Douglas K. Blount

Highlights

Blount is passionate about teaching students how to think and reason well.
He especially enjoys equipping students with the tools on how to transform their thinking into a Christian viewpoint.

Dr. Blount's passion lies in teaching students to think Christianly. It sounds simple, but thinking well can be hard work. And since it runs contrary to the broader culture, doing it in a distinctly Christian way requires not only an understanding of the faith, but also an ability to ferret out the various implications of that faith.

"In college I connected my interest in apologetics with a commitment to ministry," says Blount. "I saw friends lose their faith, in large part because they had not learned how to think. They were taught what to think, but not how to think. So they weren't prepared to face the challenges to the faith that arise in college. And they turned their backs on Christianity—some just for a season, some permanently."

Observing this happen to his peers solidified what he saw at a young age as his own calling. In junior high, Blount attended a summer youth camp led by Josh McDowell, who specialized in apologetics at that time.

"My interest in apologetics was sparked by hearing McDowell speak," says Blount. "About the same time, I became convinced that God was calling me to vocational ministry. But I was slow to connect the interest in apologetics with ministry. I had no desire to go into pastoral ministry or missions work—the only two avenues which seemed open to someone called to ministry. So I prayed that God would change my desires."

Seeing his friends' crises of belief in college opened his eyes to the possibility of a ministry focused on grounding young people intellectually in the faith. "I also realized that I could do this most effectively in the context of a seminary, teaching future pastors and youth ministers to think Christianly and encouraging them to ground their people intellectually," says Blount.

"Teaching content is obviously important," he continues, "but content is useless if one does not know what to do with it. You cannot do a good job of thinking Christianly if you cannot do a good job of thinking. In the classroom I focus on helping students develop the skills necessary for thinking well. And that's great fun!"

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