Dr. Norman Geisler Banner

"I am put here for the defense of the gospel" - Phil. 1:16

About Dr. Geisler

 



Education

     
 
  • William Tyndale College, 1950-55 (diploma)
  • University of Detroit, 1956-57
  • Wheaton College, 1958 (B.A. in philosophy)
  • Wheaton Graduate School, 1960 (M.A. in theology)
  • William Tyndale College, 1964 (Th.B.)
  • Wayne State University Graduate School, 1964 (work in philosophy)
  • University of Detroit Graduate School, 1965-66 (work on M.A. in philosophy)
  • Northwestern University, Evanston, 1968 (work in philosophy)
  • Loyola University, Chicago, 1967-70 (Ph.D. in philosophy)     
 
     

Professional Experience
     
 
  • Graduate Assistant in Bible-Philosophy Department, Wheaton College, 1959
  • Part-time Instructor in Bible at Detroit Bible College, 1959-62
  • Full-time Assistant Professor of Bible and Apologetics at Detroit Bible College, 1963-66
  • Full-time Associate Professor of Philosophy at Trinity College, 1970-71
  • Visiting Professor of Philosophy of Religion, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1969-70
  • Chairman of Philosophy of Religion, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 1970-79
  • Professor of Systematic Theology, Dallas Theological Seminary, 1979-1988
  • Dean of Liberty Center for Research and Scholarship, Lynchburg, VA, 1989-91
  • Co-founder of Southern Evangelical Seminary, 1992
  • Dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary, 1992-99
  • President of Southern Evangelical Seminary, 1999-2006
  • Dean of Southern Evangelical Seminary, 2006-07
  • Founder and President of the International Society of Christian Apologetics, 2006-Present 
  • Co-founder of Veritas Evangelical Seminary, 2007
  • Chancellor of Veritas Evangelical Seminary, 2007-Present
  • Distinguished Professor of Apologetics at Veritas Evangelical Seminary, 2007-Present
 
     

Pastoral/Pulpit Ministries
     
 
  • Director of Northeast Suburban Youth for Christ, near Detroit, 1952-54
  • Pastor of Dayton Center Church, Silverwood, Michigan, 1955-57 (ordained here 1956)
  • Assistant Pastor of River Grove Bible Church, River Grove, Illinois, 1958-59
  • Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Warren, Michigan, 1960-63
  • President of Alumni of Detroit Bible College, 1961-62
  • Several interim pastorates in Michigan, Illinois, and Texas, 1965+
  • "Quest for Truth," radio ministry 1981-91
  • Senior Pastor of Southern Evangelical Church, Charlotte, NC 2003-07
  • Internationally known speaker at churches, retreats, pastor's conferences, universities, radio, and television since 1960  
 
     


Books  (authored, co-authored, and/or edited by Dr. Geisler) 
    Title Year Publisher
           
