The questions that most deeply shape a person’s faith are often born not in classrooms, but in moments of loss, confusion and unmet expectations. For alumnus Micah Sweeney (M.A. ’18), those questions surfaced early — first through the death of a young mother in his church despite fervent prayer, and later through a season of discernment that left him doubting his own spiritual judgment.

Searching for a way to reconcile Scripture with lived experience, Sweeney eventually found his way to the study of Christian apologetics at Biola University.

“I needed help reconciling experience with Scripture, but I found no one in my faith community equipped to help,” said Sweeney. “That desire for intellectual reconciliation is what ultimately led me toward apologetics.”

Apologist Scott Klusendorff caught Sweeney’s attention when he heard his defense of the pro-life position.

“He used winsome arguments grounded in science and philosophy to reinforce biblical teaching. I was struck not only by what he argued, but by how he argued. He encouraged me to explore the apologetics program at Biola University, which ultimately led me to Talbot School of Theology.”

Talbot’s Christian Apologetics program allowed Sweeney to engage in a program with both breadth and depth. With faculty members who are experts in the field, he was met with thoughtful communication, intellectual humility and conviction.

“At Talbot, I did not receive simplistic resolutions to complex problems. Instead, I learned how to think more carefully — how to distinguish between what Scripture teaches and the assumptions we sometimes project onto it.

While earning his master’s degree in Christian apologetics, Sweeney learned how to live a committed Christian life in a secular world.

“My knowledge grew, and even more importantly, my understanding of how that knowledge is grounded grew as well,” reflected Sweeney. “I learned how to evaluate claims, examine presuppositions and recognize where faith, reason and experience properly intersect. Upon graduating, I knew more clearly what I believed, and more deeply why I believed it.”

Sweeney found himself more aligned with Scripture with his views refined after earning his degree.

“I left not with a rehearsed script, but with the tools to engage honestly in the arena of ideas. The education I received at Talbot did not change my calling; it refined it,” said Sweeney.

Sweeney now serves both as a school teacher and as a therapist.

“In education, the training I received at Talbot helps me present historical ideas accurately and thoughtfully, particularly when teaching topics such as the Puritans and the religious foundations of early American history,” said Sweeney.

He sees his degree influence his clinical work as well.

“In my clinical work, I am prepared to help clients explore their own worldview and faith-based questions when they raise them. Talbot’s emphasis on careful listening, disciplined questioning and intellectual charity has shaped how I sit with people across the religious spectrum, whether in the classroom or the therapy room,” said Sweeney.

Biola's Christian apologetics programs at Talbot School of Theology are led by some of the most respected thinkers and scholars in the field — individuals who seek to honor God with their minds and engage the world with a rationally grounded, intellectually sound case for faith. Now is the time to enroll in Christian apologetics at Biola University.


For more information, email media.relations@biola.edu.