Terry: Tim, tell us a little about yourself.
Tim: I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, happily married to my
wife and college (Liberty University) sweetheart since 1988, and a father to
three wonderful, adult children. I have served my local church as a Bible
teacher and spiritual mentor to youth for almost my entire adult life. I am a
CPA and an executive in the pharmaceutical industry.
Terry: For 16 years you have been teaching young adults in
church. What have you learned about young adults that caused you to want to
write Reason If You Will?
Tim: I have seen firsthand the statistics of churched youth
dropping their faith upon leaving the home. Most of that falling away happens
due to the influence of liberal arts colleges and universities. I have also
observed that the church does very little to train young people on how to
actually defend the faith. Yes, there are numerous books that are dedicated to
the evidence and written on levels above the average reader. But, there is virtually
no resource out that guide on “how” it should be done. I believe if more young
people and even adults in the church were show how to do this on their level,
they would not only have greater success in maintaining their faith, they would
also influence others towards accepting it.
Terry: What is the key point of the book and how do you hope
it will assist young adults?
Tim: The key point of the book is that scripture calls us to
reason, not argue. We are called to reason with others just as God reasoned
with mankind. There was no greater role model of the technique for how to
reason with others than Jesus Christ. And, His method of answering questions
regarding faith was to respond with questions. Respectfully responding with
targeted questions is the proper form of defense when done gently and
respectfully. Asking questions is reasonable and relational. And, done well, it
can be winsome. Therefore, I designed the book to walk through all the
significant attacks on the faith by topic, while offering sample questions in
each topical area that any Christian can use to navigate a conversation with
someone asking a genuine question about our faith.
Terry: Who type of person will benefit the most from reading
this book and why?
Tim: While I believe all Christians can benefit from reading
this book, it is best suited for those that young-to-middle-aged. It can help
young adults in navigating the religious assaults that commonly accompany
independent phases of life. It can also help parents who are raising young
adults towards being better defenders of the Gospel. Thirdly, it can help any
person who has doubts to reason with themselves.
Terry: What is the main thing you would like people to walk
away with after reading your book?
Tim: I would like every reader to walk away after reading
this book entirely capable of defending the faith with anyone from any walk of
life, the way Jesus did.
Terry: If you could offer one piece of advice to parents of Christian young adults and the church leaders who serve them, what would it be?
Tim: Faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ has its foundation
in God’s identity and our identity. God’s enemy uses many attacks and varied
techniques. But, they are all directed at either challenging God’s identity,
our identity, or both. Too many Christians invite the world to help them define
who they are or who God is. God has already done both in the most spectacular
fashion. My advice to all Christians is to be daily grounded in God’s identity
as exclusively revealed in the Bible. And, that Bible exclusively reveals our
God-given identity. That identity for every Christian is that of pure, royal
immortality. That is who you are as a Christian. All other voices need to be
daily made to bow before God inside of us and remain in that posture until they
are dismissed. The true battle for defending the faith happens in our own minds
where the spiritual war is commonly waged, not in arguments with others of
flesh.
Terry: I understand that you plan to donate the proceeds from your book launch to a Christian camp. Tell about the camp and why you want to help?
Terry: I understand that you plan to donate the proceeds from your book launch to a Christian camp. Tell about the camp and why you want to help?
Tim: I am a native of the Bahamas, where my first earthly
kingdom love lies. Camp Bahamas is a Christian camp built and formed by my brother several years ago. It exists for the benefit of underprivileged youth of the Bahamas. It is located on an island named Eleuthera. More can be learned about the camp at www.campbahamas.com.
All of my profits from the launch of this book will be donated to Camp Bahamas.
I am donating my profits to Camp Bahamas because I see God’s redemptive work
active there in claiming lost souls of my homeland for God’s Kingdom.
Terry: Thanks for sharing with us Tim, and those interested
in the book can find it at this link: 
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