Kenneth Samples is an adjunct professor of apologetics at Biola University (1). He achieved a BA in social science with an emphasis in history and philosophy from Concordia University and an MA in theological studies from Talbot School of Theology.

He worked for seven years as senior research consultant and correspondence editor at Christian Research Institute prior to joining Reasons To Believe where he is now the senior research scholar of philosophical and theological apologetics (2). Samples has also taught courses in philosophy and religion at several different colleges and universities. He has held memberships in the American Philosophical Association, the Evangelical Philosophical Society, the Evangelical Theological Society, and the Evangelical Press Association.

Samples believes that God has revealed himself to human beings through “two revelatory books,” namely the the metaphorical book of nature and the book of scripture. He thus bases his apologetics on the approach by showing how doctrinal truths of the faith such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Atonement, creation ex nihilo, salvation by grace, etc. are compatible with reason. He attempts to develop a logically defensible faith and challenges skeptics to engage Christianity at a philosophical worldview level.

Samples has engaged in debates and discussions on topics relating to Christian doctrine and apologetics and has appeared on several radio programs. He reveals that his conversion to Christianity during his teenage years was influenced by C. S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity which assisted in him understanding the Christian Gospel and to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Several of Samples’ writings are worth mentioning. Without a Doubt (2004) provides a broad engagement with topics that include the deity of Jesus Christ, religious pluralism, evolution, moral relativism, and more. A World of Difference (2007) compares and contrasts historic Christianity with four other major worldviews, namely, naturalism, Islam, postmodernism, and the pantheistic monism of Eastern religions. The book looks to justify the Christian perspective as being uniquely reasonable, verifiable, and liveable. 7 Truths That Changed the World (2012), through the backdrop of a secular world and the secularization of the west, offers a biblical, historical, and philosophical look at how the world changed when Jesus and his followers came on the scene. Christian Endgame (2013) looks at biblical teaching about future events and the end times. God among Sages (2017) offers a defense of the uniqueness of Jesus Christ by comparing him with the great religious sages and founders of the world’s religions such as Krishna, Buddha, Confucius, and Muhammad. Samples employs a specific criteria of eight categories such as history, nature, character, mission, role, state, life, and future. He also provides a biblical perspective on how the religions of the world relate to the truth of historic Christianity.

References

1. christreformed. Professor Kenneth Samples’ Audio Archive. Available.

2. Reasons To Believe. Kenneth R. Samples. Available.