Posts by Sean McDowell

Sean McDowell

Sean McDowell (Ph.D.) is an associate professor in the Christian Apologetics program at Talbot School of Theology, Biola University. He is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the Church, and in particular young people, to make the case for the Christian faith. Sean travels throughout the United States and abroad, speaking at camps, churches, schools, universities, and conferences. He is the co-host for the Think Biblically podcast, and he has authored or edited over twenty books, including Chasing Love: Sex, Love, and Relationships In A Confused Culture and So The Next Generation Will Know (with J. Warner Wallace). Sean hosts one of the leading apologetics blogs at seanmcdowell.org, and he hosts some great conversations on his YouTube channel. Sean and his wife, Stephanie, have three children and live in San Juan Capistrano, CA.

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The Good Book Blog
How Do We Make Theology Come Alive for Students?
Sean McDowell — May 22, 2017
How do we make theology engaging and interesting for students? While I certainly don’t claim to have it all figured out, and am always looking for some creative and new ideas, here are four lessons I have learned from roughly two decades of teaching and speaking to students on theological issues ...
The Good Book Blog
Does the Earliest Gospel Proclaim the Deity of Jesus?
Sean McDowell — May 08, 2017
Scholars generally agree that Mark was the first written Gospel. As a result, critics often claim that the doctrine of the deity of Christ does not appear clearly in Mark but emerges later in the Gospel of John. While there are certainly explicit claims to deity in John, such as when Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (8:58), this critical challenge overlooks distinct proclamations of the deity of Christ throughout the Gospel of Mark. Here is my contention: From the first chapter until the end, the Gospel of Mark proclaims that Jesus understood himself to be God. Consider six brief examples ...
The Good Book Blog
An Often-Missed Example of Media Bias
Sean McDowell — April 29, 2017
It’s no secret that the mainstream media consistently skewers left. On social, cultural, and political issues, the mainstream media regularly biases stories against the conservative viewpoint (all while feigning balance). But there is an example of media bias that many people often overlook—the very selection of stories itself is biased. In other words, while the media often spins stories towards the liberal perspective, there is a deeper kind of bias that operates on the level of which stories are even covered in the first place ...
The Good Book Blog
A Practical Response to Raising Adults In an Infantilizing Culture
Sean McDowell — April 26, 2017
It’s no secret that young people in our culture are growing up later than ever. The life transitions into adulthood, such as being financially independent and getting married, now often happen in the early 30s, if at all. In many ways, 30 is the new 20. As a result, childish thinking and behaviors often carry into (what should be) adulthood. There are undoubtedly a number of reasons for the perpetuation of adolescence, and certainly different ways to address it. But there is one that seems to be overlooked: We lack meaningful rituals to mark the transition into adulthood ...
The Good Book Blog
9 Truths about Sex and Marriage from Genesis 1-2
Sean McDowell — April 18, 2017
Critics have sometimes claimed that marriage is not that important to God. But interestingly, the Bible both begins and ends with a marriage. In fact, marriage is the defining metaphor God uses to illustrate His love for the Church, His “bride" ...
The Good Book Blog
Why Being "Blessed" is Better than Being "Happy"
Sean McDowell — April 12, 2017
Our culture is obsessed with happiness. From the movies we watch, the purchases we make, and our obsessive use of technology and social media, it is clear that many people today live for happiness. You might be thinking, “So what? Isn’t happiness a good thing?” Well, that depends on what is meant by happiness ...
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How Do You Become Yourself by Mirroring the Greatest Person in History? An Interview with Thaddeus Williams
Sean McDowell — April 05, 2017
Thaddeus Williams was a dorm mate of mine as an undergrad at Biola, and now we are both on faculty for our alma mater. Dr. Williams is also an author and frequent speaker at churches and conferences. He gave me the opportunity to endorse his most recent book Reflect: Becoming Yourself by Mirroring the Greatest Person in History, and I found it both insightful and enjoyable. He was kind enough to answer a few of my questions. Enjoy this interview and think about getting a copy of his excellent book.
The Good Book Blog
2 Lessons from Living on Skid Row
Sean McDowell — April 04, 2017
Last week I had the opportunity of co-leading a trip of 30+ high school students to stay at the Union Rescue Mission on Skid Row for three days. The students served meals in the kitchen, played Bingo with Mission residents, cleaned, played with children, served cold water to people living in the streets, shared meals with strangers, and much more. The trip was life changing for me, the students, and we hope maybe even some of the people at the URM ...
