Josh McDowell
Encyclopedia
Joslin "Josh" McDowell is a Christian apologist
, evangelist
, and writer
. He is within the Evangelical
tradition of Protestant Christianity
, and is the author or co-author of some 77 books. His best-known book is Evidence That Demands a Verdict, which was ranked 13th in Christianity Today
'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.
in 1939 with the given name Joslin. He was one of five children born to Wilmot McDowell, Sr. 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 hired farm hand 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, a two-year junior college in Battle Creek, Michigan
. According to McDowell, he was as an agnostic 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, Illinois, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then studied at Talbot Theological Seminary of Biola University
, La Mirada, California
. He completed an exit paper examining the theology of Jehovah's Witnesses
, and was awarded the Master of Divinity
degree graduating Magna Cum Laude.
In 1982 McDowell was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Simon Greenleaf School of Law, now Trinity Law School
, in recognition of his ministry and writings. McDowell was also a visiting lecturer at that school in the 1980s. Josh McDowell married Dottie Youd, with whom he has four children; they live in Dallas, Texas
.
International. Campus Crusade for Christ is a parachurch ministry that operates student chapters on university and college campuses, and was established by the late Bill Bright
in the 1950s. To this day, his close affiliation with the organization continues.
McDowell's full-time ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ began with his appointment as a campus speaker in Latin America, where he interacted with both Marxist and Fascist student groups. He subsequently returned to North America where he became known as an itinerant speaker addressing campus groups about the Christian faith.
He gained wide fame as a Christian apologist with the publication of Evidence that Demands a Verdict in 1972.
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
before marriage
. Other facets of his speaking ministry and writing have focused on issues of self-esteem
(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.
McDowell is best known for his many seminars, debates and books in Christian apologetics. In his role as a popular apologist McDowell has spoken across the United States, and in many other nations including the Republic of South Africa and Australia.
In 1983, the Josh McDowell Ministry headquarters moved to Richardson, TX, and in October, 2009 moved to nearby Plano, TX. The ministry employs a staff of 75 people with affiliate offices located throughout the country. Josh McDowell is the founder of the Christian ministries Josh.org and Operation Carelift. Operation Carelift is an international humanitarian aid ministry that is run by the Global Aid Network (GAiN) in Dallas, Texas which is a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ
. The ministry began in 1991 in the republics of the former Soviet Union.
, 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
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 has arranged his arguments by laying out a cumulative case of evidences, such as archaeological discoveries, the extant manuscript
s of the biblical texts, fulfilled prophecies, and the miracle
of the resurrection
. In More Than A Carpenter he blended historical argument with legal arguments concerning the direct witness and circumstantial evidence
s for Jesus' life and resurrection
. He employed a similar line of argument in his debate titled 'Was Christ crucified?' with the South African Muslim apologist Ahmed Deedat
in Durban
during August, 1981. McDowell claims that the "evidence for Christianity in the Scriptures is not exhaustive, but it is sufficient."
Much of his evidentialist work is similar to the views of apologists such as John Warwick Montgomery
, Norman Geisler
, Gleason Archer
, and Gary Habermas
.
Other foci of his apologetics have included challenging the methodology, assumptions and conclusions drawn in higher criticism of the Old Testament
and form
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
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
's Flood, and creation
versus evolution
.
McDowell and Stewart have also popularised the arguments of other apologists in the Christian countercult movement
, particularly the work of Walter Martin, in the Handbook of Today's Religions. In their criticisms of cult
s and occult
beliefs McDowell and Stewart concentrate on doctrinal apologetic questions, especially pertaining to the deity of Christ, and pointing out "heretical
" 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
, on the other hand, questions this methodology by noting that since unbelievers suppress and resist the truth about God (Romans 1:18), the problem of unbelief is ethical and not simply a lack of evidence.
Christian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
, evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
, and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
. He is within the Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
tradition of Protestant Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
, and is the author or co-author of some 77 books. His best-known book is Evidence That Demands a Verdict, which was ranked 13th in Christianity Today
Christianity Today
Christianity Today is an Evangelical Christian periodical based in Carol Stream, Illinois. It is the flagship publication of its parent company Christianity Today International, claiming circulation figures of 140,000 and readership of 290,000...
'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.
