Southeastern and Judson Announce Expanded Christian Apologetics Program
Mary Asta Mountain | June 05, 2026
In today’s skeptical and secular society, Christians regularly navigate a barrage of competing worldviews that challenge the very essence the Christian faith. Now, more than ever, Christians must know what they believe and how to articulate those beliefs clearly. And they must learn how to engage the culture with the truth of the gospel while representing Christ in both their actions and words.
For this reason, Southeastern Seminary is expanding its apologetics programs with new degrees to equip students to speak the truth in love as they articulate and defend the Christian faith. 
This spring, the Board of Trustees of Southeastern Seminary and Judson College voted to establish two new degree offerings: a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in Christian Apologetics. These offerings join the already established Minor in Apologetics, Master of Divinity with Christian Apologetics, and Doctor of Philosophy in Apologetics and Culture.
These degrees exist to meet a real and relevant need within the local church as believers are called to engage the world around them with the truth of the gospel.
“When Christians are marginalized from public conversations over the central issues of our age, many believers retreat or compromise,” said Ben Holloway, assistant professor of philosophy at Southeastern and Judson. “But there is a better way. If you believe the content of our faith is true, if you take seriously God’s command to prepare to give reasons for it, and if you desire to serve people who long for the truth, a degree in Christian Apologetics equips you to rise to the challenge. Join us and answer the call to be a faithful and loving voice for Christ in a skeptical world.”
Join us and answer the call to be a faithful and loving voice for Christ in a skeptical world.
The Christian Apologetics program at Southeastern prepares students to articulate and defend the Christian faith with intellectual clarity, biblical faithfulness, practical wisdom, and Great Commission focus. Through the program, graduates are equipped to serve in a variety of vocational ministries, including apologetics ministry, pastoral ministry, student ministry, and missions.
Most importantly, those who graduate from this program leave with the training to approach all conversations with a missional heart, removing intellectual barriers to the gospel and presenting Christ persuasively to those who do not know him. They will be able to explain the biblical, theological, and philosophical foundations for defending the Christian faith while also analyzing competing worldviews, religious traditions, and contemporary objections to Christianity. Their training will equip them to apply apologetics methods in all contexts wherever God calls them as they serve the church and fulfill the Great Commission.
“Everything we do at Southeastern is shaped by our singular focus on the Great Commission — proclaiming the good news of the kingdom to all nations,” said Rhyne Putman, professor of theology and program coordinator of the apologetics program. “Our apologetics programs reflect that focus by equipping future missionaries and ministry leaders with the tools they need to defend the faith in whatever field God calls them to serve, whether confronting world religions and cults like Paul did at Lystra or answering intellectual objections from skeptics like Paul did at Athens. To that end, our programs are purposefully interdisciplinary, allowing students to learn from missionaries, philosophers, Bible scholars, and other faculty who are deeply committed to serving the church and advancing the gospel among the nations.”
To learn how you can be equipped to articulate and defend the Christian faith with a Great Commission perspective, visit sebts.edu/apologetics or judsoncollege.com/degrees.