Follow the Money Trail: Faith-Based Education and Publishing in Apologetics (Part II)

Guest Post from Michael J. Alter, independent researcher and author of The Resurrection: A Critical Inquiry (2015), A Thematic Access-Oriented Bibliography of Jesus's Resurrection (2020), and the forthcoming text from GCRR Press, The Resurrection and Its Apologetics: A Critical Inquiry, Vol. 1.[1]

Read Part I

The phrase, “follow the money” or “follow the money trail," is a credo that has been popularized in movies, politics, investigative reporting, and political debates. The sage advice to “follow the money” is also true in the arena of religion and apologetics.

Yes, apologetics is also about money.

Matthew Wade Ferguson once commented online in response to another blogger the following:

There is a clear asymmetry in the amount of $$$ and resources that are available to Christian apologists than is available to atheists, secularists, and non-Christian theists. Considering the fact that writing books and articles with counter-arguments to apologetics takes time and resources (they don’t just pop out of thin air), that puts them at a disadvantage. If apologists seem to have more arguments out there, or occasionally seem to perform better in debates (William Craig, for example, is basically paid to be a professional debater), this circumstance needs to be taken into account. . .

If there has been a resurgence in Christian scholarship in Biblical Studies, faith-based universities are absolutely the wrong way to do it. Universities like Biola and Liberty have doctrinal statements that expect their faculty to adhere to certain Christian dogma. That means that they could potentially not rehire professors who publish research which does not align with predetermined conclusions friendly to Christian dogma. Such an institutional structure is completely antithetical to the critical and open-ended research done at secular institutions. There is no parallel, by the way, for an atheist university existing, which only hires atheist faculty, who are required to sign atheist doctrinal statements that require their research to adhere to atheist dogma.

But what it does mean is that the amount of $$$ and resources out there inflates the amount of publishing avenues and arguments available for Christian apologetics, which creates a severe imbalance to atheist and secular authors. All of this disparity makes Christian apologetics as an enterprise far less impressive, and I tend to view it as a multi-billion-dollar ad campaign, rather than as a genuine scholarly pursuit.

Opponents of Christian apologists and theologians, whether they be nontheists, agnostics, or theists of other faiths, face definite challenges. The odds are often stacked against these skeptics, regardless of the theistic aisle they find themselves. A significant obstacle is money.

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TOPIC IV: Department of Apologetics

Let’s assume that you're a committed Christian and you want to seek a graduate degree in apologetics. Where would you go to earn that degree? What type of degree could you earn? How much would it cost to earn it? What can you do with that degree?

Question: How many seminaries, college, or universities have a dedicated department of apologetics? To be specific, how many institutions of higher learning have a department with the word “apologetics” in the title?

Perhaps in the hundreds. A few institutions identified by cursory research on the internet include Biola University, Birmingham Theological Seminary, Houston Baptist University, Liberty University, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Reformed Theological Seminary, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Trinity Graduate School (Kerala, India), and Trinity International. In many institutions, a “department of apologetics,” although not specifically named, is imbedded in the department of theology, philosophy, and/or systematic theology.

So, what about the opposition? A search on the internet found an interesting article published by The New York Times. It was penned by Laurie Goodstein (May 20, 2016): “University of Miami Establishes Chair for Study of Atheism.” In late April of 2016, the UM received a donation of $2.2 million from Louis J. Appignani, a wealthy atheist, to endow what it says is the nation’s first academic chair “for the study of atheism, humanism, and secular ethics.” Anjan Chakravartty, a professor of metaphysics and the philosophy of science at the University of Notre Dame, was appointed the first to occupy this position. In an interview, Chakravartty stated “that there will be at least one course offered each year in some area falling under the mandate of the chair, which could be undergraduate, graduate, or a mixture of the two” (Couch Feb 9, 2018).[1]

The UM website provides the following information:

Through a combination of activities in research, teaching, and outreach, the Chair will explore approaches to understanding our place and impact in the world that emphasize the methods of reason and science, and encourage interdisciplinary thinking inspired by these methods to address challenging questions regarding knowledge, ethics, and the public good.

Topics investigated will include atheism, naturalism, secularism, science and society, and conceptions of meaning and values. Special lectures, workshops, conferences, and public events will promote scholarship, discussion, and engagement with University and wider communities, promoting rigorous thinking about some of the most important issues of our time.

However, the academic chair title may be misleading. In the opinion of Hemant Mehta, “The final name may be a mouthful, but the shorter version of it is that students at the University of Miami will be able to study atheism just as they can study Islam and Judaism and Catholicism everywhere else.” Another issue is the percentage of time devoted to theology on nontheism as the center of focus.

Another institution discussed in The Times article pointed out that Pitzer College, a liberal arts school in Southern California with about 1,000 students, became the first to begin a program and major in secular studies. Nonetheless, a review of the course offerings in the catalog did not indicate that any of the course offerings would, in effect, challenge Christian theology.

