David Wood (Christian apologist)

David Wood (born 1976)^[1] is an American evangelical missionary and a Christian apologist.^[2][3][4] He is currently head of the Acts 17 Apologetics Ministry.^[5] He is a member of the Society of Christian Philosophers and the Evangelical Philosophical Society.^[2]

Early life and education

Wood has stated that he is a former atheist;^[1] and as a youth, he broke into homes and attempted to kill his father with a hammer on multiple occasions^[6][7] when he was 18.^[8] He was subsequently sentenced to ten years in prison for malicious wounding.^[7] While in prison, he was introduced to Christianity by a fellow prisoner named Randy^[8] who challenged his atheistic beliefs.^[7] He began to read the Bible in order to respond to Randy's challenges but it eventually led him to convert and in 1996, he became a Christian; and reconciled with his father.^[8] After five years in prison,^[7] he went to college earning a degree in philosophy.^[9][10][11] While in college, he was challenged to convert to Islam by his roommate, Nabeel Qureshi, a Muslim, and went about investigating the life of Mohammed using the earliest most authentic sources including Ibn Ishaq's epic the "Life of Muhammad" (the earliest biography of Muhammad); the hadith collections of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim (considered by Sunni Muslims to be the two most reliable or sahih collections of Muhammad's statements, actions, and example); and the History of the Prophets and Kings by Al-Tabari (one of Islam's greatest historians).^[9] Concluding that the Quran and Mohammed's example did not simply describe violence in the past (as in the Christian Bible per his assertion), but rather commanded ongoing violence, he took up the mantle as a Christian apologist.^[9] His roommate Nabeel, eventually went on to become a Christian apologist as well.^[1] Wood would later earn a Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion at Fordham University.^[2]

Christian apologetics

Wood has participated in numerous public debates with Muslims and atheists,^[12][13][14] usually in a public hall or in front of a university audience^{[15][16][17][18]} including Sunni Muslim apologist Shabir Ally.^[2] Wood was invited on several ABN shows, in inter-religious discussions against atheism and Islam, where among other things he regularly appears on the Aramaic Broadcasting Network.^[19] He has produced YouTube videos presenting his views on religion.^[20]

Wood opposed the Park51 Islamic Center, arguing that it was not meant to honor the victims' families, but instead was a symbol of Islamic victory and named Cordoba House in memory of the Islamic conquest of Spain by the Umayyad Caliphate which later formed the Caliphate of Córdoba.^[21] Wood disagreed with Pastor Terry Jones in the 2010 Qur'an-burning controversy, comparing it to the Uthman Qur'an burning.^[22]

Wood was arrested outside Dearborn, Michigan, after preaching at an Arab festival and being charged with a misdemeanor of disturbing the peace, but was later acquitted.^[23][24] In May 2013, the City of Dearborn was required to post a public apology^[25] to be maintained on the City's website for three years and pay $300,000 to Wood and his three compatriots.^[26]

Wood wrote a polemic regarding the work of Richard Carrier which he titled "Good 'n' Senseless Without God: A Critical Review of Richard Carrier's New Book, Sense & Goodness Without God".^[27][28] Wood has also written journals arguing against the views of Dan Barker.^[29]

Personal life

He met his wife, then an agnostic while in college; she also became a Christian.^[7] They have four sons.^[9]

See also

• Christian apologetics

References

External links

• Official David Wood website
• Official Acts17Apologetics Youtube channel
• Admission of attempted murder
• David Wood: Why I am a Christian December 7, 2014