Joslin "Josh" McDowell (born August 17, 1939) is an

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Christian apologist Christian apologetics (, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Pa ...

and evangelist. He is the author or co-author of over 150 books. In 2006, his book ''Evidence That Demands a Verdict'' was ranked 13th in ''

Christianity Today ''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "eva ...

''s list of most influential evangelical books published after World War II. Other well-known titles are ''More Than a Carpenter'', ''A Ready Defense'' and ''Right from Wrong''.

Biography

Family and education

McDowell was born in Union City, Michigan, in 1939 with the given name Joslin. He is one of five children born to Wilmot McDowell. Biographer Joe Musser indicates that McDowell struggled with low self-esteem in his youth, as his father was an alcoholic and abusive. McDowell also revealed he was sexually abused repeatedly as a child by a farm hand, Wayne Bailey, from the age of 6 to 13. He enlisted in the Air National Guard, received basic training and assumed duties in mechanical maintenance of aircraft. After sustaining a head injury he was discharged from the service. He initially intended to pursue legal studies culminating in a political career, and began preparatory studies at

Kellogg Community College Kellogg Community College (KCC) is a public community college based in Battle Creek, Michigan, with sites in Battle Creek, Albion, Coldwater, Hastings and in the Fort Custer Industrial Park. It serves approximately 8,400 students annually via f ...

, a two-year junior college in

Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...

. According to McDowell, he was an

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...

at college when he decided to prepare a paper that would examine the historical evidence of the Christian faith in order to disprove it. However, he converted to Christianity, after, as he says, he found evidence for it, not against it. He subsequently enrolled at Wheaton College where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then studied at

Talbot Theological Seminary Talbot School of Theology is an evangelical Christian theological seminary located near Los Angeles. Talbot is one of the nine schools of Biola University, located in La Mirada, California. Talbot is nondenominational and known for its conservati ...

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor' ...

. He completed an exit paper examining the theology of

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

and was awarded the

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree, graduating ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

''. Josh McDowell married Dottie Youd, with whom he has four children and ten grandchildren; they live in California. His son, Sean, is also a Christian apologist and Associate Professor at Biola University.

Career and ministry

In 1964, he became a traveling representative of

Campus Crusade for Christ Cru (until 2011 known as Campus Crusade for Christ—informally "Campus Crusade" or simply "Crusade"—or CCC) is an interdenominational Christian parachurch organization. It was founded in 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles by ...

International, a

parachurch Parachurch organizations are Christian faith-based organizations that work outside and across denominations to engage in social welfare and evangelism. Parachurch organizations seek to come alongside the church and specialize in things that indiv ...

ministry that operates student chapters on university and college campuses established by the late

Bill Bright William R. Bright (October 19, 1921 – July 19, 2003) was an American Evangelism, evangelist. In 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles, he founded Campus Crusade for Christ as a ministry for university students. In 1952 he wrote ...

in the 1950s. He remains connected to the organization today. McDowell's full-time ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ began with his appointment as a campus speaker in Latin America. He later returned to North America where he became known as an itinerant speaker addressing campus groups about the Christian faith. Part of his speaking ministry has focused on youth issues in relationships and sexual mores and is reflected in seminars such as "Maximum Sex" and the "Why Wait?" campaign that encourages sexual

abstinence Abstinence is the practice of self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, but it can also mean abstinence from alcohol (drug), ...

before marriage. Other facets of his speaking ministry and writing have focused on issues of

self-esteem Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Macki ...

(''His Image, My Image''), and developing faith and character (''Evidence for Joy''). In the 1980s he also co-ordinated a three-month residential discipleship program in a retreat center called The Julian Center, near San Diego.

Critical race theory comments

McDowell came under criticism for remarks he made on September 18, 2021, at the American Association of Christian Counselors World Conference. In discussing

Critical Race Theory Critical race theory (CRT) is an academic field focused on the relationships between Social constructionism, social conceptions of Race and ethnicity in the United States census, race and ethnicity, Law in the United States, social and political ...

, McDowell said, "I do not believe Blacks, African Americans, and many other minorities have equal opportunity. Why? Most of them grew up in families where there is not a big emphasis on education, security — you can do anything you want. You can change the world. If you work hard, you will make it. So many African Americans don't have those privileges like I was brought up with." McDowell apologized for his remarks the following day.

Method of apologetics

As a practitioner of

Christian apologetics Christian apologetics (, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics have taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in the early church and Pa ...

