Jimmy Akin
Jimmy Akin (born in 1965, Corpus Christi, Texas) is an American Catholic apologist and podcast host. Akin, a Catholic convert, is the senior apologist at Catholic Answers.
Biography
Born in 1965 in Corpus Christi, Texas, James Akin grew up in Fayetteville, Arkansas. For six years he attended worship in the local Protestant church with his parents. As a teenager became interested in the New Age movement. During his studies at the college, under the influence of the televangelist Eugene "Gene" Scott, he turned to Protestantism and became a preacher. He soon turned to the conservative Presbyterian Church in America, and wanted to be a pastor or a teacher at the seminary.[citation needed]
Akin met Renee Humphrey, who also shared New Age and Catholic beliefs. They married and he converted to Catholicism. Akin has since rejected the belief in reincarnation though he has examined it. Humphrey has since died.[1]
He is a senior apologist for Catholic Answers.[2] Akin defended charges that Pope John Paul II engaged in self-flagellation, writing, "Self-mortification teaches humility by making us recognize that there are things more important than our own pleasure."[3] Akin said that while Chick tracts were inaccurate, he thought they brought some people to God.[4]
Since 2018, Akin has been the co-host (alongside Dom Bettinelli) of "Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World", a podcast examining mysteries and the paranormal from a Catholic perspective.[5][6]
Akin debated New Testament critic Bart D. Ehrman on the historical reliability of the Gospels in March 2022.[7][8]
Works
- "A Triumph and a Tragedy" in Surprised By Truth: 11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic (Basilica Press, 1994, ISBN 978-0964261082)
- The Salvation Controversy (Catholic Answers Press, 2001, ISBN 978-1888992182)
- The Nightmare World of Jack Chick (Catholic Answers Press, 2008, ISBN 978-1933919171)
- The Fathers Know Best: Your Essential Guide to Early Christian Teaching (Catholic Answers Press, 2010, ISBN 978-1933919348)
- "Anti-Catholicism" in Disorientation: How to Go to College Without Losing Your Mind (Ascension Press, 2010, ISBN 978-1934217948)
- Mass Revision: How the Liturgy Is Changing and What It Means for You (Ignatius Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1933919454)
- Mass Appeal: The ABCs of Worship (Catholic Answers Press, 2012, ISBN 978-1888992328)
- The Drama of Salvation: How God Rescues You from Your Sins and Delivers You to Eternal Life (Catholic Answers Press, 2015, ISBN 978-1941663127)
- A Daily Defense: 365 Days (plus one) to Becoming a Better Apologist (Catholic Answers Press, 2016, ISBN 978-1683570042)
- Teaching with Authority: How to Cut Through Doctrinal Confusion & Understand What the Church Really Says (Catholic Answers Press, 2018, ISBN 978-1683570943)
- The Bible Is A Catholic Book (Catholic Answers Press, 2019, ISBN 978-1683571414)
References
- ^ "Reincarnation (and Bridey Murphy)". Jimmy Akin's Mysterious World. 10 April 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Schapiro, Jeff (May 23, 2012). "Jesus Popsicles Spark Controversy". Christian Post. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Hansen, Collin (February 8, 2010). "Why Pope John Paul II Whipped Himself". Christianity Today. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ Jensen, Kurt (October 31, 2016). "Rabid anti-Catholic views of late pamphleteer kept him marginalized". Catholic Philly. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "THE CATHOLIC WEIRD AND MYSTERIOUS". Splendor of Truth. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Is the Origin of Easter Based on Ancient Pagan Gods?". Patheos. 17 April 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "Jimmy Akin - Bart Ehrman Debate". YouTube. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ Akin, Jimmy (19 March 2022). "Why Bart's Wrong". Jimmy Akin.com. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
External links