Family and education
McDowell was born in Union City, MichiganUnion City, Michigan
Union City is a village in Branch and Calhoun counties in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located mostly within Union Township in Branch County, it sits at the junction of the Coldwater and St. Joseph rivers; the Calhoun County portion lies within that county's Burlington Township. It is part of the...
in 1939 with the given name Joslin. He was one of five children born to Wilmot McDowell, Sr. 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 hired farm hand 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, a two-year junior college in Battle Creek, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. According to McDowell, he was as an agnostic 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, Illinois, where he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then studied at Talbot Theological Seminary of Biola University
Biola University
Biola University is a private, evangelical Christian, liberal arts university located near Los Angeles. Biola's main campus is in La Mirada in Los Angeles County, California. In addition, the university has several satellite campuses in Chino Hills, Inglewood, San Diego, and Laguna Hills.-...
, La Mirada, California
La Mirada, California
La Mirada is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population was 48,527 at the 2010 census, up from 46,783 at the 2000 census....
. He completed an exit paper examining the theology of Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
, and was awarded the Master of Divinity
Master of Divinity
In the academic study of theology, the Master of Divinity is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America...
degree graduating Magna Cum Laude.
In 1982 McDowell was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Simon Greenleaf School of Law, now Trinity Law School
Trinity Law School
Trinity Law School , or the Law School, Trinity International University is a private, nonprofit law school located in Santa Ana, California, United States.-Background and origins:...
, in recognition of his ministry and writings. McDowell was also a visiting lecturer at that school in the 1980s. Josh McDowell married Dottie Youd, with whom he has four children; they live in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
.
Career and ministry
In 1964, he became a traveling representative of Campus Crusade for ChristCampus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational Christian organization that promotes evangelism and discipleship in more than 190 countries...
International. Campus Crusade for Christ is a parachurch ministry that operates student chapters on university and college campuses, and was established by the late Bill Bright
Bill Bright
William R. "Bill" Bright was an American evangelist. The founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, he wrote The Four Spiritual Laws in 1952 and produced the Jesus Film in 1979.-Early life:...
in the 1950s. To this day, his close affiliation with the organization continues.
McDowell's full-time ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ began with his appointment as a campus speaker in Latin America, where he interacted with both Marxist and Fascist student groups. He subsequently returned to North America where he became known as an itinerant speaker addressing campus groups about the Christian faith.
He gained wide fame as a Christian apologist with the publication of Evidence that Demands a Verdict in 1972.
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
Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to sexual abstinence, or abstention from alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical...
before marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
. Other facets of his speaking ministry and writing have focused on issues of self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-esteem is a term in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame: some would distinguish how 'the self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem, the...
(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.
McDowell is best known for his many seminars, debates and books in Christian apologetics. In his role as a popular apologist McDowell has spoken across the United States, and in many other nations including the Republic of South Africa and Australia.
In 1983, the Josh McDowell Ministry headquarters moved to Richardson, TX, and in October, 2009 moved to nearby Plano, TX. The ministry employs a staff of 75 people with affiliate offices located throughout the country. Josh McDowell is the founder of the Christian ministries Josh.org and Operation Carelift. Operation Carelift is an international humanitarian aid ministry that is run by the Global Aid Network (GAiN) in Dallas, Texas which is a branch of Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ
Campus Crusade for Christ is an interdenominational Christian organization that promotes evangelism and discipleship in more than 190 countries...
. The ministry began in 1991 in the republics of the former Soviet Union.
Method of apologetics
As a practitioner of Christian apologeticsChristian apologetics
Christian apologetics is a field of Christian theology that aims to present a rational basis for the Christian faith, defend the faith against objections, and expose the perceived flaws of other world views...
, 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
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
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 has arranged his arguments by laying out a cumulative case of evidences, such as archaeological discoveries, the extant manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s of the biblical texts, fulfilled prophecies, and the miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
of the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
. In More Than A Carpenter he blended historical argument with legal arguments concerning the direct witness and circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence
Circumstantial evidence is evidence in which an inference is required to connect it to a conclusion of fact, like a fingerprint at the scene of a crime...
s for Jesus' life and resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
. He employed a similar line of argument in his debate titled 'Was Christ crucified?' with the South African Muslim apologist Ahmed Deedat
Ahmed Deedat
Ahmed Hussein Deedat was a Muslim writer and public speaker of Indian South African descent. He was best known for his numerous inter-religious public debates with evangelical Christians, as well as pioneering video lectures, most of which centered around Islam, Christianity and the Bible...
in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
during August, 1981. McDowell claims that the "evidence for Christianity in the Scriptures is not exhaustive, but it is sufficient."
Much of his evidentialist work is similar to the views of apologists such as John Warwick Montgomery
John Warwick Montgomery
John Warwick Montgomery is a noted lawyer, professor, Lutheran theologian, and prolific author living in France. He was born October 18, 1931, in Warsaw, New York, United States. In 2007 he was named "Distinguished Research Professor of Philosophy and Christian Thought" at Patrick Henry College...
