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The Certified Apologetics Instructor program (or CAI) was created in 2006 in order to meet the growing need in North America to train Christians to share their faith while being able to answer the major objections to Christianity offered by non-believers. Our goal at the North American Mission Board is to identify Southern Baptists who are already passionate about apologetics and take them to the next level in their knowledge and communication skills. In order to be awarded the CAI credential, candidates complete the equivalent of 2 graduate level courses in apologetics, a workshop lasting several days of very intense training in public speaking, followed by an extensive practicum that requires creating and refining a number of select presentations on apologetic topics that is constantly refined while providing these presentations in front of live audiences. Finally, the candidate must provide 3 reference letters from others in ministry positions who testify that the person has a strong Christ-like character and an effective ministry. The end result is that the North American Mission Board can recommend godly individuals with above average communication skills who know their topics well.

We encourage you to contact CAIs for your training needs in apologetics. They are not employed by the North American Mission Board. Should you ask them to speak at your event, it is appropriate to reimburse them for their travel expenses and to pay a pre-agreed upon honorarium. The North American Mission Board is pleased to recommend the following individuals for your training needs:

	Adam Tucker Website: http://www.adamtuckeronline.com Email: adamt [at] triad.rr.com Bio: Adam's goals are to, one, equip the saints to think and take the blindfolds off their faith, and two, help unbelievers, especially those trapped in cults, understand the truthfulness of Christianity and why it alone is trustworthy. Topics: General apologetics (how do we know what's true, existence of God, reliability of the Bible, the resurrection, etc.), biblical faith, cults and world religions (specifically Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, New Age, Islam)
	Barry L. Byrd Email: byrdman52 [at] hotmail.com Bio: Barry Byrd is married with two grown children and two grandchildren. He taught physics and chemistry in  North Carolina public schools for 13 years. Topics: The Existence of God, The reliability of the New Testament, Creation vs. Evolution, Dinosaurs and the Bible.
	Ben Jones Website: http://www.angeldownanswers.com/ Email: ben [at] angeldownanswers.com Bio: Ben Jones is a graduate of Georgia Tech, who began to see early on the importance of every Christian knowing what they believe and why (1 Peter 3:15). Currently, he owns and manages a small video production company, in addition to his dedication to AngelDown Answers, his apologetics ministry. He speaks and teaches primarily in the Atlanta and North Georgia area. Topics:General Apologetics; Creation; Abortion: Biology and the Bible; The Problem of Pluralism; Evidence for God's Existence; The Nephilim; The Problem of Unanswered Prayer; The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus; Proof of Messiahship through Fulfilled Prophecy; The Reliability of Scripture; The Problem of Evil and Suffering; Study of Revelation
	Brad Melton Website:http://www.BradMelton.org Email: brad [at] bradmelton.org Bio: After experiencing deception first-hand as a Mormon missionary and later as an atheist, Brad now uses his mistakes for God's glory by passionately communicating and defending a Biblical World-and-Life View to groups of all ages. An ordained minister, published writer/editor, and popular conference speaker, Brad served for five years as a youth and college pastor and is a graduate of both Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary and Biola University. Married in 1996, Brad and Jennifer (also a former Mormon) are blessed with three children. Topics: Mormonism and Other Cults, Biblical Authority, the Historical Jesus, Atheism, Religious Pluralism, Moral Relativism, America's Christian Heritage, and Family Evangelism and Disciple-making.
	Bradford Woodward Email: bradford.woodard [at] dhhs.nc.gov Bio: An avid tennis player and coach who enjoys sports, and travel to new locations. Topics: Sociology and Apologetics, Classical and Evidential Apologetics
	Bruce Hennigan, M.D. Email: bhennigan [at] mac.com Bio: Bruce Hennigan is a physician and author living in Shreveport, Louisiana and an officer in the local apologetic chapter Shreveport Bossier Christian Apologetics Network. Topics: Introduction to Apologetics, Rebuttal of Swoon Theory (CSI Golgotha), Reliability of Oral Transmission, Reliability of Manuscript Transmission New Testament, Cosmological Argument, Kalam Cosmological Argument, Naturalism versus Theism
	Chan Hearron  Email: aprilchan23 [at] bellsouth.net Bio:  Graduate Southwestern Seminary 1996 MA Religious Ed. Currently teaching apologetics to 11th and 12th graders at Calvary Baptist Academy, Shreveport, LA Topics: Does God Exist?, Tactics in Defending the Faith, What is Truth?, The Resurrection of Jesus, The Problem of Evil?
