Carl E. Olson (born April 17, 1969) is an American

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, a

Christian apologist Christian apologetics ( grc, ἀπολογία, "verbal defense, speech in defense") is a branch of Christian theology that defends Christianity. Christian apologetics has taken many forms over the centuries, starting with Paul the Apostle in ...

and

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with b ...

author.

Early life and education

Olson was born in Hot Springs, Montana, and raised in

Plains In geography, a plain is a flat expanse of land that generally does not change much in elevation, and is primarily treeless. Plains occur as lowlands along valleys or at the base of mountains, as coastal plains, and as plateaus or uplands. In ...

, Montana. After graduating from high school in 1987, he studied graphic design and fine art for two years at Phoenix Institute of Technology and

Northwest Nazarene College Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a private Nazarene university in Nampa, Idaho. History Eugene Emerson organized a combination grade school and Bible school in 1913 as Idaho Holiness School. It was renamed twice in 1916, first to Northwe ...

. He then attended

Briercrest Bible College Briercrest College and Seminary is a private evangelical post-secondary educational institution located in Caronport, Saskatchewan, Canada. It comprises a college and a seminary, and operates the Briercrest Christian Academy. History Its prec ...

in Saskatchewan, Canada from 1989 to 1991, graduating with an associate degree. In the fall of 1991 he moved to Portland, Oregon, where he worked as a graphic designer and illustrator. After marrying in 1994, he converted to the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in 1997, from what he describes as a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

fundamentalist Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that is characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguishi ...

organisation. In 2000, he graduated from the

University of Dallas The University of Dallas is a private Catholic university in Irving, Texas. Established in 1956, it is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The university comprises four academic units: the Braniff Graduate School ...

with a master's degree in theological studies.

Career

His first book was ''Will Catholics Be "Left Behind"? A Catholic Critique of the Rapture and Today's Prophecy Preachers'' (

Ignatius Press Ignatius Press is a Catholic publishing house based in San Francisco, California, US. It was founded in 1978 by Father Joseph Fessio, a Jesuit priest and former pupil of Pope Benedict XVI. Ignatius Press also produces '' Catholic World Report'' ...

, 2003). Olson's second book ''

The Da Vinci Hoax ''The Da Vinci Hoax'' is a non-fictional book written by Carl E. Olsen and Sandra Miesel for the express purpose of critiquing Dan Brown's novel ''The Da Vinci Code.'' The book was first published in 2004 by Ignatius Press. According to Olso ...

: Exposing the Errors in

The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel ''Angels & Demons''. ''The Da Vinci Code'' follows symbologist Robert Lang ...

'' was co-authored with medievalist

Sandra Miesel Sandra Louise Miesel (born Sandra Louise Schwartz on November 25, 1941) is an American medievalist, writer, and science fiction and fantasy fan. Her early work was in science fiction and fantasy criticism, fields in which she has remained active ...

and was published in June 2004. He also wrote the Introduction to ''Pied Piper of Atheism: Philip Pullman and Children's Fantasy'' (Ignatius Press, 2008), which was co-authored by Miesel and Pete Vere. His third book ''Did Jesus Really Rise From the Dead? Questions and Answers About the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus'' was published in 2016, as well as ''Called To Be the Children of God: The Catholic Theology of Human Deification'', which he co-edited with Fr. David Vincent Meconi, S.J. Olson is the editor of '' The Catholic World Report'' and ''Ignatius Insight'', the online magazine of

. He is a frequent contributor to the Catholic newspaper '' Our Sunday Visitor'', for which he writes a weekly Scripture column titled "Opening the Word." He has written hundreds of articles, book reviews, and columns for a variety of periodicals and newspapers, including ''

First Things ''First Things'' (''FT'') is an ecumenical and conservative religious journal aimed at "advanc nga religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society". The magazine, which focuses on theology, liturgy, church history, religio ...

'', ''

National Catholic Register The ''National Catholic Register'' is a Catholic newspaper in the United States. It was founded on November 8, 1927, by Matthew J. Smith as the national edition of the '' Denver Catholic Register''. The ''Registers current owner is the Ete ...

'', and '' Catholic Answers Magazine''. In addition to his writing, Olson has appeared on

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in ...

, and other television and radio networks. Olson lives in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife and two children.

Books

* Carl E. Olson and

, ''The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in the Da Vinci Code'',

, 2004; * Carl E. Olson, ''Will Catholics Be Left Behind? A Critique of the Rapture and Today's Prophecy Preachers'', Ignatius Press, 2009; * Carl E. Olson and David V. Meconi , ''Called to Be the Children of God: The Catholic Theology of Human Deification'', Ignatius Press, 2016; * Carl E. Olson, ''Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? Questions and Answers about the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus'', Ignatius Press, 2016; * Carl E. Olson, ''Praying the Our Father in Lent'',

Catholic Truth Society Catholic Truth Society (CTS) is a body that prints and publishes Catholic literature, including apologetics, prayerbooks, spiritual reading, and lives of saints. It is based in London, the United Kingdom. The CTS had been founded in 1868 by ...

, 2021; * Carl E. Olson, ''Prepare the Way of the Lord'', Catholic Truth Society, 2021.

References

External links

Carl E. Olson's personal website

Catholic World Report

Ignatius Insight, the Ignatius Press online magazine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Carl E. American male journalists Converts to Roman Catholicism from Evangelicalism Living people American Roman Catholic religious writers Northwest Nazarene University alumni 1969 births People from Sanders County, Montana University of Dallas alumni Writers from Eugene, Oregon Writers from Portland, Oregon Journalists from Montana 20th-century American journalists Catholics from Montana Catholics from Oregon Editors of Catholic publications