, McDowell's writings have concentrated on addressing challenges to belief, questions posed by non-Christians, doubts about faith, and non-Christian religions. McDowell tends to present positive arguments to commend belief in

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

by emphasizing historical and legal proofs to establish the authenticity of the biblical texts and the divinity of Christ. In books such as ''Evidence That Demands a Verdict'', ''The Resurrection Factor'', and ''He Walked Among Us'', McDowell arranges his arguments by laying out a cumulative case of evidence, such as

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

discoveries, the extant

manuscript A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has ...

s of the

biblical The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) biblical languages ...

texts Text may refer to: Written word * Text (literary theory), any object that can be read, including: **Religious text, a writing that a religious tradition considers to be sacred **Text, a verse or passage from scripture used in expository preachin ...

, fulfilled

prophecies In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divi ...

, and the

miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...

of the

resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions involving the same person or deity returning to another body. The disappearance of a body is anothe ...

. In ''More Than A Carpenter'' he blends historical arguments with legal argumentation concerning the direct witness and

circumstantial evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact, such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly, i.e., without need ...

s for Jesus' life and

. He employed a similar line of argument in his debate titled 'Was Christ Crucified?' with the South African Muslim Ahmed Deedat in

Durban Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal. Situated on the east coast of South ...

during August 1981. McDowell says that the "evidence for Christianity in the Scriptures is not exhaustive, but it is sufficient." Other foci of his apologetics have included challenging the methodology, assumptions and conclusions drawn in

higher criticism Historical criticism (also known as the historical-critical method (HCM) or higher criticism, in contrast to lower criticism or textual criticism) is a branch of criticism that investigates the origins of ancient texts to understand "the world b ...

of the

Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

and

form Form is the shape, visual appearance, or configuration of an object. In a wider sense, the form is the way something happens. Form may also refer to: *Form (document), a document (printed or electronic) with spaces in which to write or enter dat ...

and redaction criticism of the gospels. His work in this area has consisted of a popular summary of scholarly debate, particularly from Evangelical discussions about higher critical theories. In the late 1980s and into the 1990s his apologetic writings interacted with challenges expressed in popular books like ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'', ''The Lost Years of Jesus'', and the writings of the

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential, and agency of human beings, whom it considers the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humanism" ha ...

George A. Wells. He has also collated apologetic arguments concerning the doctrine of Christ's deity as in ''Jesus: A Biblical Defense of His Deity''. In two companion volumes he and his colleague Don Stewart have addressed popular questions and objections to faith concerning biblical inerrancy and Bible discrepancies,

Noah Noah (; , also Noach) appears as the last of the Antediluvian Patriarchs (Bible), patriarchs in the traditions of Abrahamic religions. His story appears in the Hebrew Bible (Book of Genesis, chapters 5–9), the Quran and Baháʼí literature, ...

's Flood, and creation versus

evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

. McDowell and Stewart have also popularized the arguments of other apologists in the

Christian countercult movement The Christian countercult movement or the Christian anti-cult movement is a social movement among certain Protestant evangelical and fundamentalist and other Christian ministries ("discernment ministries") and individual activists who oppose re ...

, particularly the work of Walter Martin, in the ''Handbook of Today's Religions''. In their criticisms of

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

s and

occult The occult () is a category of esoteric or supernatural beliefs and practices which generally fall outside the scope of organized religion and science, encompassing phenomena involving a 'hidden' or 'secret' agency, such as magic and mysti ...

beliefs McDowell and Stewart concentrate on doctrinal apologetic questions, especially pertaining to the deity of Christ, and pointing out

heretical Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...

beliefs in the religious groups they profile which they consider to be unorthodox. McDowell's approach to apologetics falls under what Protestant theologians classify as "classical" and "evidential." In either of these approaches to Christian apologetics, it is assumed that arguments defending the Christian faith can legitimately be directed to both believers and unbelievers because the human mind is viewed as able to comprehend certain truths about God.

Presuppositional apologetics Presuppositional apologetics, shortened to presuppositionalism, is an Epistemology, epistemological school of Christian apologetics that examines the presuppositions on which worldviews are based, and invites comparison and contrast between the res ...

, on the other hand, questions this methodology by arguing that since unbelievers partially suppress and resist the truth about God (as Paul states in Romans 1:18–20), the problem of unbelief is also an ethical choice and not simply a lack of evidence.