The Good Book Blog
Book Review: Growing Young
Sean McDowell — March 30, 2017
We have all heard the grim news: Church attendance is declining across denominations and young people are disengaging the church.[1] In an effort to address this problem, the team at Fuller Youth Institute has released a new book: Growing Young: 6 Essential Strategies to Help Young People Discover and Love Your Church (Kara Powell, Jake Mulder, and Brad Griffin). What makes Growing Young unique is that it is based upon an in-depth study of scholars, national ministry leaders, youth ministry experts, as well as research and visits to 363 diverse congregations who have effective ministries to young people. Like their previous book Sticky Faith, this book is based on careful research and analysis ...
The Good Book Blog
What Is the Unique Worldview of Students Today? An Interview with Dr. Jeff Myers
Sean McDowell — March 22, 2017
As a high school student, I went to a two-week worldview experience in the mountains of Colorado Springs called Summit Ministries. I had no idea what I was getting myself in to. Looking back now, over two decades later, I realize that it was one of the most formative faith experiences of my life. Although there were probably a couple dozen speakers at Summit (who addressed all sorts of worldview issues related to theology, economics, apologetics, science, and more), my favorite was Dr. Jeff Myers. He has since become a good friend of mine, and he is now the president of Summit Ministries, a vital worldview experience for students. Dr. Myers is a popular speaker, the author of many books (including one of my favorites, Handoff), and is one of the most important contemporary voices in the church ...
The Good Book Blog
What is a Christian Worldview of Aging?
Sean McDowell — March 15, 2017
This goal of this blog is for me to soak up wisdom from my father and share it with you. I have been blessed to have an incredibly influential father, Josh McDowell. He has written over 150 books and spoken to more young people live than anyone in history. But what I appreciate most about my father is his love for my mom, for his kids, and now for his many grandkids. Enjoy! ...
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Disney Introduces a Gay Character in Beauty and the Beast: Six Reflections
Sean McDowell — March 04, 2017
Although there have been rumors about supposedly gay characters in Disney films of the past, Disney is officially introducing a gay character in its upcoming live-action film, Beauty and the Beast. The issue is not the mere existence of a gay character, for gay people are obviously as much a part of our culture as anyone else. The question is whether Disney uses this character as a way of promoting a certain view of sex and relationships that Christians may find objectionable. Christians will be tempted to respond in a number of different ways. I don’t pretend to have the right answer for how Christians should respond. In fact, I am not sure there even is one right answer for Christians to embrace. Nevertheless, here are six thoughts for reflection ...
The Good Book Blog
Where is Culture Headed in the Next Decade ... and Beyond?
Sean McDowell — February 23, 2017
Where is culture headed for the next decade? And what does this mean for our relationships, jobs, and task as apologists and influencers of the next generation? I recently read the excellent book The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future and want to highlight the twelve trends that the author, Kevin Kelly, believes will shape the future. It’s hard to disagree with his insights ...
The Good Book Blog
Does Porn Really Harm Society? An Interview with Dr. John Foubert
Sean McDowell — February 22, 2017
Dr. John Foubert has been studying pornography and its effects on people for over a decade. I have written and spoken extensively on pornography, so I was eager when Dr. Foubert graciously asked me to endorse his recent book How Pornography Harms. And it did not disappoint. In fact, I would consider an indispensable resource for students, parents, teachers, and pastors to be informed about how pornography is changing the way people think about sex ...
The Good Book Blog
Are Questions Better Than Answers? No Question About It!
Sean McDowell — February 16, 2017
Although it might surprise you, given that I grew up with a famous apologist father, my parents asked me more questions than they gave me answers. My parents did not want me to believe something simply on authority, but because I had good reasons for believing it was true. They certainly wanted me to become a Christian, but they were also deeply interested in helping me learn how to think critically for myself and to confidently arrive at truth ...
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Has the Church Sought Out Demonic Power to Further the Gospel? Interview with Author Kyle Strobel
Sean McDowell — February 02, 2017
Kyle Strobel has been a friend of mine since we were classmates in the M.A. Philosophy program at Talbot in the early 2000s. Now we are both professors at Biola (he's at Talbot Theological Seminary and I am in the Christian Apologetics program). Kyle has a recent book that, in all honesty, is going to stir some people up. He didn't write it just to provoke, but because he really believes the church today has co-opted some non-biblical ideas that radically undermine the gospel. And I tend to agree. If Kyle is right, then we the church need to seriously rethink how we approach ministry. I hope you will genuinely wrestle with his responses to my questions in this interview ...
