Our Fellows

"When man thinks in self-conscious submission to the voluntary revelation of the self-sufficient God, he has therewith the only possible ground of certainty for his knowledge."

- Cornelius Van Til

Sarah-Jane Bentley

Fellow for Education and English Literature

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Sarah-Jane is a highly experienced teacher, having worked in independent senior schools in the UK and internationally. She is now teaching  English at Eton College, where she has been for  the last ten years. After gaining an English degree from Oxford University she worked in journalism and strategic communications in the Middle East before settling on a career in education. Also a director of the Association of Christian Teachers, a  trustee of Wintershall and a contributor to the CiRCE Institute's podcast and print media,  Sarah-Jane loves  sharing the Christian faith in the realms of education.

Prof. Dr. Jonathan Burnside

Fellow for Biblical Law

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Jonathan is Professor of Biblical Law at the Law School, University of Bristol, where he teaches Criminal Law and Jurisprudence. His work focuses on the interface and tensions that arise between law, religion and society. His academic expertise in three disciplines - Law, Criminology and Biblical Studies - has enabled him, over the past 30 years, to address some of the issues presented by relating faith-based norms to politics and society. He is the author of God, Justice and Society: Aspects of Law and Legality in the Bible (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), among other works.

Tim Dieppe

Fellow for Public Policy

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Tim is Head of Public Policy at Christian Concern which he joined in 2016 following a successful career in fund management.

Tim engages with public policy in the UK, overseeing work on education, beginning of life, end of life, Islam, secularism, free speech, gender, and sexuality. Tim regularly writes articles articulating a Christian perspective on public policy. He frequently appears in the media to discuss or debate issues, and presents distinctly Christian perspective on topical issues of the day. Tim teaches on public policy issues in churches and at conferences.

Jeff Durbin

Fellow for Evangelism and Apologetics

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Jeff Durbin has been Pastor/Elder of Apologia Church in Mesa since he planted it in February of 2010. He worked for many years as a hospital chaplain. Jeff is a popular speaker for camps, conferences, churches & schools across the nation. He has participated in outreach to various religious organizations and cults nationwide and has engaged in moderated public debates.

Dr. Ted Fenske

Fellow for Medicine and Public Christianity

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Dr. Ted Fenske is Clinical Professor with the Division of Cardiology at the University of Alberta, staff cardiologist at the C.K. Hui Heart Centre, and an Elder at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Edmonton.

Ambassador Dennis J. Ignatius

Fellow for Intercultural Discourse and Global Affairs

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A Malaysian career diplomat, Dennis has served in London, Beijing and Washington before being appointed ambassador to Chile in 1992, Argentina in 1996 and Canada in 2001. He was also concurrently accredited to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay. He retired from the foreign service in 2008.

Dr. Peter Jones

Fellow for New Testament Theology and Christian Worldview

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Associate Pastor at New Life Presbyterian Church (Escondido, CA), and Director of truthXchange. Born in Liverpool (and a friend of John Lennon), Peter attended the University of Wales, then did his graduate work at Gordon Divinity School, Harvard Divinity School and Princeton Seminary.

Graeme Leach

Fellow for Biblical Economics

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Graeme Leach is one of Britain's leading economists and CEO and chief economist of Macronomics. He is a former chief economist and director of policy at the Institute of Directors (IoD) where he represented the IoD in economic discussions with the Chancellor and 10 Downing Street. He  is a visiting professor of economic policy and a senior fellow of the Legatum Institute in London. He is also a member of the IEA Shadow Monetary Policy Committee (SMPC) and a life fellow of the IoD. He also lectures graduate students in macroeconomics at Cardiff University Business School.

Dr. Ben Merkle

Fellow for Higher Education

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Dr. Ben Merkle is NSA's second president and previously served as the undergraduate dean. He holds a D.Phil. in Oriental Studies and an M.St. in Jewish Studies from Oxford University, England; an M.A. degree in English Literature, a Greyfriars Letter, and a B.S. in Education (Secondary Education-Chemistry, with a minor in History) both from the University of Idaho. He is a Senior Fellow of Theology at NSA and teaching elder at Christ Church, in Moscow.

 

Daniel Ogden, J.D.

Fellow for International Law, Comparative Politics, and International Relations

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Daniel Ogden is a Lecturer at Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he teaches various courses in international law and relations, comparative politics, and international trade. An attorney by profession, prior to embarking on a career in teaching he maintained an international law practice for over 30 years in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. He was one of the founders of the Federalist Society Dallas Lawyers Chapter and previously served as the Chair of the National District Export Council as well as on the Board of Directors of truthXchange, Inc. He currently serves as a faculty advisor to the Baylor student group Oso Logos, which is a chapter of the global organization Ratio Cristi.