	Jacob Allee Website:http://www.nailmark.org Email: Jacob [at] nailmarkministries.org Bio: A Graduate of Luther Rice University with a BA in Religion and Apologetics Jacob is now working on a Masters of Biblical Studies at Piedmont Baptist Graduate School. Jacob was born again at the age of 15 leaving behind drug abuse and anger for a life of joy in Christ. He is passionate about God's word and defending the truth claims found in it, knowing that we actually have some very good reasons to believe that Christianity is true amidst all other religions and worldviews. Jacob is currently the Associate Pastor of Student Ministries at First Southern Baptist Church in Junction City, KS. A major focus in Jacob's apologetics ministry is having an apologetic method that honors the inerrant and infallible text of Scripture without compromise. Topics: Arguments for God's Existence, Defending the Resurrection, Defeating Relativism, Darwinism in Crisis, Mormonism, Why You Should be A Christian, A Biblical Defense of the Trinity, The Reliability of the Bible, Tactics in Evangelism.
	James Patrick Holding Website: http://www.tektonics.org Email: jphold [at] att.net Bio: James Patrick Holding was raised in a home where the Bah'ai faith was taught, but became a Christian in his youth after considering its truth claims. He and his wife Susan live in the Orlando, FL area with their miniature poodle, Cocoa. Topics: New Testament Reliability and Interpretation, Current Events (eg, Religulous, Da Vinci Code), Cults (especially Mormonism)
	Lowry Shrader Email: s_lowry [at] charter.net Bio: Topics: Islam, Secret Powers, Roman Catholicism, Wicca, Neopaganism, Witchcraft, Mysticism, Mormonism, Scientology, Jehovahs Witnesses, Creation vs Evolution
	Mark Rathel, Ph.D. Email: MARathel [at] baptistcollege.edu Bio:Mark Rathel is passionate about helping the church fulfill 1 Peter 3:15-16, setting apart Jesus as Lord by being ready to defend the faith. Topics: Reliability of the Bible, Jesus and the One Gospel, The Thought of C. S. Lewis, Ethics, Cults, Bible Studies, Worldview, World Religions, Defeating Darwinism
	Mary Jo Sharp, M.A.  Website:http://www.confidentchristianity.com Email: MaryJoSharp1 [at] aol.com Bio: Mary Jo Sharp is a former atheist who thought religion was for the weak-minded. After coming to know the Lord, she completed her Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Topics: Islam, Cosmology, Moral Argument, Women in Islam
	Matt DeLockery, Ph.D (cand.) Website: http://www.whyshouldibelieve.org/ Blog: http://mattdelockery.blogspot.com Email: matt [at] whyshouldibelieve.org Bio: Matt DeLockery is a Christian apologist and Ph.D. candidate in New Testament Studies. He strives to make complex apologetic topics easy to understand so that Christians will be better equipped to explain their faith. Topics:Existence of God, Resurrection of Jesus, Reliability of the Gospels, Self-Understanding of Jesus, Problem of Evil
	Rob Lundberg Website: http://www.stand4truth.net Email: stand4truthapologetics[at]gmail.com Bio: Rob Lundberg is a Christian apologist and Bible teacher who is the founder and director Stand4Truth.Net; an apologetics and discernment ministry whose mission is to equip and encourage believers in the defense of the historical Christian faith. Topics:General Apologetics, Cultural Relativism, Religious Relativism, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, Historicity and Reliability of the Bible, Responses to Objections Coming from Atheism, Cults and World Religions
	Rob Phillips Website: http://www.oncedelivered.net Email: robphillips7 [at] comcast.net Bio: Rob Phillips is director of communications for LifeWay Christian Resources and an adult Bible study and Christian apologetics teacher at Brentwood (Tenn.) Baptist Church. Topics: World religions and cults (especially Islam, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses). The Bible (how do I know it's true?), Jesus (distinguishing between the biblical Jesus and the Jesus of other belief systems)
	Shelby Cade Website: http://flatlandapologetics.blogspot.com Email: scadefamily [at] gmail.com Bio: I am a blessed husband, father, apologist, counselor, and pastor, who specializes in cultural, resurrection and scientific apologetics. Topics: The Need for Apologetics, The Problem Of Evil, Did Jesus Rise?, Darwin, Knowledge and Truth, Where Do Moral Values Come From?, Can We Trust The New Testament?, Is Abortion The Taking Of Innocent Life?, Where Does God Come From?, Religious Pluralism, Would An All-loving God Condemn Anyone To Hell?, Irreducible Complexity, Cosmological Fine-Tuning
	Wes Widner Website: http://reasontostand.org Email: wes [at] reasontostand.org Bio: Wes loves wrestling with tough question and contemporary issues in the public square and around the water cooler in the office. Wes also loves encouraging and equipping fellow believers to engage their friends and neighbors as well. Topics:Faith: what it means to believe and how that belief can be strengthened and weakened; Contemporary cultural issues: How to effectively communicate with people you come into contact with every day

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