The Good Book Blog
A "Chance" Encounter with the Miraculous
Sean McDowell — January 25, 2017
Last week I had an experience I will remember for a long time. Since it was raining outside, we took my three kids and some of their cousins to Big Air Trampoline Park to get some of their energy out. The place was packed full of young kids and their parents. While my kids were enjoying the trampolines, dodge ball, and the climbing wall, I found an open seat in the small café to edit some of the chapters for an update I am working on with my father for his classic book, Evidence that Demands a Verdict ...
The Good Book Blog
What is the Best Evidence for Intelligent Design? Interview with Brian Johnson
Sean McDowell — January 23, 2017
Last year, when I was speaking at a church in South Dakota for a Heroic Truth Event, I met Brian Johnson. He invited me on his Podcast, and we had a great conversation about “hot” cultural issues today.
The Good Book Blog
The Story of Reality: Apologist Greg Koukl Discusses His New Book
Sean McDowell — January 19, 2017
Although I first heard of Greg Koukl as an undergrad at Biola University in the mid 90s, we became good friends in the early 2000s as students in the M.A. Philosophy program at Talbot. Greg is one of the leading apologists of our day and has had a huge impact on my personal and professional life. He gave me the honor of endorsing his recent book The Story of Reality, and I can honestly say that it’s fantastic. In the words of Tim Challies: “Koukl promises to tell the story of reality. He does, and he does it beautifully. You’ll benefit by reading his telling of how the world began, how it will end, and all the important stuff that happens in between" ...
The Good Book Blog
Do We Really Live In A "Post-Truth" World?
Sean McDowell — January 11, 2017
It’s official. The 2016 word of the year is “post-truth.” Last year it was an emoji. In 2014 the word was “vape.” And in 2013 it was “selfie.” With the truth twisting, emotional appeals, and personal attacks that characterized this past election season, Oxford Dictionaries selected “post-truth” as the word for 2016. According to the dictionary, “post-truth” means, “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”
The Good Book Blog
Top 10 Apologetics "Tips" of 2016
Sean McDowell — January 06, 2017
During 2016, I began tweeting an “Apologetics Tip of the Day.” Some have to do with apologetics content, while others are tips for doing apologetics more effectively. Many of these were taken from my book A New Kind of Apologist or simply my own experience. And of course, some generated much more interest than others. Here’s the top 10 “Apologetics Tips” from 2016 in descending order ...
The Good Book Blog
How "Passengers" Subverts the Sexual Revolution
Sean McDowell — December 22, 2016
The movie Passengers released this today, Wednesday, December 21. The film features Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt as two passengers on a 120-year trip to another planet when their hibernation pods wake them up 90 years too early. When the ship malfunctions, their job is to protect the other 5,000 passengers from certain death. The movie is PG-13 for sexuality, nudity, and action. As the trailer makes clear, there is a “love” scene between Lawrence and Pratt. Since she has not done many sex scenes like this (especially with married men like Pratt), Lawrence has talked about how awkward it was and that she got really drunk beforehand.
The Good Book Blog
5 Reasons You Should Get Apologetics Training
Sean McDowell — December 22, 2016
The purpose and nature of apologetics is often misunderstood. Some people think it’s about arguing for the faith. Others think it’s about apologizing. In reality, apologetics simply refers to the defense of what you believe to be true. But isn’t apologetics someone else’s job? Isn’t it reserved for pastors, Bible teachers, and other “intellectual” Christians? The answer is an unequivocal no. As C.S. Lewis said, the question is not if we are apologists, but whether we will be effective apologists. All of us are called to have an answer for our hope in Jesus Christ (e.g. 1 Peter 3:15).
The Good Book Blog
Truth is a Person — Not Simply An Idea
Sean McDowell — December 08, 2016
Truth matters. And in our moments of honesty, we all know this. Minimally, we all live as if truth matters. It’s unavoidable. Truth matters in religious matters too. All religions (including atheism) claim to present a true depiction of reality. And this includes Christianity. But there is a key fact that makes Christianity distinct from other world religions — Christianity does not present truth merely as an abstract idea, but as a person who can be known.
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9 Important Insights about Generation Z
Sean McDowell — December 03, 2016
Move over Millennials. A new generation is here. For the past decade, there has been considerable discussion about how to understand and reach Millennials. But now there is a new generation, roughly those born between 1995 and 2010, which are the newest focus.