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TOPIC V: Apologetic Organizations

Another area where Christian organizations spend millions of dollars is apologetic organizations. The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) is an organization that enhances trust in Christ-centered churches and ministries by establishing and applying Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™ to accredited organizations. It has over 2,100 members. An analysis of the organizations’ database under the category of “Ministry type – Apologetics” listed approximately 70 members. Below, in Table 3, is a list of six well-known organizations including their total revenue and total assets:

TABLE 3: Revenue for Apologetic Organizations

Organization	Assets
Ankerberg Theological Research Institute (December 31, 2020)	​$6,348,868
​C. S. Lewis Institute (June 30, 2021)	​$1,482,367
​Cru - Formerly Called Campus Crusade for Christ (August 31, 2020)	​Total Assets $485,589,000 Net Assets $356,358,000
​Ratio Christi (June 30, 2021)	​Cash Donations $1,098,334 Total assets $625,738 Net Assets $618,314
​RISEN JESUS INC. (DEC. 2019) [Not a member of EFCA]	​Total Revenue: $176,859 Total Functional Expenses: $168,874 Net income: $7,985 Notable Sources of Revenue (Percent of Total Revenue) Contributions: $153,200 (86.6%) Program services: $22,846 (12.9%) Investment income: $9 (0.0%) Net inventory sales: $804 (0.5%) Net Assets: $107,666 Key Employees and Officers Compensation Debra K Licona (Secretary): $44,567 Michael R Licona (President & CEO): $37,717 Thomas Rhodes (Chairman): $0

Many of these organizations, such as Cru and Ratio Christi, form college chapters at universities around the United States, in addition to countless student churches and religious clubs. While there are a handful of secular and atheist clubs on college campuses, such as the Secular Student Alliance (SSA), the number of Christian clubs on campuses easily eclipses those for either secularism, atheism, or other religious faiths.

Another avenue to investigate the resources of apologetic organizations and their rivals is to access CitizenAudit.org. One well-known example of an organization on their site can be seen in Table 4, the Internet Infidels Inc. (Secular Web), which is perhaps the largest internet database for secular, atheist, and counter-apologetic scholarship, can only claim the following 2019 financial resources:

TABLE 4: Internet Infidels Inc. (Secular Web): CitizenAudit.org

​Total Revenue:	​$54,208
​Total Functional Expenses:	​$40,265
​Net Income:	​$13,943
​Notable Sources of Revenue: Contributions	​Percent of Total Revenue: $54,188 (100%)
Net Assets:	​$39,976

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TOPIC VI: Apologetic Publishers

Another important area in “following the money trail” are publishing houses. The number of Christian publishers total in the hundreds. The longest list of biblical publishers can be found in The SBL Handbook of Style for Biblical Studies and Related Disciplines (pp. 77-82), though that source also includes secular presses.[2] One can consult the Writer’s Digest Books 2021 by Robert Lee Brewer, though for easiest access, Wikipedia (Category: "Christian publishing companies") provides an alphabetical list of Christian publishers. Perhaps the most detailed source is the Christian Writers Market Guide 2022: Your Comprehensive Resource by Steve Laube.[3]

In contrast, detractors have a substantially limited opportunity to publish a text with a traditional publisher. Prometheus is perhaps the most well-known atheist publisher. In 2019, it was acquired by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., and publishes under its imprint of Globe Pequot. Hypatia Press, founded in 2017, publishes fiction and nonfiction titles promoting secular, nonreligious, and freethinking viewpoints. Another publisher is American Atheist Press.

A newer entry into the market place is GCRR Press, which publishes academic work from all secular and faith-based traditions. Already, GCRR Press has published numerous Jewish, Christian, and atheist works in book form and academic journals through its imprints, Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry (SHERM Journal).

If a detractor decides to self-publish, there are significant obstacles that will be confronted. First, journals, as a general rule, will not review books that are self-published. Second, libraries will not purchase the text. Their rationale is that these books did not go through a rigorous review process, thus questioning their academic standing. Third, no literary agent would decide to pick up the book. Publishers liken literary agents to gate keepers. If a literary agent does not think the manuscript is a worthy investment of time, then why should they?

Steven Piersanti (June 24, 2020), a Senior Editor for Berrett-Koehler Publishers, offers several eye-opening facts to consider in his article, “The 10 Awful Truths about Book Publishing.” Several facts can be seen below:

• By 2019, the total number of books published in the U.S. exceeded 4 million in that year alone—including both self-published books and commercially published books of all types.

• Book sales are stagnant, despite the explosion of books published.

• Despite the addition of e-book sales and downloadable audio sales, overall book sales have shrunk.

• Average book sales are shockingly small—and falling fast.

• “The average U.S. book is now selling less than 200 copies per year and less than 1,000 copies over its lifetime.”

