Contributors

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  Maryam Rostampour-Keller

  Author
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Team Members

Maryam Rostampour-Keller
Author
Maryam Rostampour-Keller was born into a Muslim family in Iran. After becoming a Christian in her teens, she studied theology in Turkey. Her story of how Maryam and her friend, Marziyeh Amirizadehis, were imprisoned for their faith and sentenced to death in Iran is told in the book, Captive in Iran: A Remarkable True Story of Hope and Triumph Amid the Horror of Tehran’s Brutal Evin Prison. Maryam has a B.S. and M.S. in International Affairs from Georgia Institute of Technology.
 
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  Jim Phillips

  CSLI City Director, Annapolis & Senior Fellow for Cross-Cultural Discipleship
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Team Members

Jim Phillips
CSLI City Director, Annapolis & Senior Fellow for Cross-Cultural DiscipleshipJim Phillips founded the C.S. Lewis Institute in Annapolis, Maryland in 2009 and is currently a Senior Fellow helping facilitate the discipleship of Believers in Christ from non-Western cultural backgrounds. 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 an MLA from St. John’s College, Annapolis, Maryland, a Post Graduate Diploma in Theology and Religion, Oxford University, UK, and a PhD in Islamic Studies from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies/Middlesex University, Oxford, UK. Jim has authored several books which can be found at https://amazon.com/author/phillipsjim.  
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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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  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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  John Lennox

  Professor
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Team Members

John Lennox
Professor
Dr. John C. Lennox is Professor of Mathematics (emeritus) at Oxford University and an internationally renowned speaker on the interface of science, philosophy, and religion. He regularly teaches at many academic institutions, is Senior Fellow with the Trinity Forum and has written a series of books exploring the relationship between science and Christianity. He holds a number of advanced degrees, including a PhD from Cambridge University. His acclaimed books include Cosmic Chemistry: Do God and Science Mix?; 2084: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Humanity; and A Good Return: Biblical Principles for Work, Wealth, and Wisdom. John and his wife have three grown children and nine grandchildren.
 
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  Darrell Bock

  New Testament Scholar
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Team Members

Darrell Bock
New Testament ScholarDarrell Bock is Executive Director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He is a graduate of the University of Texas (B.A.), Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M.), and the University of Aberdeen (Ph.D.). Professor Bock is the author of over 40 books, including well-regarded commentaries on Luke and Acts and studies of the historical Jesus. He was president of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) for 2000–2001, is a consulting editor for Christianity Today, and serves on the boards of Wheaton College and Chosen People Ministries.  
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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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  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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  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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  Rosaria Butterfield

  Speaker
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Team Members

Rosaria Butterfield
Speaker
Rosaria Butterfield is a speaker and author of several books including, Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert: An English Professor’s Journey Into the Christian Faith, Openness Unhindered: Further Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert on Sexual Identity, Union with Christ and The Gospel Comes with a House Key: Practicing Radically Ordinary Hospitality in Our Post-Christian World. Rosaria earned her PhD from Ohio State University and was a tenured professor of English at a large university before she came to believe the claims of Jesus Christ. Rosaria is zealous for hospitality, loves her family, cherishes dogs, and enjoys coffee.
 
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  Ken Smith

  Speaker
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Team Members

Ken Smith
Speaker
Ken Smith, Pastor, in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America and was ordained in what was the Central-Pittsburgh Reformed Presbyterian Church in 1952. He served in the Navy during World War II and is a graduate of Geneva College. He and his late wife, Floy, spent time in pastoral ministry in Pittsburgh, Cyprus, Northern Ireland and Syracuse, NY. He has served on the boards of Wilkinsburg Christian School, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary (RPTS), and Geneva College where he chaired the Board of Trustees for seven years. He has lectured at RPTS and been a faculty member of the Ottawa Theological Hall since its start. He is the author of several books including Learning to be a Family.
 
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  James M. Houston

  CSLI Co-Founder
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Team Members

James M. Houston
CSLI Co-FounderJames M. Houston (1922 – 2026) is a co-founder of the C.S. Lewis Institute. Jim served as a Senior Fellow of the Institute, lecturing at CSLI events over the past five decades. He received his Bachelor of Science and M.A. degrees from the University of Edinburgh and a D. Phil. from Oxford University. He was a University Lecturer at Oxford from 1947 – 1971 where he taught cultural and historical geography. While teaching at Oxford, he met C.S. Lewis and participated in a regular Bible study with him for six years. He is known as one of the “founding fathers” of Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia where he has served as the first Principal, Chancellor and Professor of Spiritual Theology.