I feel honored to be a very small part of the faculty at Biola University (where I serve as an Adjunct Professor in the Master’s Degree program in Christian Apologetics). Two weeks ago I taught a class covering the material in Cold-Case Christianity and began by asking the seventy-four students in my class why they wanted an advance degree in apologetics. Thirty of these students said they were taking the class to grow in their faith. The remaining forty-four said they were either teaching apologetics locally or planned on teaching apologetics in the future. This latter group saw the Biola graduate degree as an important step of preparation. Not everyone agrees.
In fact, some people in the Christian community think an advanced degree in apologetics is largely a waste of time. Two people I deeply admire have come out publicly with this assertion: Max Andrews (of the Sententias Blog) and Glenn Peoples (of the Right Reason Blog) both wrote blog posts this year entitled, “Don’t Get a Degree in Apologetics”. Andrews and Peoples believe an academic degree in an advanced, specific discipline (i.e. biblical studies, history, historiography, theology, philosophy, physics, chemistry, etc.) is a far better choice than a broad degree in apologetics. Andrews writes:
“My advice is to pick a discipline and excel in that discipline. All the greatest apologists have a discipline: Gary Habermas, Mike Licona, William Lane Craig, NT Wright. etc. Don’t be a jack of all trades. Be a master of one and be skilled in many.”
Peoples agrees:
Think about those who have reputations as being the best apologists out there (whether they use the word “apologetics” or not). Everyone’s list will be slightly different, but the list will probably include names like C. S. Lewis, Alvin Plantinga, Richard Swinburne, Ravi Zacharias, William Lane Craig, John Lennox, Peter Kreeft, Richard Bauckham and others. Do you want to be a great apologist? Great. Do you think these people are / were great apologists? I agree. OK, now ask yourself what all of these people – along with probably every other person you might add to this list – lack. They probably lack a whole lot of things, but one of the things they lack is a degree in apologetics.
Let me take a minute to respond to these statements and make an important distinction between expert witnesses and case makers. Both have been incredibly important in every criminal case I’ve ever seen presented in front of a jury. Expert witnesses are critical and foundational to jurors. Without these men and women, the evidential foundation for each case would be insufficient. I rely on expert witnesses to testify about DNA, fingerprint, behavioral and other forensic issues; these folks are often the centerpiece of my case. But there is another critical participant in every jury trial. I’ve seen great evidential cases ruined by poor case makers. A young, inexperienced (or simply ungifted) prosecutor can make a mess of a case in front of a jury. Case makers are the directors, authors, orchestrators and presenters for every case argued to a jury. They seam together the divergent testimonies and translate the experts so jurors understand their importance (and their role within the larger case).
Expert witnesses are narrowly focused and typically have difficulty relating to the lay-people who make up the jury; the attorneys stand in the gap, weaving the expert testimony into the overarching case and “throwing the ball” so jurors can “catch it”. You can have great expert witnesses and still lose at trial. In fact, in every case I’ve worked, the defense has also called equally qualified, educated and accomplished expert witnesses who have testified in opposition to the experts called by the prosecution. The case makers (the attorneys) were responsible for arguing why their experts were more relevant than those from the other side. In criminal trials, case makers are just as important as expert witnesses, and this is also true in the Christian community. Without a good case maker, expert testimony can sound a lot like, “blah, blah, blah”.
There are very few (and I mean very few) expert witnesses in the Christian community who are also popularly accessible case makers. Let’s be honest about that. Some of these great thinkers are friends of mine, and I think they would acknowledge their role quite happily. Richard Bauckham’s incredibly important work, Jesus and the Eyewitnesses, has not been nearly as successful as Lee Strobel’sCase for Christ. In fact, many of these amazing expert witnesses would still be largely unread (and unknown) if they hadn’t appeared in Lee’s work. Case makers make expert testimony accessible and show how the limited evidence offered by these experts fits into the larger case. That’s what Lee has done so brilliantly over the years. It’s no coincidence we’re experiencing a renaissance in apologetics simultaneous with the success of Lee’s books. Great case makers amplify the work of great expert witnesses. In fact, you could take the book sales of everyone mentioned by Andrews and Peoples combined (with the obvious exception of C. S. Lewis and Ravi Zacharias) and they wouldn’t come close to the book sales of Lee Strobel or Josh McDowell alone. Lee and Josh are great case makers (neither has an advanced degree in a specialty area by the way); both are relying on the testimony of great expert witnesses.
