Who We Are

Dr. Norman Geisler (http://normangeisler.com) was the author, co-author, and/or editor of over 100 books, including A General Introduction to the Bible, From God to Us, The Big Book of Bible Difficulties, Defending Inerrancy, Explaining Biblical Inerrancy, Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate, Inerrancy, Biblical Inerrancy, Biblical Errancy: Its Philosophical Roots, A History of Western Philosophy, Miracles and the Modern Mind, Preserving Orthodoxy: Maintaining Continuity with the Historical Christian Faith on Scripture, and A Popular Survey of the New Testament. He was a member of the Drafting Committee of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy between 1977-1987 and also served as the ICBI’s General Editor and Director of Publications.

Dr. Geisler taught on the college and graduate level for 55 years at some of the top Christian Schools in the United States–Wheaton College, Detroit Bible College, Trinity College, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Dallas Theological Seminary. He was the co-founder of two schools and two societies–Southern Evangelical Seminary, Veritas International University, the Evangelical Philosophical Society, and the International Society of Christian Apologetics. He also served as president of the Evangelical Theological Society in 1998.

You may read his Defending Inerrancy articles here and watch his lectures here. You can read our tribute to him here and other tributes to him here.

Dr. Joseph M. Holden (https://josephholden.com/) is the President and co-founder of Veritas International University. He received his PhD in Theology from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (Lampeter, Wales) and the MDiv and MA in Apologetics with honors from Southern Evangelical Seminary (Charlotte, NC). Dr. Holden has taught apologetics, Bible, and theology, at the undergraduate and/or graduate level for over twenty years. From 1998-1999, he was Lecturer at Faith Evangelical Seminary and, from 2005-2012, served as an adjunct faculty member at Azusa Pacific University.

From 2008 to the present, Dr. Holden has served as President and Professor of Apologetics and Theology at Veritas International University. He is also the author, co-author, and/or editor of The Harvest Handbook of Science and Faith (Harvest House, 2021), The Harvest Handbook of Bible Lands (Harvest House, 2020), The Harvest Handbook of  Apologetics (Harvest House, 2019), The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible: Discoveries that Confirm the Reliability of Scripture (Harvest House, 2013), Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate (WIPF&Stock, 2016), Living Loud: Defending Your Faith (B&H, 2002), Charts of Apologetics and Christian Evidences (Zondervan, 2006), and associate editor and contributor to The Apologetics Study Bible for Students (B&H, 2010, 2017). He is also a contributor to Evidence that Demands a Verdict (Thomas Nelson, 2017), Reasons for Our Hope (B&H, 2011), Baker’s Handbook of Denominations and Ministries (Baker Books, forthcoming), The Evangelical Dictionary of World Religions (Baker Academic, forthcoming), and producer of the documentary Archaeology and the Bible: The Top 10 Amazing Discoveries.

You may read his Defending Inerrancy articles here and watch his inerrancy related lectures here.

Dr. F. David Farnell is Senior Professor of New Testament at The Master’s Seminary. He holds the PhD degree from Dallas Theological Seminary in New Testament and the MDiv and ThM degrees from Talbot School of Theology. He is the chief editor of Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate (WIPF & Stock, 2016) and the co-editor of The Jesus Quest: The Danger from Within (Xulon, 2016). Dr. Farnell also contributed “The Independence View of Gospel Origins” to Three Views on the Origins of the Synoptic Gospels (Kregel, 1998) and was a contributor and editor of The Jesus Crisis (Kregel). He specializes in the impact of historical-critical philosophical ideologies in New Testament Criticism and Interpretation.

You may read his Defending Inerrancy articles here and watch his lectures here.

William C. Roach (http://williamroach.org) is the President of the International Society of Christian Apologetics (2019-2020). He holds a PhD from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Theology and Philosophy of Religion, a ThM in New Testament, and a graduate degree in Philosophy from Southern Evangelical Seminary. During his doctoral studies, Dr. Roach studied hermeneutics, biblical theology, systematic theology, and epistemology. His dissertation focused on Carl F. H. Henry’s epistemological approach to hermeneutics, culminating in a dissertation titled, “Hermeneutics as Epistemology: A Critical Analysis of Carl F. H. Henry’s Epistemological Approach to Hermeneutics.”  This dissertation was published here. He also is the author of Sola Fide: A Primer on Paul’s Doctrine of Justification in Romans.