  82 The Popular Handbook of Biblical Archaeology (forthcoming) 2013 Harvest House details
  81 When Skeptics Ask, revised 2012    
  80 The Big Book of Christian Apologetics 2012 Baker details
  79 Reasons to Believe 2012 Harvest House
  78 From God to Us, revised
2012 Moody  
  77 Defending Inerrancy: Affirming the Accuracy of Scripture for a New Generation 2011 Baker Books details
  76 Systematic Theology: In One Volume 2011   details
  75 If God, Why Evil? A New Way to Think about the Question 2011 Bethany House details
  74 Making Sense of Bible Difficulties: Clear and Concise Answers from Genesis to Revelation 2009 Baker details
  73 Conversational Evangelism: How to Listen and Speak So You can Be Heard 2008 Harvest House details
  72 The Apologetics of Jesus: A Caring Approach to Dealing with Doubters 2008 Baker details
  71 The Big Book of Bible Difficulties: Clear and Concise Answers from Genesis to Revelation 2008 Baker details
  70 Is Rome the True Church? A Consideration of the Roman Catholic Claim 2008   details
  69 Conviction without Compromise: Standing Strong in the Core Beliefs of the Christian Faith 2008 Harvest House details
  68 When Skeptics Ask: A Handbook on Christian Evidence 2008 Baker details
  67 Reasons for Faith 2007 Crossway details
  66 Love Your Neighbor 2007 Crossway details
  65 Popular Survey of the New Testament 2007 Baker details
  64 Creation in the Courts: Eighty Years of Conflict in the Classroom and the Courtroom 2007 Crossway details
  64 Integrity at Work; Finding Your Ethical Compass in a Post-Enron World 2007 Baker details
  63 Bringing Your Faith to Work: Answers for Break-Room Skeptics 2005 Baker details
  62 Correcting the Cults: Expert Responses to Their Scripture Twisting 2005 Baker details
    Systematic Theology, Four Volumes 2005 Bethany details
  61 Systematic Theology, Vol 4:
   Church, Last Things
2005 Bethany details
  60 Systematic Theology, Vol 3:
   Sin, Salvation
2004 Bethany details
  59  Systematic Theology, Vol 2:
    God, Creation
2003 Bethany details
  58 Systematic Theology, Vol 1:   
    Introduction, Bible
2002 Bethany details
  57 I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist 2004 Crossway details
  56 Is Your Church Ready? Motivating Leaders to Live an Apologetic Life 2003 Zondervan  
  55 Legislating Morality: Is it Wise? Is it Legal? Is it Possible? 2003 Wipf details
  54 Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith 2003 Zondervan details
  53 Living Loud Defending Your Faith 2002 B&H details
  52 The Battle for God; Responding to the Challenge of Neotheism 2001 Kregel details
  51 Why I Am a Christian; Leading Thinkers Explain Why they Believe 2001 Baker details
  50 Unshakable Foundations: Contemporary Answers to Crucial Questions about the Christian Faith 2000 Bethany details
  49 Chosen but Free: A Balanced View of God’s Sovereignty and Free Will 1999;
2010
Bethany details
  48 Baker’s Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics 1999 Baker details
  47 Legislating Morality 1998 Bethany House details
  46 The Counterfeit Gospel of Mormonism; The Great Divide Between Mormonism and Christianity 1998 Harvest House details
  45 When Cultists Ask; A Popular Handbook on Cultic Misinterpretations 1997 Baker details
  44 Creating God in the Image of Man? 1997 Bethany House details
  43 Love Is Always Right 1996 Word details
  42 Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences 1995 Baker details
  41 Answering Islam: The Crescent in Light of the Cross 1993;
2002
Baker details
  40 Miracles and the Modern Mind: A Defense of Biblical Miracles 1992;
2004
Baker/
Wipf
details
  39 When Critics Ask: A Handbook on Bible Difficulties 1992 Victor details
  38 Matters of Life and Death: Calm Answers to Tough Questions about Abortion and Euthanasia 1991 Baker details
  37 Thomas Aquinas: An Evangelical Appraisal 1991   details
  36 In Defense of the Resurrection 1991 Quest details
  35 The Life and Death Debate: Moral Issues of our Time 1990 Greenwood details
  34 Gambling: A Bad Bet 1990 Fleming Revell details
  33 Come Let Us Reason: An Introduction to Logical Thinking 1990 Baker details
  32 Apologetics in the New Age: A Christian Critique of Pantheism 1990;
2004
Baker/ Wipf details
  31 Christian Ethics: Contemporary Issues & Options 1989; 2009 Baker details
  30 The Battle for the Resurrection 1989; 2004 Wipf details
  29 The Infiltration of the New Age 1989 Tyndale  
  28 Knowing the Truth about Creation 1989;
2003
Servant/
Wipf
details
  27 Worlds Apart: A Handbook on World Views 1989; 2003 Baker/ Wipf details
  26 Signs and Wonders: Healings, Miracles, and Unusual Events: Which are real? Which are supernatural? Which are Counterfeit? 1988 Tyndale details
  25 Origin Science 1987 Baker details
  24 Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Perspective 1987 Baker details
  23 Reincarnation Sensation 1986 Tyndale/
Wipf
details
  22 False Gods of Our Time; a Defense of the Christian Faith 1985 Harvest House details
  21 Christianity under Attack 1985 Quest  
  20 Perspectives: Understanding and Evaluating Today's World Views 1984 Here's Life
  19 To Drink or Not to Drink: A Sober Look at the Problem 1984 Quest  
  18 Religion of the Force 1983 Quest  
  17 Cosmos: Carl Sagan's Religion for the Scientific Mind 1983 Quest  
  16 Is Man the Measure? An Evaluation of Contemporary Humanism 1983 Baker/
Wipf
details
  15 What Augustine Says 1982 Baker/ Wipf details
  14 The Creator in the Courtroom--Scopes II 1982 Baker  
  13 Decide for Yourself: How History Views the Bible 1982 Zondervan
/Wipf
details
  12 Biblical Errancy: An Analysis of its Philosophical Roots 1981 Zondervan
/Wipf
details
  11 Options in Contemporary Christian Ethics 1981 Baker details
  10 Inerrancy 1978 Zondervan details
  9 The Roots of Evil 1978 Zondervan  
  8 A Popular Survey of the Old Testament 1977; 1996 Baker details
  7 Christian Apologetics 1976; 1988 Baker details
  6 From God to Us: How We Got our Bible 1974 Moody Press details
  5 Philosophy of Religion 1974; 1988; 2003 Zondervan;
Moody;
Wipf
details
  4 The Christian Ethic of Love 1973 Zondervan details
  3 Ethics: Alternatives and Issues 1971 Zondervan  
  2 General Introduction to the Bible 1968;
1986
Moody Press details
  1 Christ: the Key to Interpreting the Bible 1975 Wipf details
  1 To Understand the Bible, Look for Jesus: The Bible Student’s Guide to the Bible’s Central Theme    
  1 Christ: The Theme of the Bible 1968 Moody   


Book Contributions (Partial list)
     
