Robert M. Bowman Jr. (born August 10, 1957) is an American

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

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

specializing in the study of

apologetics Apologetics (from Greek ) is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and recommended their f ...

Biography

Bowman received the M.A. in

Biblical Studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible, with ''Bible'' referring to the books of the canonical Hebrew Bible in mainstream Jewish usage and the Christian Bible including the can ...

and

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

from

Fuller Theological Seminary Fuller Theological Seminary is an Evangelical seminary in Pasadena, California, with regional campuses in the western United States. It is egalitarian in nature. Fuller has a student body of approximately 2,300 students from 90 countries and ...

in 1981, did

doctoral studies A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

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 ...

Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian theology, theological seminary in the Reformed theology, Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Prince ...

, and earned his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies in 2015 at the

South African Theological Seminary The South African Theological Seminary (SATS) is a broadly evangelical distance education institution based in Bryanston (Johannesburg Region E), South Africa, founded in 1996. As of May 2018, Kevin Smith is the principal of the seminary. The ...

., Center for Biblical Apologetics. From 2006 to 2008 he was manager of Apologetics and Interfaith Evangelism for the North American Mission Board (based in

Alpharetta, Georgia Alpharetta is a city in northern Fulton County, Georgia, United States, and part of the Atlanta metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Alpharetta's population was 65,818; in 2010, the population had been 57,551. History In the 1830s, ...

), an agency of the

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC), alternatively the Great Commission Baptists (GCB), is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist organization, the largest Protestant, and the second-largest Chr ...

. From 2008 to 2018 he served as the executive director of the Institute for Religious Research, an independent, evangelical nonprofit organization (formerly located in

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, now based in Cedar Springs, Michigan). In 2022 he rejoined the staff and became the organization's president.

Writings

Bowman is the author of over sixty articles and of fifteen books. Five of those books he co-authored with Kenneth D. Boa, an

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

-trained scholar; two of these books (''An Unchanging Faith in a Changing World'' and ''Faith Has Its Reasons'') won the

Gold Medallion Book Award The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) is an international non-profit trade association whose member companies are involved in the publishing and distribution of Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres ...

. Four of his earliest books were theological critiques of the teachings 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 ...

. *''Jesus' Resurrection and Joseph's Visions: Examining the Foundations of Christianity and Mormonism'' (2020; ) *''Faith Thinkers: 30 Christian Apologists You Should Know'' (2019; ) *''What Mormons Believe'' (2012; ) *''Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ'' (2007, with J. Ed Komoszewski; ) *''Sense and Nonsense about Heaven and Hell'' (2007, with Kenneth D. Boa; ) *''Sense and Nonsense about Angels and Demons'' (2007, with Kenneth D. Boa; ) *''Faith Has Its Reasons: Integrative Approaches to Defending Christian Faith'' (2001, 2006, with Kenneth D. Boa; ) *''20 Compelling Evidences That God Exists'' (2002, with Kenneth D. Boa; ) *''The Word-Faith Controversy: Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospel'' (2000; ) *''An Unchanging Faith in a Changing World'' (1998, with Kenneth D. Boa; ) *''Jehovah's Witnesses'' (1995; ) *''Orthodoxy and Heresy: A Biblical Guide to Doctrinal Discernment'' (1992; ) *''Understanding Jehovah's Witnesses: Why They Read the Bible the Way They Do'' (1991; ) *''Why You Should Believe in the Trinity: An Answer to Jehovah's Witnesses'' (1989; ) *''Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Christ, and the Gospel of John'' (1989; )

References

External links

Website of Robert M. Bowman, Jr.

Institute for Religious Research
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bowman, Robert M. American Christian theologians 1957 births Converts to evangelical Christianity from Roman Catholicism Living people Westminster Theological Seminary alumni Evangelical Ministries to New Religions