Meet Dr. Brian Chilton

Meet Brian Chilton, PhD

• Education:

  • Earned a Doctor of Philosophy in the Theology and Apologetics program at Liberty University.
  • Earned a Master of Divinity in Theological Studies (recipient of the Gold Medallion, summa cum laude) from Liberty University.
  • Graduate of Gardner-Webb University with a Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy in 2011 (with honors, inducted in the Gamma Beta Upsilon Chapter of the Alpha Sigma Lambda society recognizing academic honors).
  • Received an Associate of Religion/Church Ministries from Fruitland Baptist Bible Institute in 1998.
  • Earned a Certificate in Christian Apologetics from Biola University in July of 2016.

• Membership:

  • Evangelical Theological Society,
  • Evangelical Philosophical Society,
  • International Society of Christian Apologetics.

• Hobbies:

  • Weightlifter
  • Football fanatic, especially for Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, and Liberty Flames football
  • Enjoys studying theology and philosophy.
  • Spending time with family.

• Favorite Bible verse:

  • Romans 8:31-39

• Academic Areas of Expertise:

  • Early Christianity;
  • pre-NT material, including creeds, Jesus traditions, and oral traditions;
  • the convergence of free will and divine sovereignty;
  • near-death experiences (NDEs); biblical reliability;
  • empathy.

• Author:

  • Brian G. Chilton, Layman’s Manual on Christian Apologetics (Eugene, OR: Resource, 2019).
  • Brian G. Chilton, Semitic Residue: Semitic Traits that Indicate Early Source Material in the Gospel of Matthew (2022). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 3874. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/3874/.
  • Brian G. Chilton, “Divine Hiddenness and Middle Knowledge: A Molinist Answer to How an Anselmian God Can Coexist with Reasonable Nonbelief,” Eleutheria 5,2 (2021): 59-78. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/eleu/vol5/iss2/5/

• Testimony:

  • Pastor Brian came to know the Lord around the age of 7. At the age of 16, Brian accepted the call into ministry. However, beginning in early 2000, Brian left the ministry for 7 years and became a theistic-leaning-agnostic due to doubts pertaining to the reliability of the Bible and the hypocritical behavior by some Christians. He came back to a strong, vibrant faith after encountering Josh McDowell’s book The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict and Lee Strobel’s book The Case for Christ. In July of 2007, Brian was rescued by the grace of God after being caught in a massive lightning storm that lasted 30 minutes while being trapped in an exterior building. After God delivered him from what should have been a direct hit by a lightning bolt, Brian surrendered to the call to ministry once more.

• Future Endeavors:

  • Hopes to teach theology, apologetics, and/or church history to young college students and pastors.
  • Hopes to continue publishing books and academic articles.
  • Advancing the ministry of Bellator Christi.

About this Website:

Bellator Christi (Latin for “Soldier of Christ”) will seek to serve in three areas:

• the first function of Bellator Christi will be to take the theological sword–that is, the website will teach and promote the classical Christian view of God;
• the second function of Bellator Christi will be to take the apologetic shield–that is, the website will defend the classic Christian worldview by demonstrating the evidence for and reasonability behind the Christian worldview and will defend the Christian faith against the misconceptions of those opposed to the faith by the use of classical apologetics (Pastor Brian is a rationalist as he feels that truth is knowable);
• and finally, the third function of Bellator Christi will be to evaluate social and political issues through the lens of an evangelical Christian worldview.

Therefore, Bellator Christi’s main mission is to employ apologetic evangelism and discipleship for the glory of God.

Most articles are written and published on Mondays or Tuesdays. The Bellator Christi Podcast is normally recorded and published on Wednesdays. The Bellator Christi Podcast can be found on iTunes, TuneIn, Stitcher, Google Play, and on iHeartRadio.

Note: While comments and questions are thoroughly welcomed, it should be noted that all comments are reviewed before publication. The expression of ideas, even those that may differ from the author’s, are welcome; however, abusive comments, especially those that simply attack “ad hominem,” and/or comments that employ foul language will not be permitted. The confrontation and the discussion of ideas are permissible and encouraged; the assault of individuals is not.

See the following links:

Pastor Brian is also on Twitter @ Brian_Chilton.

Bellator Christi is also on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/bellatorchristi.

Revised 1/1/23.