Contributors

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  Henare Whaanga

  Podcast Guest
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Team Members

Henare Whaanga
Podcast Guest
Henare Whaanga is the Regional Director at Thinking Matters, New Zealand’s leading apologetics organization, where he works to strengthen the understanding and defense of the Christian faith. He is a devoted husband, father, lay pastor and Bible teacher.
 
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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, CSLIJana 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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  William L. Kynes

  Pastor, Senior Fellow for Pastoral Theology, CSLI
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Team Members

William L. Kynes
Pastor, Senior Fellow for Pastoral Theology, CSLIWilliam L. "Bill" Kynes is the Senior Fellow for Pastoral Theology at the C.S. Lewis Institute, and retired Senior Pastor of Cornerstone, an Evangelical Free Church, in Annandale, VA, where he served from 1986 - 2022. He majored in Philosophy at the University of Florida, where he also played quarterback and was later inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, receiving an MA in theology. He received an MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, before returning to England for a PhD in New Testament from Cambridge University.    
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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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  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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  Spencer Durrenberger

  Podcast Guest
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Team Members

Spencer Durrenberger
Podcast Guest
Spencer Durrenberger is a chemist in Texas, with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Physics from the University of Texas at Arlington. He currently works in the medical field, specializing in oncology with Humana Pathology, where he contributes to groundbreaking medical research focused on cancer.
 
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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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  Todd Smedly

  Senior Pastor, Bethel Presbyterian Church
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Team Members

Todd Smedly
Senior Pastor, Bethel Presbyterian ChurchTodd Smedley is the Senior Pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Bethesda, MD. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a doctorate in Historical Theology from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.
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  Kathleen Noller

  Computational Biologist
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Team Members

Kathleen Noller
Computational Biologist
Kathleen Noller is a leading Computational Biologist and specializes in cancer research. Kathleen completed her undergraduate studies in Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University, where her academic journey laid the foundation for her career as a scientist. She holds an MD-PhD from Johns Hopkins University and is passionate about medical research. Kathleen is also a dedicated wife and mother to a one-year-old, balancing her professional achievements with the joys of family life.
 
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  Russ Ramsey

  Pastor
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Team Members

Russ Ramsey
Pastor
Russ Ramsey is an author and pastor with a passion for uniting art and faith. He has been in vocational ministry for more than twenty years and currently serves as the lead pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church’s Cool Springs location. He holds an MDiv and ThM from Covenant Theological Seminary, and is the author of six books, including Rembrandt is in the Wind: Learning to Love Art through the Eyes of Faith (Zondervan 2022), and Behold the King of Glory, recipient of the 2016 Christian Book Award for New Author. Russ is also a member of The Rabbit Room.
 
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  Jim Phillips

  CSLI Teaching Fellow
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Team Members

Jim Phillips
CSLI Teaching FellowJim Phillips founded the C.S. Lewis Institute in Annapolis, Maryland in 2009 and is currently a Senior Teaching Fellow. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering. After graduation he served in the U.S. Marine Corps as an AV-8A Harrier pilot and in the corporate world as an information technology executive. He received a Master of Arts in Liberal Arts from St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, a Post Graduate Diploma in Theology and Religion from the University of Oxford in Oxford, UK, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Islamic Studies from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies/Middlesex University in Oxford, UK. Jim is the author of God’s Megathemes: A Grandfather’s Legacy and ʿĪsā: Prophet of Hope for Islam Today: The Evolution of the Jesus of Islam.  
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  Jeff Schlenz

  Pastor
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Team Members



Jeff Schlenz

Pastor

Jeff Schlenz, is the pastor of The City Gates Church in Northern Virginia and has been in vocational ministry for twenty years serving as a missions pastor, assistant pastor, and senior pastor. He served for eight years on active duty in the United States Marine Corps and currently serves as a chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve. He holds a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary where his doctoral thesis examined the role faith played for POWs and hostages during cross-cultural captivity.