Texas megachurch Prestonwood Baptist Church has appointed Dr. Jeremiah Johnston as the church’s Associate Pastor of Apologetics & Cultural Engagement.
Johnston will also become the Dean of Spiritual Development at Prestonwood Christian Academy.
“My prayer is that church leaders will follow Prestonwood’s example and Dr. Graham’s desire to take the truth of the sufficient Scriptures and the best intellectual tools of our day, such as evidence, rhetorical arguments, philosophy, reason, and show how learned thinking can serve the propagation of the Gospel,” Johnston said.
In a press release announcing the hiring, the church said that Johnston would be responsible for training school and church leaders in apologetics and providing educational series opportunities for parents, leaders, and other pastors.
Johnston is the founder and president of the Christian Thinkers Society. He is also an author and New Testament scholar.
Johnston completed his doctoral residency in Oxford and received a Ph.D. from Middlesex University in the United Kingdom. He also has degrees in theology.
“The addition of Dr. Johnston and his expertise and spiritual gifting will help undergird what we instill at both the church and school,” said Dr. Jack Graham, senior pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church.
“We live in an ever-changing world and a culture that is constantly shifting, and as believers, we need to be firm in our foundation so we may stand strong for truth in all areas of life,” said Graham. “This partnership will become a model for churches and schools as we seek to engage–with our biblical worldview–an increasingly hostile and secular culture.”
Lee Strobel, the author of The Case for Christ and founding director of the Lee Strobel Center for Evangelism and Applied Apologetics at Colorado Christian University, also released a statement supporting the hiring.
“I am thrilled with Jack Graham’s vision to add the powerful and persuasive apologetic voice of my friend Jeremiah to the pastoral team at the church and Christian school,” he said. “I believe the addition of trained evangelists and apologists in every church and Christian school is a critical way to equip Christians to be strong salt and bright light in our increasingly skeptical culture.”
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Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