, Norman Geisler
Norman Geisler
Norman L. Geisler is a Christian apologist and the co-founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary outside Charlotte, North Carolina, where he formerly taught. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Jesuit Loyola University...
, Gleason Archer
Gleason Archer
Gleason Leonard Archer, Jr. was a Biblical scholar, theologian, educator and author.-Early life:Archer's father was Gleason Archer, Sr., the founder of Suffolk University in Boston. Archer graduated in 1938 with a B.A. from Harvard University and received an LL.B...
, and Gary Habermas
Gary Habermas
Gary Robert Habermas is an American evangelical Christian apologist, historian, and philosopher of religion. He is a prolific author, lecturer, and debater on the topic of the Resurrection of Jesus...
.
Other foci of his apologetics have included challenging the methodology, assumptions and conclusions drawn in higher criticism of the Old Testament
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and form
Form criticism
Form criticism is a method of biblical criticism that classifies units of scripture by literary pattern and that attempts to trace each type to its period of oral transmission. Form criticism seeks to determine a unit's original form and the historical context of the literary tradition. Hermann...
and redaction criticism
Redaction criticism
Redaction criticism, also called Redaktionsgeschichte, Kompositionsgeschichte, or Redaktionstheologie, is a critical method for the study of Bible texts. Redaction criticism regards the author of the text as editor of his or her source material...
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
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
George A. Wells.
He has also collated apologetic arguments concerning the doctrine of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
'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
Noah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
's Flood, and creation
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
versus evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
.
McDowell and Stewart have also popularised the arguments of other apologists in the Christian countercult movement
Christian countercult movement
The Christian countercult movement is a social movement of Christian ministries and individual Christian countercult activists who oppose religious sects thought to either partially abide or do not at all abide by the teachings that are written within the Bible. These religious sects are also known...
, particularly the work of Walter Martin, in the Handbook of Today's Religions. In their criticisms of cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s and occult
Occult
The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus , referring to "knowledge of the hidden". In the medical sense it is used to refer to a structure or process that is hidden, e.g...
beliefs McDowell and Stewart concentrate on doctrinal apologetic questions, especially pertaining to the deity of Christ, and pointing out "heretical
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
" 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
In Christian theology, presuppositionalism is a school of apologetics that presumes Christian faith is the only basis for rational thought. It presupposes that the Bible is divine revelation and claims to expose flaws in other worldviews...
, on the other hand, questions this methodology by noting that since unbelievers suppress and resist the truth about God (Romans 1:18), the problem of unbelief is ethical 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 by Josh McDowell (free pdf book, 2006, 112 pp, ISBN 1932587802)
- Evidence for the Resurrection, Regal Books, Ventura, California, 2009.
Biography
- Josh: The Excitement of the Unexpected, by Joe Musser, Here's Life Publishers, San Bernardino, California, 1981. Also released under the title A Skeptic's Quest.
See also
- Christian countercult movementChristian countercult movementThe Christian countercult movement is a social movement of Christian ministries and individual Christian countercult activists who oppose religious sects thought to either partially abide or do not at all abide by the teachings that are written within the Bible. These religious sects are also known...
- Christological argumentChristological argumentThe Christological argument for the existence of God is based on certain claims about Jesus. The argument, which exists in several forms, holds that if these claims are valid, one should accept God exists...
- Sexual abstinenceSexual abstinenceSexual abstinence is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical or religious reasons.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*poor health - medical celibacy...
- The Bible and historyThe Bible and historyThe Bible from a historical perspective, includes numerous fields of study, ranging from archeology and astronomy to linguistics and methods of comparative literature. The Bible may provide insight into pursuits, including but not limited to; our understanding of ancient and modern culture,...
- Biblical archaeologyBiblical archaeologyFor the movement associated with William F. Albright and also known as biblical archaeology, see Biblical archaeology school. For the interpretation of biblical archaeology in relation to biblical historicity, see The Bible and history....
- Lewis's trilemmaLewis's trilemmaLewis' Trilemma is an argument intended to prove the divinity of Jesus. It was popularised by C. S. Lewis in a BBC radio talk and in his writings. It is sometimes summarized either as "Lunatic, Liar, or Lord", or as "Mad, Bad, or God".-History:...
External links
- The Official Website of the Josh McDowell Ministry
- Interview with Josh McDowell
- Josh McDowell's Story
- Evidence for the Resurrection by Josh McDowell
- See Josh on youtube
- The Da Vinci Code: A Quest For Answers by Josh McDowell (free pdf ebook, 2006, 112 pp, ISBN 1932587802)