Let me make one final observation. Courtroom dramas are incredibly popular in our culture. Think about your favorite book, television show or movie in this genre. Now let me ask you a question: Which characters are highlighted most in these dramas? Who are the protagonists or antagonists featured in each story? In most courtroom dramas, the primary characters are the attorneys and detectives: the case makers. Think about it. Whenever an investigative drama features an expert witness as the primary character (in shows like CSI or Quincy) the experts are actually mischaracterized and given investigative or case making roles they don’t actually possess in real life. The culture is far more interested in case makers and investigators than it is in expert witnesses. People are more interested in the total picture than the minutia; they want to hear the case in their own language, and they are far more likely to embrace people with whom they can relate. Case makers are just as important as expert witnesses (and perhaps more important when it comes to influencing a culture).
So take a hard look at your gifting and your interests. If you’re better suited as an expert witness, interested in specific fields of study and focused academically, get the degree in biblical studies, history, historiography, theology, philosophy, physics, or chemistry as Andrews and Peoples would suggest. God will use you powerfully to establish the foundation from which a case can be made. But if you’re more interested (and gifted) in communicating the overarching, cumulative case for Christianity (constructed from the testimony of many experts), feel free to pursue a degree in case making (apologetics). The church needs expert witnesses and case makers and these are usually two different sets of people. Great expert witnesses aren’t always great apologists, and great apologists (like Lee Strobel, Josh and Sean McDowell, Frank Turek, Greg Koukl and many others you know by name) don’t have to be expert witnesses.
J. Warner Wallace is a Cold-Case Detective, a Christian Case Maker, and the author of Cold-Case Christianity
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madmax2976 . says
If you will allow me to offer a view from an outsider (agnostic). I don’t particularly care what degree anyone possesses. It’s entirely possible for someone to be a great defender of their position while possessing no degree and for someone to be a poor defender of their position while possessing lofty sounding degrees. I’m much more impressed with how an advocate conducts him or herself, whether they grasp the nuances of the subject matter, whether they understand logic and whether they have an open mind. The latter trait I consider the most important since if either participant implicitly or explicitly takes the position they can’t possibly be mistaken, then there would seem to be no point in conversing at all.
Frank Crawford says
Professor Wallace,
I love your essay. I’m Biola Apologetics…2005. Can you give us examples of both types of apologists? I think Dostoevsky is great (in English) but too little on Christianity and heavy on what life is like as an atheist. Craig Hazen’s novella is good but light on Christianity. Surely there are authors who walk both side of the street.
Please offer your insights,
Frank Crawford CAA apologists
J. Warner Wallace says
Hi Frank! Sorry for the delayed response (I also sent you a direct message). I would love to hear what others have to say on this. I tend to categorize folks into one box or another, but I bet people can think of Case Makers who are experts in their field AND great cultural communicators. Let’s make a list!
Zak Schmoll says
For me, I am particularly interested in cultural issues such as media, so that is part of the reason why I am starting to study apologetics at Houston Baptist this fall. Like you said, some people need to be more general, and given my interests, I think that is a better approach for me.
Keith Mosher says
Mr. Wallace, I first found you on youtube searching through debates on God. The way you presented your “case” was very inspirational for me. Currently I run a blog “Stand Tall For Christ” where I defend the authority of Holy Scripture. Recently I felt compelled or “Called” to go to college to attain a degree in Biblical Studies, which is very strange as I have always had an aversion to college, considering them a financial scam. My wife and I decided it was not a good idea to go into debt for $40,000 just to get a paper degree, that I had no real intention of using as a career booster. My wife reminded me that with the Internet I can learn practically ANYTHING taught in all the major colleges at a ZERO cost. The question remained in my mind, will people take me seriously as an Apologist if I don’t have the letters behind my name? This article helped me realize that YES they will, if I really learn the material and know what I am talking about. Thank you for the insight, and continue on your path.
J. Warner Wallace says
Glad it helped Keith!
James Glazier says
Hi Keith, I will go visit your site
since am always looking at other apologetic sites to get ideas from
and to raise the bar on my own efforts. 🙂 Like you, I started
blogging on apologetics.
As much as I would LOVE to get a degree
from Biola in apologetics, no way can we afford it till my 4 kids
move out, and I win the lottery, but since I don’t buy lottery
tickets my odds are slightly reduced.
For now, like you, I will use the
Internet and the plethora of books/materials out there. My wife and I
are currently going through Frank Turek’s curriculum at
http://crossexamined.org/. We
have also gone through the ambassador material at http://www.str.org
Lastly the academy materials are free at
http://pleaseconvinceme.com/
Great stuff all of it! You probably know about it all, but if not
there you go. 🙂
Keith Mosher says
Thanks for the information James, and I would love to follow your blog as well. Can you send me a link?
James Glazier says
Thanks Keith! http://www.knowingforsure.com/category/blog/ I only started blogging about 1 1/2 years ago. Learning as I go. 🙂