Mission/Ministerial Statement

Tekton Apologetics Ministries is committed to providing scholarly answers to serious questions which are often posed on major and minor elements of the Christian faith. We believe in the importance of sound Christian doctrine which is based on a careful exegetical analysis of scriptures from the Holy Bible. We also believe that it is important to incorporate the findings of various theological and scientific disciplines in order to properly assess the veracity of scriptural evidences, and to carefully evaluate issues which are relevant to the Church as a whole.

I consider the Tekton ministry to be my life's vocation. God burdened my heart with this ministry to make it a full time effort in September 2001 and has blessed the ministry's efforts considerably since that time.

Education

MASTERS IN LIBRARY SCIENCE, 1991

Florida State University

BACHELORS IN ENGLISH

Received certificate from North American Mission Board, Certified Apologetics Instructor program, November 2007.

Received certificate from North American Mission Board, Interfaith Witness Instructor program, February 2010.

About Tekton Apologetics Ministries

Scope

Tekton is presently the largest apologetics website run by a single individual. It contains over 60MB of material, consisting of over 1500 separate articles compiled over a span of 10 years. Most of the articles are under the authorship of James Patrick Holding, but the site also features several contributing writers.

Method

Tekton is specifically oriented towards making Biblical scholarship accessible to the lay reader. This is done through the use of such tools as humor and recasting of complex issues in easy-to-understand language.

Service

The Tekton website receives an average of 2000-3000 visitors a day, or 60,000-90,000 visitors a month. Tekton also receives an average of 120 e-mails a week that require some sort of response. The ministry offers a semi-monthly e-mail newsletter with approximately 1400 subscribers and has a subscription e-zine (started November 2008) with over 230 subscribers.

Published Writings

• Is the raqiya' ('firmament') a solid dome? Equivocal language in the cosmology of Genesis 1 and the Old Testament: a response to Paul H. Seely. Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal 13(2):44-51, 1999.
• Is the 'erets (earth) flat? Equivocal language in the geography of Genesis 1 and the Old Testament: a response to Paul H. Seely. Creation Ex Nihilo Technical Journal 14(3):51-54, 2000.
• Celsus Strikes Again. Christian Research Journal 23(2), 2000, 60-1.
• The Mormon Defenders: How Latter-day Saint Apologists Misinterpret the Bible. Self-published, August 2001.
• The Imitation Sensation (Review of The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark). Christian Research Journal 24(2), 2001, 56-8.
• Popular Mormon Apologetics - Staking Claim on Christian Ground (Review of Biblical Mormonism and Restoring the Early Church). Christian Research Journal 24 (4), 2002, 54-6.
• When Apologetics Was Evangelism. Christian Research Journal 26 (1), 2003, 10-11, 51.
• Surveying the Spiritual Lineup (Review of Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz's Bruce and Stan's Guide to the Cults). Christian Research Journal 26 (2), 2003.
• The Watchtower's Reign of Error (Review of Edmund Gruss' Jehovah's Witnesses: Their Claims, Doctrinal Changes, and Prophetic Speculations). Ibid.
• Revisiting a Cracked Conspiracy (Review of Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code). Christian Research Journal 27 (1), 2004.
• Under the Banner of Sensationalism (Review of Jon Krakaeur's Under the Banner of Heaven). Christian Research Journal, 27 (3), 2004.
• Politically Correct Afterlife (Review of Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven). Christian Research Journal, 27 (5), 2004.
• Answering Questions About 'Televangelists'. Christian Research Journal, ibid.
• Faith Behind the Fence. Christian Research Journal, 27 (6), 2005.
• Witnessing to Those Fallen From Faith. Christian Research Journal, 28 (1), 2005.
• "Oh, a Wise Guy, Huh?", Answering Islam website, 2005.
• Review of M. J. Phelan's The Documentary Hypothesis. Journal of Creation (formerly Creation ex Nihilo Technical Journal), 19 (3), 2005.
• Review of Floyd McElveen's The Mormon Illusion. Countercult Apologetics Journal. January 2006,
• Mary Magdalene's Modern Biography. Christian Research Journal, 29 (2), 2006.
• 'Not to Be Used Again': Homologous Structures and the Presumption of Originality as a Critical Value. Creation Ministries International website and Journal of Creation, 21(1), 2007.
• The Impossible Faith. Self-published, May 2007.
• "Ex-Christians" and Homespun Atheist "Apologetics". Christian Research Journal, 31 (2), 2008.
• Effective Evangelism: An Apologetic for Apologetics in Cyberspace. Christian Research Journal, 31 (3), 2008.
• Shattering the Christ-Myth: Did Jesus Not Exist? Self-published, July 2008.
• Roger Bolton Discovers Sliced Bread, Creation Ministires International website, October 2008.
• A Kinder, Fuzzier Atheism: Andre Comte-Sponville's Little Book of Atheist Spirituality. Christian Research Journal,, 31 (5), 2008.
• Dawkins' Ironic Hypocrisy. Creation Ministries International website, November 2008.
• Blowing the Doors Off: A Defense Manual for Christian Youth. Self-published, 2008.
• Communication vs. Accommodation. Creation Ministries International website, December 2008.
• Newsweek's Gay Apparel: Lisa Miller's Travesty of Exegesis. Creation Ministries International website, January 2009.
• Dealing with Dunning's Syndrome. Christian Research Journal, 31 (6), 2008.
• Lighting a Path for a Church Apologetics Program. Christian Research Journal, 32 (2), 2009.
• Trusting the New Testament. Self-published, 2009.
• Please Pardon This Interruption, Creation Ministries International website, June 2009.
• Answering the Spirit of the Age (review of The Zeitgeist Movie). Christian Research Journal, 32 (5), 2009.
• A Tolerant Condescension (Review of Karen Armstrong's The Case for God), Christian Research Journal, 32 (6), 2009.
• Experiments in Biblical Living (Feature article on books like A. J. Jacobs' Year of Living Biblically), Christian Research Journal, 33 (1), 2010.
• Secularism's Evangelists (Review of Philip Johnson and John Mark Reynolds' Against All Gods), Christian Research Journal, 33 (3), 2010.
• Defending the Resurrection. Self-published, 2010.
• A Sloppy Kind of Christianity (Review of Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christianity), Journal of Creation 24 (3), 2010.
• The Mesmerizing Misinformation Maelstrom, Christian Research Journal, 34 (2), 2011.
• Context is Everything, Christian Research Journal, 34 (3), 2011.
• What In Hell is Going On?, E-book. Self-published, 2011.
• Apologetics Through Internet Videography, Christian Research Journal, 34 (6), 2011.
• The Atonement Contextualized, E-book. Self-published, 2012.
• Robbing Paul to Pay Peter and James, Christian Research Journal, 35 (5), 2012.
• Biblical cosmology, Christian Research Journal, forthcoming.