The bottom line is that “for profit publishers” must employ due diligence and determine the financial viability of a project.

• It is getting harder and harder every year to sell new titles.

• “Many book categories have become entirely saturated, with a surplus of books on every topic. It is increasingly difficult to make any book stand out.”

• Most books today are selling only to the authors’ and publishers’ communities.

Why do publishers accept submissions? Reasons vary, but probably the most significant factors behind a publisher deciding to publish a book are (1) the potential scope of the market and (2) potential profit. To be direct, there are millions of potential Christian consumers and thousands of church libraries with funds to put these books on their shelves. Furthermore, there is a greater likelihood a Christian text will be adopted for a class or course.

In contrast, the potential market for a religious detractor is substantially less. The key is that a detractor must target a niche market and one that has not already been over saturated. The reality is that publishers are in the game to make a profit, and Christian material has many more opportunities to make a buck.

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TOPIC VII: Journals

The number of theological journals, soft copy and online, that are devoted to supporting Christian theology and apologetics number in the thousands. Wikipedia’s opening sentence under the title “List of theology journals” reads:

Theological journals are academic periodical publications in the field of theology. WorldCat returns about 4,000 items for the search subject ‘Theology Periodicals’ and more than 2,200 for ‘Bible Periodicals.'

Although detractors can submit articles for publication, the potential number of journals open to publishing their work is substantially reduced as compared to those available for the apologist and theologian. Indeed, a journal’s mission statement may limit acceptance of certain topics. Significantly, journals have a vested financial interest in accepting and publishing only those articles that their readership would desire to read while also being careful not to offend their advertisers. Moreover, the editors of many theological journals may have a negative predisposition toward religious detractors, which could inadvertently lead to a roadblock.

One journal for consideration that counters this trend is Socio-Historical Examination of Religion and Ministry (SHERM). This journal is published by GCRR Press. Readers are encouraged to examine its homepage, which states in part, “SHERM is dedicated to the critical and scholarly inquiry of historical and contemporary religious phenomena, both from within particular religious traditions and across cultural boundaries, so as to inform the broader socio-historical analysis of religion and its related fields of study."

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Factors to Consider

Potential authors have several realities to face. First, you must ask yourself a serious question: What is your objective in having your journal article or text published? Possible reasons depend on the genre of the work. Sticking to theology, reasons to publish may include: (1) to advance and further academia and the non-academic world; (2) publish or perish (a requisite of higher education job hiring, retention, and promotion); (3) personal passion about a subject; (4) to prove or disprove something; (5) emotional satisfaction; (6) the challenge; (7) legacy; (8) recognition; (9) money; and (10) the chance for fame. Another important question to consider is, what makes your work different from all others?

COMING SOON!

Having decided to publish you can (1) go the standard route and submit to a traditional and recognized publisher; (2) work with a literary agent; (3) self-publish; or (4) submit to an open-access journal. However, the counter-apologetic author must recognize that if a work is submitted to an almost exclusively conservative Christian publication, the submission will, in all likelihood, be rejected.

It bears repeating: Journals have a vested financial interest in accepting and publishing only those articles that their readership would desire to read while also being careful not to offend their advertisers.

With this reality in mind, the prudent option is to publish in mainstream secular venues and not attempt challenging established theological cliques.

Publishing in all venues should be the ideal. The important point is that accurate knowledge is a vital tool for the growth and maturation of our species. It is vital that we carefully listen to and read opposing viewpoints in order to understand their beliefs and concerns. The exchange of information is most especially vital in the field of religion.

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Concluding Remarks

The purpose of this blog is to raise awareness to the fact that detractors of Christian apologists and theologians face definite financial challenges.

Bluntly, the fact of the matter is that the odds are often stacked against opponents of Christian apologists and theologians because of those silver shekels. History demonstrates that the winning side’s victory (which is not necessarily on the side goodness or truth) is often due to an abundance of resources. Without a doubt, Christian apologetic courses and the means available for their promotion are very well financed.

Despite many obstacles, new options are available (e.g., GCRR Press, SHERM Journal, Certification Courses, etc.) to those on both sides of the religious aisle seeking to further academia and the nonacademic world.

Yes, the sage advice to “Follow the money” is true in the arena of religion. However, as The X-Files proclaims: “The Truth is Out There,” and counter-apologists need to keep fighting for their voices to be heard.

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ENDNOTES:

1. Amy Couch, “Pursuing Truth with Anjan Chakravartty,” https://thehumanist.com/features/interviews/pursuing-truth-anjan-chakravartty/

2. Billy Jean Collins, et al. The SBL Handbook of Style for Biblical Studies and Related Disciplines. Atlanta, GA: SBL Press, 2014.

3. Steve Laube, Christian Writers Market Guide 2022: Your Comprehensive Resource, Christian Writer Institute, 2022.