In this blast from the past, J. Warner makes a few observations about the state of Christianity in the Bible Belt based on his own personal experience with family in that area.
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For more information about the reliability of the New Testament gospels and the case for Christianity, please read Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. This book teaches readers ten principles of cold-case investigations and applies these strategies to investigate the claims of the gospel authors. The book is accompanied by an eight-session Cold-Case Christianity DVD Set (and Participant’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.
J. Warner Wallace is a Dateline featured cold-case homicide detective, popular national speaker and best-selling author. He continues to consult on cold-case investigations while serving as a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. He is also an Adj. Professor of Christian Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University, and a faculty member at Summit Ministries. He holds a BA in Design (from CSULB), an MA in Architecture (from UCLA), and an MA in Theological Studies (from Gateway Seminary).
Steve Brewer
January 28, 2023 at 8:16 am
I live in the buckle of the Bible Belt — East Tennessee. I’ve been on a years-long journey of investigation of my Christian faith. I will agree to a point with your assertion that most folks in the Bible Belt do not show an interest in apologetics.
I survived the trauma of witnessing my father’s sudden, unexpected death at age 14. This event led to a period of depression, anxiety, and extreme doubt in my twenties and thirties.
As I was scrolling through television channels one day in the late 80s, I stumbled upon a presentation by Dr. Hugh Ross, the founder of Reasons to Believe. This began my journey into defending the faith and explaining my reasons for believing. Previously, I knew of no sources of instruction/teaching in apologetics.
Of course, not everyone in my circle is interested in apologetics. I now serve as a Congregational Care Pastor in a large, non-denominational Pentecostal church here in my hometown. I believe most are intellectually lazy regarding their faith. Many depend on their own personal experiences as validation and evidence of God’s existence. I have no problem with others’ personal experiential testimonies. However, I’ve not been blessed with the supernatural manifestations. I have to rely on logical reasoning to explain the hope that lies within me.
I’ve found that apologetics is hard work. Apologetics is very broad when one considers all the arguments that need to be considered: Historical, archaeological, cosmological, chemical, moral agruments, etc. I thank God for the plethora of resources available today.
Thank you for your apologetic work. I listen to your podcasts regularly.
Nate Otto
April 12, 2023 at 9:02 am
I’m listening in from Provo, Utah! We’re not from Utah, but moved here for Christian witnessing purposes. As soon as we leave the state, it’s a huge psychological relief. Some of our family lives in Nebraska and when we visit them, it’s much more relaxing as far as environment and also spiritually. Urban Utah seems to have some of the secularism from all the Californians moving in, but also has heavy Mormon influence. It’s a tiring, but great place to be a Christian. We’re so different here than both prevailing cultures. I’d rather live here than in the Bible belt community I grew up in.