and both his J.D. and M.Div. from Regent University. Joe is the author of The Unknown Garden of Another’s Heart: The Surprising Friendship between C.S. Lewis and Arthur Greeves (Wipf and Stock, 2022.)  
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  Dave Chaves

  Technology and Product Development Manager, CSLI
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Team Members



Dave Chaves

Technology and Product Development Manager, CSLI

Dave Chaves, Technology and Product Development Manager, has worked in nonprofit, Christian communications for over 10 years, including most recently with Five Talents USA. He holds a master’s degree from Georgetown University and an MDiv from Africa International University. He’s been involved in cross-cultural missions in East Africa for over 10 years and is an Associate Missionary with the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders.  Dave met his lovely wife Lucy in Kenya and they have four children. He is excited to be part of the CSLI team and to support communications and technology to further the ministry of discipleship.