Sean McDowell Joins Biola University's Christian Apologetics Faculty
Christian apologist Sean McDowell joins the faculty of Biola University's Master of Arts Program in Christian Apologetics beginning this fall, the private evangelical Christian college in Southern California announced Wednesday.
McDowell, who joins the program as an assistant professor of Christian apologetics, is considered a prolific apologist who has authored, edited and contributed to 15 books and has written dozens of articles in the fields of apologetics, philosophy, culture and ethics. He is also an award-winning teacher who has logged over a decade of classroom experience, stated Biola.
"Professor McDowell will be a magnificent addition to our team," said Craig J. Hazen, founder and director of Biola's Christian apologetics program. "He certainly brings the excellence in scholarship for which we are always striving, but he also brings first-rank communication skills, a profound desire to share the gospel with the lost, and Christian character that any of our students would do extremely well to emulate."
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McDowell received an undergraduate degree from Biola in 1998 and two master's degrees from Biola's Talbot School of Theology in 2003 – an M.A. in philosophy and an M.A. in theology, both summa cum laude. He is currently in the final stage of a Ph.D. program in apologetics and worldview studies, completing a historical study on the fate of the New Testament Apostles.
He is also the son of Biola alumnus and well-known Christian apologist Josh McDowell ('66, M.Div. '71), with whom he has co-authored several books, including The Bible Handbook of Difficult Verses and the recently updated version of More Than a Carpenter.
"We have worked with Sean for over a decade, so he is a known quantity for us," Hazen said. "Although his father is a world-famous apologist and evangelist, Sean stands firmly on his own merits of mind and character."
As a Biola faculty member, McDowell will join an apologetics team that includes R. Scott Smith, Kevin A. Lewis, Clay B. Jones, John A. Bloom, Paul Nelson, Craig J. Hazen, J.P. Moreland, William Lane Craig, Scott B. Rae, David A. Horner, Greg Koukl and many others that will be joining Biola On the Road this year – a series of apologetics conferences around the nation.
During his first term, which he began this week ahead of the start of classes next week, McDowell will be devoted to research, writing, conference speaking and the development of a proposal for a Ph.D. in Christian apologetics for the department. In the spring term, he will begin regular teaching of graduate students in courses such as "Scripture, Authority, Canon, and Criticism," "In Defense of the Resurrection," "Comparative Religions" and others.
Biola officials state that since its formation 16 years ago, the university's Christian apologetics graduate program has become the largest of its kind in the world. The program was recently ranked No. 1 in the world by "The Best Schools" website and is the only program of its kind at a university ranked in the top tier of national universities by U.S. News and World Report.