Media Appearances

• March 2000, KTKK, Salt Lake City, The Richard Hopkins Show
• October 2001 and July 2002, WBRI, Indianapolis, From Fables to Faith
• December 2001 and December 2003, KJRT, Amarillo, The Source
• November 2003, December 2004, January 2005, February 2005, May 2006, July 2008, August 2008, September 2008, KFUO/Issues Etc./Morning Show/Afternoon Show, St. Louis
• December 2003, Radio 702, Johannesburg, Believe It or Not
• February 2004, WORD, Pittsburgh, PA, Let's Talk About Jesus
• April 2004, CDR Radio Network, Ohio, The Path
• May 2006, Spin 1038, Dublin, Ireland, McKenna and McCrea
• October 2006, The Narrow Mind, unchainedradio.com
• May 2007, The Sci Phi Show (Internet radio)
• October 2007, What Do You Believe? (Internet radio)
• November 2007, July 2008, Truth Talk Live, Greensboro, NC
• December 2007, The Real Jesus (DVD by The Apologetics Group)
• November 2008, Veritas Forum (Dr. Craig Johnson), multiple appearances
• January 2009, June 2009, Faith and Reason, Boise, ID
• December 2009, Midwest Apologetics podcast
• June 2011, Healing Ex-JWs
• July 2012, Christan Meets World

Speaking Engagements

Note: Due to health considerations, starting in 2012 I restricted myself to available engagements within 300 miles of my home.