Prof. Dr. Willem J. Ouweneel

Fellow for Systematic Theology

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Willem was one of the founders of the Evangelical College (Evangelische Hogeschool) at Amersfoort, the Netherlands, where he taught until his retirement in 2009. From 1990 to 1997, he served as a professor in the philosophy of the natural sciences at the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education (South Africa). From 1995 to 2014, he was a professor on the Evangelical Theological Faculty in Leuven (Belgium). From 1996 until 2001, he taught philosophy, theology, and psychology at the State-Independent Theological Seminary in Basel, Switzerland.

Rev. Tobias Riemenschneider

Fellow for Church - State Relations

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Tobias is pastor of Evangelical Reformed Baptist Church in Frankfurt, Germany. He is also a trained lawyer, working for international law firms for about ten years before moving into pastoral ministry full-time. Tobias is the co-founder of PRO REGE Ministries, which aims to defend the Christian faith and promote a biblical worldview among Christians in Germany. He is also the co-founder of an anti-abortion ministry in Germany. Tobias is co-author of the internationally acknowledged Frankfurt Declaration of Christian and Civil Liberties, which opposes state totalitarianism.

Rev. Dr. David Robinson

Fellow for Patristics and Pastoral Theology

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Senior Pastor at Westminster Chapel, Toronto.

David has a Ph.D. in Theology from the University of St. Michael's College (at the University of Toronto), where he studied the history and theology of Early Christianity. His doctoral dissertation translated and analyzed an early Christian commentary on the book of Revelation.

Rev. Dr. Aaron Rock

Fellow for Church Leadership

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Aaron has ministered as a college professor, denominational leader, chaplain, church planter, teacher, and pastor. He serves as the founding and lead pastor of Harvest Bible Church in Windsor (since 2001), a church that has grown from five people to 1500. He blogs at www.pursuitofglory.org and hosts the Leadership Now podcast.

Aaron lives on a hobby farm in Amherstburg, Ontario. Aaron and his wife Susie have five children and are also grandparents.

Rev. Dr. P. Andrew Sandlin

Fellow for Public Theology and Cultural Philosophy

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Andrew is an ordained minister, Executive Director of the Fellowship of Mere Christianity, Faculty of Blackstone Legal Fellowship of the Alliance Defending Freedom, and De Jong Distinguished Visiting Professor of Culture and Theology, Edinburg Theological Seminary, a member of the Evangelical Theological Society, and is President of the Center for Cultural Leadership.

André Schutten

Fellow for Law and Civil Discourse

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André is Director of Law & Public Policy and General Legal Counsel for the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada. He researches and writes on public policy, particularly from a Christian perspective, and conducts regular analysis on the impact of different government bills and court judgments. He also acts as a Parliamentary lobbyist. He has represented ARPA Canada in various court interventions, having made arguments before the Supreme Court of Canada in four cases and written and oral arguments in four provincial courts of appeal.

Daniel Strange

Fellow for Comparative Religions

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Daniel Strange is Fellow for Comparative Religions at the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity.  Dan is the director of  Crosslands Forum, a center for cultural engagement and missional innovation. Formerly he was college director and tutor in culture, religion, and public theology at Oak Hill College, London. His PhD under Professor Gavin D'Costa at Bristol University was on the inclusivism of Clark Pinnock. Dan is contributing editor for Themelios, vice president of  The Southgate Fellowship, and a fellow of both  The Ezra Institute  and  The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics. He is visiting Professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, North Carolina.

Daniel Francois Malherbe (Danie) Strauss

Fellow for Reformational Philosophy

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He is the world's leading expert on the theory of modal aspects, one of the core features of the thought of the Dutch philosopher, Herman Dooyeweerd, and the movement for Reformational philosophy.

Rev. Dr. Michael Thiessen

Fellow for Church and Family Discipleship

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Michael has over 20 years of pastoral ministry experience, including international teaching, coaching, and consulting experience.

With a heart for training and mentoring young adults and pastors, and advancing both church and cultural renewal, Michael Thiessen serves Liberty Coalition Canada as the Founder and President and also serves as a Teaching Pastor at Royal Spring Chapel in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Jeffery Ventrella, J.D., Ph.D.

Fellow for Jurisprudence and Political Thought

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Jeffery J. Ventrella serves as Associate Attorney General for the State of Idaho.  Previously he served as senior counsel and senior vice president of academic affairs and training at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Upon joining ADF in 2000, he has designed the curriculum for a number of ADF training programs, including the Blackstone Legal Fellowship (BLF), a unique training and professional development program for law students.

Dr. James White

Fellow for Islamic Apologetics and Textual Criticism

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James White is a professor, having taught Greek, Systematic Theology, and various topics in the field of apologetics for numerous schools. He has authored or contributed to more than twenty books, including The King James Only Controversy, The Forgotten Trinity, The Potter's Freedom, The God Who Justifies, and What Every Christian Needs to Know About the Qur'an.