 
  • MissionShift: Global Mission Issues in the Third Millennium (B&H, 2010)
  • Evangelicals Engaging Emergent: A Discussion of the Emergent Church Movement (B&H, 2009)
  • The Apologetics Study Bible (2007)
  • The Portable Seminary: A Master’s Level Overview in One Volume (Bethany House, 2006)
  • Passionate Conviction: Contemporary Discourses on Christian Apologetics (B&H, 2007)
  • Four Views on Eternal Security (Zondervan, 2002)
  • The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict (1999.  A "managing editor." link)
  • The Cult of the Virgin: Catholic Mariology and the Apparitions of Mary (1992)
  • "Biblical Studies," Opening of the American Mind: The Integration of Biblical Truth in the Curriculum of the University (Baker, 1991)
  • Walvoord: A Tribute (Moody, 1982) (read chapter here)
 
     

DVD Lectures
  Seminary in a Box (50 hours) details
  Reason and Faith details
  12 Points that Prove Christianity is True details
  Overcoming Obstacles to Sharing Christ (8 hours) details
  If God, Why Evil? details
  Answering the Emergent Church Series details
  Who Made God?  And Answers to Other Tough Questions of the Christian Faith details
  Truth in the Balance: The Case for Christianity
Annual Apologetics Conference 2009
details
     
     



Debates
     
 
  • “Can the Existence of God Be Proven?” with Professor Milton Rosenberg at College of Lake County (1973)
  • “Sexual Morality: Relative or Absolute?” with Professor Kenneth Simonson at College of Lake County (1973)
  • “Is Christianity Credible?” with Dr. Michael Scriven at University of Calgary (1974)
  • “Is Humanistic Ethics Superior to Biblical Christianity?” with Dr. Joseph E. Barnhart at North Texas State University (January 24, 1974)
  • “Can the Existence of God Be Proven?” with Dr. Jonathan Saville (Spring 1976) at University of California, San Diego
  • “The Existence of God,” Southern Methodist University (March, 1977)
  • “Is Christianity Credible?” with John Riteris at IUPU, Indianapolis (November 2, 1977)
  • “The Reasonableness of God’s Existence” with Dr. William Wisdom, Temple University (November 8, 1979)
  • “Does God Exist?” with Dr. Wisdom, Temple University (February, 1980)
  • “Christianity vs. Humanism” with Dr. K. Kolenda, Rice University (March 14, 1980)
  • “Inerrancy of Scripture” with Dr. Norman Beck (January, 1981)
  • “Does God Exist?” with Dr. William De Vries, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts (April 8, 1981)
  • “The Inerrancy of Scripture” with Dr. Thor Hall, University of Tennessee, Chattanooga
  • “Creation/Evolution” with Dr. Claud Rupert (January 10, 1982, NBC-TV)
  • “Creation vs. Evolution” with Dr. Paul Edwards (May 1983
  • “Should Creationism be Taught (as science) in the Public School? with Fred Edwards and Steve Schafersman (May 6, 1983)
  • “Does God Exist?” with Harry Benswanger (April 9, 1984)
  • “Why do Bad Things Happen to Good People?” a TV debate with Rabbi Kushner (1984)
  • “Should Creation be Taught in Public Schools?” with Philip Kitcher (November 8, 1985)
  • “Should Roe vs. Wade (Abortion) Decision Be Reversed?” with Charlotte Taft (January 17, 1986)
  • “Christianity vs. Secular Humanism” with Dr. Paul Kurtz (1986), author of Humanist Manifesto II
  • “Is Christianity Rational” with Harvey Siegel (1987)
  • “Process Theism vs. Classical Theism” with John Cobb (April, 1988)
  • “Should Creation be Taught in the Public Schools” with ACLU attorney Crawford (March 5, 1991)
  • “Did Jesus Rise from the Dead” with Farrel Til (March, 1994)   
 
     

Honors and Recognitions
     
 
  • Graduated with honor from Wheaton College (1958)
  • Chosen as an “Outstanding Educator of America” (1975)
  • Philosophy of Religion chosen as a “Choice Evangelical Book of the Year” by Christianity Today (1975)
  • First president of Evangelical Philosophical Society (1976)
  • Elected to the Wheaton Scholastic Honor Society (1977)
  • Listed in Who's Who in Religion, Writers Who's Who, and Men of Achievement
  • Honored as Alumnus of the Year (1982) William Tyndale College (June 14, 1981)
  • Quoted in Time magazine (Jan. 1982, Sept. 1985)
  • General Introduction to the Bible won the Cornerstone Magazine book of the year award in its category (1986)
  • When Skeptics Ask was nominated for the Medallion Award of the year in the category of Missions/Evangelism (1991)
  • President of Evangelical Theological Society (1998)
  • Gold Medallion Award for Legislating Morality (1999)
  • Silver Medallion Award for Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (2000)
  • Founder and first President of the International Society of Christian Apologetics (2006)  
  • Outreach Magazine recognized If God, Why Evil? as the 2012 Outreach Resource in Apologetics 
 
     

Travel
     
 
  • Dr. Geisler has lectured in all 50 states and 26 countries on six continents. 
 
     


Family
     
 
  • Married for 56 years (as of 2012) to wife Barbara Jean, graduate of Fort Wayne Bible College (Taylor University)  
  • Dr. and Mrs. Geisler have six children, fifteen grandchildren, and two (soon to be three!) great grandchildren