• May 2004, Crystal Springs Assembly of God, Jacksonville, FL
• August 2004, September 2005 Bethel Baptist Church, Spring Hill, FL
• October 2004, United Brethren Church, Heidlersburg, PA
• October 2004, Christian Fellowship Center, Jeanette, PA
• December 2004, St. Joseph Catholic Church, Hanson, MA
• December 2004, Ascension Community Church, Prairieville, LA
• February 2005, Southeastern College, Lakeland, FL
• July 2005, Church on the North Coast, Lorain, OH
• July 2006, No Other Gods conference, Resource Center for Theological Research, Middletown, PA
• April 2007, Attended Dynamic Communications Workshop, Asheville, NC
• June 2007, August 2007, September 2007 First Southern Baptist Church, Lady Lake, FL
• July 2007, October 2007 Orlando Community Church, Orlando, FL
• August 2007, Church at Westridge, McDonough, GA
• October 2007, Carrollwood Baptist Church, Tampa, FL
• November 2007, July 2008, Shepherd's Fellowship, Greensboro, NC
• November 2007, Chestnut Level Baptist Church, Blairs, VA
• November 2007, Mill Creek Baptist Church, Chatham, VA
• November 2007, West Cobb Baptist Church, Marietta, GA
• June 2008, First Baptist Church, Winter Park, FL, youth "apologetics boot camp"
• November 2008, Bethel Christian Fellowship, Agoura Hills, CA
• April 2009, International Society of Christian Apologetics, Chicago, IL
• June 2009, First Baptist Church, Leesburg and Umatilla, FL, youth "apologetics boot camp"
• August 2009, TheologyWeb convention
• April 2010, International Society of Christian Apologetics, Fort Worth, TX
• May 2010, Battle for the Bible conference, Tampa, FL
• April 2011, Amador Christian Center, Plymouth, CA
• April 2011, International Society of Christian Apologetics, Raleigh, NC
• November 2012, R.O.C.K. Church, Tampa, FL
• Plus various informal and formal teaching engagements at my home churches over the years.

Debates

• "Was Jesus a Historical Figure?" vs. Frank Zindler, Opposing Views website, 2008
• "Did Jesus Exist?" vs. Ken Humphreys, Premier Christian Radio, May 2009
• "Is What We Have What They Had?" vs. Dr. Richard Carrier, Amador Christian Center, April 2011

References -- National

Kevin Bywater, Director of Curriculum, Summit Ministries

Mike Licona, North American Mission Board

Tekton Apologetics Ministries was recommended by apologist and prominent author Lee Strobel on The Bible Answerman in December, 2001. Editor in Chief of the Christian Research Journal Elliot Miller described Holding as "one of our foremost lay apologist writers" and an "effective and clear communicator" on The Bible Answerman in March, 2005.

Tekton Apologetics Ministries was listed as a "helpful website" in Appendix B of Lee Strobel's The Case for the Real Jesus and is also cited within the book twice. The same citations were used in an article by Strobel in a 2007 article in the Christian Research Journal (Vol. 30, #5, p. 21).

Five different Tekton items -- two by a guest, three by J. P. Holding -- were cited positively as sources in Paul Eddy and Gregory Boyd's The Jesus Legend.

Skeptic and Jesus Seminar member Robert Price published a rebuttal to the Tekton essay The Impossible Faith in his book Jesus is Dead, where he also responds to N. T. Wright and William Lane Craig.

Holding's article for the Christian Research Journal, "Mary Magdalene's Modern Makeover," is cited in Hank Hanegraaff's book The Apocalypse Code.

Holding's article on The Da Vinci Code, published on the website for Answers in Action, is cited as a resource in Hanegraaff and Maier's The Da Vinci Code: Fact or Fiction.

Holding's site was listed as a resource for further information in Norman Geisler and David Hoffman's Why I Am a Christian.

Holding's review of Reinventing Jesus is quoted along with those of Paul Maier, Josh McDowell, and others on the promotions webpage for that book.

Holding's review of The Da Vinci Hoax is quoted along with those of Darrell Bock, Philip Jenkins, and others on the promotions webpage for that book.

Holding's The Impossible Faith inspired one atheist to pay another atheist over $5,000 for a rebuttal.

Holding's article on the Pope Leo X "fable" quote is cited in Clinton Chisholm's book Reflections on Ras Tafarai.

Holding's book Shattering the Christ Myth is used as a source in Episode 153 of the Arabic-Christian program Islam Explained.

Holding's article on issues in the book of Esther is referenced in Matthew Stroud's Plot Twists and Critical Turns: Queer Approaches to Early Modern Spanish Theater.

Holding's article on inerrancy is referred to in a note in Daniel Block's Israel: Ancient Kingdom or Late Invention?

Holding's article on Jepthah's daughter is referred to in the atheist book Everything You Know About God is Wrong edited by Russell Kick.

Holding's material on Bart Ehrman is quoted in Dillon Burroughs' Misquotes in Misquoting Jesus.

Holding's material on "copycat Christs" is referenced in Joel McDurmon's Manifested in the Flesh.

Holding is named in atheist Kenneth Daniels' Why I Believed.