Dr. Roach currently teaches adjunctively at several institutions, including: Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Hannibal-LaGrange University, Columbia Evangelical Seminary, and Nueva Providencia in Medellin, Colombia. He is also the co-author of Defending Inerrancy: Affirming the Accuracy of Scripture for a New Generation, receiving endorsements from J. I. Packer, R. Albert Mohler, John MacArthur, J. P. Moreland, and Earl Radmacher. Lastly, he has contributed to The Jesus Quest: The Danger From Within and Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate, both are revealing books on the contemporary drift of many evangelicals from the complete historicity and total inerrancy of the New Testament.

You may read his Defending Inerrancy articles here and watch his lectures here.

Dr. Phil Fernandes (http://philfernandes.org) is the president of the Institute of Biblical Defense, the pastor of Trinity Bible Fellowship in Silverdale, Washington, and a teacher of philosophy, world religions, theology, and apologetics at three schools: Veritas International University, CrossPoint Academy, and Shepherds Bible College. He holds a DMin in Christian Apologetics from Veritas International University and is the Director of the Doctor of Ministry in Apologetics degree program for Veritas International University. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy of religion from Greenwich University, a Master of Arts in Religion from Liberty University, and a Bachelor of Theology from Columbia Evangelical Seminary. Dr. Fernandes is a member of four professional societies: the Evangelical Theological Society, the Evangelical Philosophical Society, the International Society of Christian Apologetics, and the Society of Christian Philosophers. He is the Vice-President of the International Society of Christian Apologetics (2019-2020). He is the author of several books: Hijacking the Historical Jesus: Answering Recent Objections Against the Jesus of the Bible; The God Who Sits Enthroned: Evidence for God’s Existence; No Other Gods: A Defense of Biblical Christianity; God, Government, and the Road to Tyranny; Contend Earnestly for the Faith; and Theism vs. Atheism: The Internet Debate (co-authored with Dr. Michael Martin). He also was a contributor to The Big Argument: Does God Exist? (eds. Ashton and Westacott) and to Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate (WIPF&Stock, 2016).

You may watch his inerrancy-related lectures here.

Dr. Richard G. Howe (http://richardghowe.com) is Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte, NC, and former President of the International Society of Christian Apologetics (2016-2018). He received a BA in Bible from Mississippi College, an MA in Philosophy from the University of Mississippi, and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Arkansas. He is a contributor to several books including The Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, Reasons for Faith, To Everyone an Answer, and The Jesus Quest. Dr. Howe has spoken and debated in churches and universities in the US and Canada as well as Europe and Africa on issues relating to the defense of the Christian faith. Richard and his wife Rebekah reside in the Atlanta area. In their free time they enjoy international travel. He and Michael Licona had a dialogue on the question of how to define inerrancy at the 2019 NCCA conference.

You may watch his lectures here.

Christopher is the co-editor of Explaining Biblical Inerrancy (Bastion Books, 2013), a contributor to Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate (WIPF&Stock, 2016), The Harvest Handbook of Apologetics (Harvest House, 2019), The Harvest Handbook of Science and Faith (Harvest House, 2021), and to the Journal of the International Society of Christian Apologetics. He is also the co-author (with Norman Geisler) of the updated, revised edition of Is Man the Measure: An Evaluation of Contemporary Humanism (Bastion Books, 2021). He has worked professionally in the IT industry for twenty years and is pursuing a Master of Arts degree in Christian Apologetics at Veritas International University. You may read his Defending Inerrancy articles here and view his lectures here.     

Ian Buckley is the founding pastor of New Hope Community Church, Auckland New Zealand. He a holds a Business Degree in Marketing and Information Systems, a BA in Bible and Theology and a DMin from Northwest Graduate School of Ministry, now Bakke Graduate University. Dr. Buckley’s passion is to reach the unchurched with the life changing Good News of Jesus Christ and to equip Christians to effectively share their faith based on the inerrant Word of God. He is married to Kimberley and has 4 grown children.

Dr. Shawn Nelson has two degrees in apologetics and one in biblical studies. He is coauthor with Norm Geisler of Evidence of an Early New Testament Canon, a contributor to Vital Issues in the Inerrancy Debate (WIPF & Stock, 2016), and has authored work for the International Society of Christian Apologetics. He has a passion for defending a high-view of Scripture and is a founding contributor at DefendingInerrancy.com.

A recent doctoral graduate of Veritas International University, much of Shawn’s academic work on apologetics is available online at nelson.ink. His recent doctoral work involved the creation of a novel apologetics assessment which helps people discover which apologetic method was most effective for convincing them Christianity is true.

Shawn has a passion for teaching laypeople, and is a teacher and coordinator for the Biblical Training Center,  a ministry providing lay training in areas like theology, apologetics, church history, hermeneutic, philosophy and evangelism. He has most recently become a Resident Scholar at the new Historical Faith Society.

Shawn is married, has two grown children, one grandchild, and resides in Solana Beach, CA.