Contributors

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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.
 

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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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  Roger Sherrer

  Podcast Guest
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Team Members



Roger Sherrer

Podcast Guest

Roger Sherrer, Podcast Guest, was an ardent atheist who thought belief in God was not only childish but bad and needed to be taken down. He shares his journey on Side B Stories.

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  C.S. Lewis Institute

  Author
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Team Members

C.S. Lewis Institute
Author
C.S. Lewis Institute, in the legacy of C.S. Lewis, works to develop wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ who will articulate, defend, share, and live their faith in personal and public life. Founded in 1976 by Dr. James Houston and James R. Hiskey, the Institute provides leading teachers who address important issues of the day from the perspective of Biblical orthodoxy, while also providing discipleship for individuals in small groups.
 
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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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  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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  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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  John Wise

  Professor
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Team Members



John Wise

Professor

John Wise, Speaker, is a professor of philosophy, having received his PhD from the University of California, Irvine. His study of philosophy led him to ask serious questions about faith and secularism.

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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.  
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  Mark Galli

  Author
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Team Members



Mark Galli

Author

Mark Galli is former editor in chief of Christianity Today. Mark is the author of numerous books on prayer, preaching, and pastoral ministry, including Karl Barth: An Introductory Biography for Evangelicals and When Did We Start Forgetting God?: The Root of the Evangelical Crisis and Hope for the Future. He is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz and holds a M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary. Mark was a Presbyterian pastor for ten years, changed his denominational affiliation to the Anglican Church in North America and converted to Catholicism in 2020.

 

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  Mark Goodnight

  Podcast Guest
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Team Members

Mark Goodnight
Podcast Guest
Mark Goodnight, is a former atheist who became convinced God was real through a series of unexpected events.