Holding's article on the shape of the earth according to the Bible is noted by Chet A. Van Duzer and Georg Christoph Munz in Floating Islands: A Global Bibliography.

Holding's article on Daniel (with Kevin Closson) is listed as a source in Kent Stevens' Daniel: Touchstone of Prophecy.

Holding's article on Daniel (with Kevin Closson) is listed as a source in John Evans' The Prophecies of Daniel.

Holding's article on Richard Packham is referenced in William Broughton's The Historical Development of Legal Apologetics with Emphasis on the Resurrection.

Holding is given thanks in Daniel Howard-Snyder's essay in Vol. 1 of Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology.

One of Holding's rebuttals to an atheist is noted in Wayne House's The Jesus Who Never Lived.

Holding's article on inerrancy is quoted in Randall Price's Searching for the Original Bible.

Holding's book The Mormon Defenders, and his website, is referenced in a note in Richard Abanes' Inside Today's Mormonism.

Holding's site is listed as a resource in Michael Murray's 52 Paths to Heaven.

Holding's material on the historical Jesus is referenced in Richard Linford's The Jesus Christ Papers Volume I.

Holding's site is listed as a resource in Colin Bowers' Open Minds, Closed Minds and Christianity.

Holding's article on the OT canon is listed as a reference in Roland Worth's Biblical Studies on the Internet: A Resource Guide.

Holding's site is listed as a "Digging Deeper" resource in David Noebel and Chuck Edwards' Thinking Like a Christian.

Holding's article on the date of Revelation is listed as a resource in Gary Gibson's Waveform Politics; A War to End Democide, Volume 3.

Holding's site article on logical fallaices (a guest piece) is referenced in Frank Mueller's The Lyth of Lemmings.

Holding's site is listed as a resource in W. C. Campbell-Jack, Gavin J. McGrath, and C. Stephen Evans' New Dictionary of Christian Apologetics.

Holding's article on Mithra is referenced in C. R. Bilardi's The Red Church Or the Art of Pennsylvania German Braucherei.

Holding's site is referenced in Tom Head's Absolute Beginner's Guide to the Bible.

Holding's site article on the kalam argument (a guest piece) is referenced in Robert Thornborough's Strugglebook: A Logical Search for the Truth of God.

Holding's site is referenced in Jason Dollar, Bradley Pinkerton, and Steven Cowan's Contend: A Survey of Christian Apologetics on a High School Level.

Holding's site is referenced in Hal Flemming's Examining Criticisms of the Bible.

Holding's article on Jonathan and David as homosexual lovers is referenced in Mimsie Robinson's The Anatomy of Sexual Integrity.

Holding's article for Creation Ministries International on Biblical cosmology was referenced by Noel Weeks in his article, "Cosmology in Historical Context," Westminster Theological Journal 68 (2006).

Holding's article on the Mormon internal witness is referenced in Richard Abanes' A New Earth, An Old Deception.

Holding's article on Mithras is referenced in Mark Mittleberg and Lee Strobel's The Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask.

Holding is quoted by Robert Stacy McCain in an article on the Zeitgeist movie on the online version of American Spectator. See here.

Holding's site is noted as a resource in James McConnachie and Robin Tudge's The Rough Guide To Conspiracy Theories.

Holding's article on The DaVinci Code is referenced in the periodical Arthuriana (v. 14, 2004).

One of Holding's articles is noted as a resource in Samuel Tseng's Uncovering Hidden Treasures.

Holding's article on Mithra is cited by Chuck Pierce's God's Unfolding Battle Plan.

Holding's site is listed as a resource in Lee Strobel's Finding the Real Jesus.

Holding's article on the authenticity of Daniel is referenced in Hank Hanegraaff's Has God Spoken?

One of Holding's articles on Bible contradictions is referenced in Alex MacFarland and Elmer Towns' 10 Questions Every Christian Must Answer.

A guest commentary by Richard Swinburne is listed in Delbert Burkett's The Blackwell Companion to Jesus.

One of Holding's articles on the historical Jesus is referenced by Handel Andrews' The Church's One Foundation.

Holding's site is listed as a resource for further study in Alex MacFarland's 10 Answers for Skeptics.

Holding's book on Mormonism is listed as a resource in Steven Propp's Another Jesus, a Different Spirit, a Different Gospel.

A guest compilation by W. R. Miller is referenced in Errol Gibbs' and Philip Grey's Five Foundations of Human Development.

References -- Local

Dr. Jimmy Knott, First Baptist Church, Orlando, FL

Dr. Charles Roesel, pastor emeritus, First Baptist Church, Leesburg, FL