Works by McDowell

*''Evidence That Demands A Verdict'', First published 1972. Revised Edition, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1979. *''More Than A Carpenter'', Tyndale House, Wheaton, Illinois, 1977. *''Daniel in the Critics' Den'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1979. *''Answers to Tough Questions'', with Don Stewart, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1980. *''Givers, Takers and Other Kinds of Lovers'', with Paul Lewis, Tyndale House, Wheaton, 1980. *''Reasons Skeptics Should Consider Christianity'', with Don Stewart, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1981. *''More Evidence That Demands A Verdict'', Revised edition, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1981. *''The Resurrection Factor'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1981. *''Prophecy: Fact or Fiction'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1981. *''The Myths of Sex Education'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1981. *''Guide To Understanding Your Bible'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1982. *''Understanding Secular Religions'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1982. *''Understanding Non-Christian Religions'', with Don Stewart, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1982. *''The Islam Debate'', with John Gilchrist, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1983. *''Jesus: A Biblical Defense of His Deity'', with Bart Larson, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1983. *''Handbook of Today's Religions'', with Don Stewart, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1983. *''Evidence Growth Guide'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1983. *''Evidence for Joy'', with Dale Bellis, Word, Waco, 1984. *''His Image, My Image'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1984. *''The Secret of Loving'', Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1985. *''Why Wait?'' with Dick Day, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, 1987. *''How to Help Your Child Say "No" to Sexual Pressure'', Word Books, 1987. *''He Walked Among Us: Evidence for the Historical Jesus'', with Bill Wilson, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1988. *''Skeptics Who Demanded a Verdict'', Tyndale House, Wheaton, 1989. *''The Dad Difference'', with Norm Wakefield, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1989. *''A Ready Defense'', Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee, 1990. *''The Occult'', with Don Stewart and Kurt Van Gorden, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, CA, 1992. *''Don't Check Your Brains at the Door'', Concordia Publishing House, 1992. *''Right From Wrong'', with Bob Hostetler, Word, Dallas, 1994. *''The Father Connection: 10 Qualities of the heart that empower your children to make right choices'', B&H Books, Nashville Tennessee 1996. *''The One Year Book of Josh McDowell's Youth Devotions'', with Bob Hostetler, Tyndale House, Wheaton, 1997. *''New Evidence That Demands A Verdict'', Word, Nashville, 1999. *''See yourself as God sees you'', Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois, 1999. *''Disconnected Generation: Saving Our Youth From Self-Destruction'', Word, Nashville, 2000. *''Beyond Belief to Convictions'', with Bob Hostetler, Tyndale House, Wheaton, 2002. *''The Last Christian Generation'', Green Key Books, Holiday, Florida, 2006. *
The Da Vinci Code: A Quest For Answers
', Green Key Books, Holiday, Florida, 2006. (free PDF book, 112 pp, ) *''Evidence for the Resurrection'', Regal Books, Ventura, California, 2009.
''More Than A Carpenter''
Tyndale, Wheaton, Illinois, 2009. *''The Unshakable Truth: How You Can Experience the 12 Essentials of a Relevant Faith'', Harvest House Publishers, 2010. *''Evidence for the Historical Jesus: A Compelling Case for His Life and His Claims'', Harvest House Publishers, 2011. *''The Awesome Book of Bible Answers for Kids'', with Kevin Johnson, 2011. *''77 FAQs About God and the Bible: Your Toughest Questions Answered'', with Sean McDowell, 2012. *''Straight Talk with Your Kids About Sex'', with Dottie McDowell, 2012. *''The Bible Handbook of Difficult Verses: A Complete Guide to Answering the Tough Questions'', with Sean McDowell, 2013. *''Understanding Islam and Christianity: Beliefs That Separate Us and How to Talk About Them'', with Jim Walker, 2013. *''10 Commitments for Dads: How to Have an Awesome Impact on Your Kids'', 2014. *''10 Ways to Say "I Love You": Embracing a Love That Lasts'', 2015. *''The Beauty of Intolerance: Setting a Generation Free to Know Truth and Love'', with Sean McDowell, 2016.

Related works

*''Undaunted - The Early Life of Josh McDowell'', 65 minute documentary written and directed by

Cristóbal Krusen Cristóbal Krusen is an American filmmaker and author. His early films were produced in Spanish in Latin America, including ''Ropa Nueva para Felipe'' (1990) and ''¿Con Quién Te Vas?'' (1995) followed by feature films produced in Africa, Asia, ...

, 2011. Includes trailer of movie. *''Josh: The Excitement of the Unexpected'', by Joe Musser and Josh McDowell, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1981. Also released under the title ''A Skeptic's Quest''.

References

External links

Official websiteOfficial YouTube channelInterview with Josh McDowell
by Josh McDowell
The Da Vinci Code: A Quest For Answers
by Josh McDowell (free PDF ebook, 2006, 112 pp, )

s ''Evidence That Demands a Verdict'' (Gordon B. Hazen, Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University) {{DEFAULTSORT:McDowell, Josh 1939 births Living people Christian apologists American evangelists American Christian writers People from Battle Creek, Michigan People from Dallas Promise Keepers Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni Biola University alumni Talbot School of Theology alumni Converts to Protestantism from atheism or agnosticism People from Union City, Michigan