James Warner Wallace (born June 16, 1961) is an American

homicide detective Homicide occurs when a person kills another person. A homicide requires only a volitional act or omission that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from accidental, reckless, or negligent acts even if there is no inten ...

and

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 ...

. Wallace is a Senior Fellow at the Colson Center for Christian Worldview and an Adjunct Professor of Apologetics at Talbot School of Theology (

Biola University Biola University () is a private, nondenominational, evangelical Christian university in La Mirada, California. It was founded in 1908 as the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. It has over 150 programs of study in nine schools offering bachelor's ...

) in La Mirada, California. He has authored several books, including ''Person of Interest,'' ''Cold-Case Christianity,'' ''God's Crime Scene'', and ''Forensic Faith'', in which he applies principles of

cold case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or r ...

homicide investigation to

apologetic Apologetics (from Greek , "speaking in defense") is the religious discipline of defending religious doctrines through systematic argumentation and discourse. Early Christian writers (c. 120–220) who defended their beliefs against critics and ...

concerns such as the

existence of God The existence of God (or more generally, the existence of deities) is a subject of debate in theology, philosophy of religion and popular culture. A wide variety of arguments for and against the existence of God or deities can be categorize ...

and the reliability of the Gospels. He has been featured as a cold case homicide expert on Fox 11 Los Angeles,

truTV TruTV (stylized as truTV) is an American basic cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The channel primarily broadcasts comedy, docusoaps and reality shows. The channel was originally launched in 1991 as Court TV, a network that fo ...

(formerly Court TV), and

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Life and work

Wallace was born in Torrance, California. He graduated from the Los Angeles Sheriff's Explorer Academy in 1978 (earning the Honor Cadet award). From there he went on to pursue a career in the arts, earning a bachelor's degree in design from California State University at Long Beach and a master's degree in architecture from the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

(UCLA). In 1988, Wallace returned to law enforcement, attending the Los Angeles Sheriff's Academy as a recruit for the Torrance (CA) Police Department (graduating again as the Honor Cadet). During his law enforcement career, Wallace served on a number of assignments, including SWAT, Gang Detail, and Robbery Homicide. He was also one of the founding members of the Torrance Police Department's Cold-Case Homicide Unit.

Investigative work

As a homicide detective, Wallace has investigated a number of high-profile cold-case murders. His cases have been featured on ''

Dateline A dateline is a brief piece of text included in news articles that describes where and when the story was written or filed, though the date is often omitted. In the case of articles reprinted from wire services, the distributing organization i ...

'' (NBC)"Jim Wallace"
Nbc.news, Retrieved 2015-11-03. and '' North Mission Road'' (truTV). As a founding member of the Torrance Police Department Cold-Case Homicide Unit, Wallace earned the Sustained Superiority Award from the South Bay Police and Fire Medal of Valor committee. He also won the 2015 California Peace Officer Association COPSWEST Award for best solved cold case.

Conversion to Christianity

In 1996, Wallace became a Christian at the age of 35, after investigating the gospels as potential eyewitness accounts to the life of Jesus, using his detective expertise. Wallace attended and eventually joined the staff of

Saddleback Church Saddleback Church is a Baptist Evangelical multi-site megachurch, affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, located in Lake Forest, California. It is the largest church in California, and one of the largest in the United States of America ...

. He later enrolled in the Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary master's program in theological studies, while serving as a youth pastor at Rock Hills Church and later as a lead pastor for an organization called the Rising Tide.

Christian apologetics

Wallace began applying the principles of cold-case homicide investigation to Christian apologetics. He has written five books addressing the evidence for Christianity: ''Person of Interest,'' ''Cold-Case Christianity'', ''Alive'', ''God's Crime Scene,'' and ''Forensic Faith''. Wallace has been a guest on a number of television programs, including ''

The 700 Club ''The 700 Club'' is the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, airing each weekday in syndication in the United States and available worldwide on CBN.com. The news magazine program features live guests, daily news, co ...

'' (CBN), '' Praise The Lord'' (TBN), ''100 Huntley Street'' (Crossroads), and ''The Leon Show'' (TBN/The Miracle Channel). He has spoken on several radio broadcasts, including ''

The Laura Ingraham Show ''The Laura Ingraham Show'' was a three-hour American radio show hosted by conservative Laura Ingraham. It was among the most popular radio shows broadcast in the United States. In 2016, the show ranked number 20 on the ''Talkers Magazine 201 ...

,'' ''The Eric Metaxas Show,'' ''The Janet Mefferd Show,'' and ''In the Market with Janet Parshall.''

Books

''Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels''

Presents 10 principles of cold-case homicide cases and using them to investigate the claims of the New Testament gospels.J. Warner Wallace. ''Cold-Case Christianity,'' January 1, 2013, David C. Cook,

''God's Crime Scene: A Cold-Case Detective Examines the Evidence for a Divinely Created Universe''

Wallace examines eight lines of evidence in what he calls the "crime scene of the universe," arguing they point to the existence of God.J. Warner Wallace. ''God's Crime Scene,'' August 1, 2015, David C. Cook,

''Forensic Faith: A Homicide Detective Makes the Case for a More Reasonable, Evidential Christian Faith''

Wallace examines the evidentiary history of Christianity, teaching Christians to accept their duty, begin training, learn how to investigate and communicate the Christian worldview.

''Alive: A Cold-Case Approach to the Resurrection''

Wallace investigates the accounts of the

resurrection of Christ The resurrection of Jesus ( grc-x-biblical, ἀνάστασις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ) is the Christian belief that God raised Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion, starting – or restoring – his exalted life as Christ and Lord ...

and argues that there is evidence to believe them.

''Cold-Case Christianity for Kids: Investigate Jesus with a Real Detective''

Wallace explains about testing witnesses, examining the evidence, and investigating the case for Christianity.

''God's Crime Scene for Kids: Investigate Creation with a Real Detective''

A mystery book in which readers explore evidence in Creation that points to God's existence.

''Forensic Faith for Kids: Learn to Share the Truth from a Real Detective''

Investigative skills development for children.

''So the Next Generation Will Know: Preparing Young Christians for a Challenging World''

Helping parents, youth leaders, and Christian teachers train the next generation with a Christian worldview.

''Person of Interest: Why Jesus Still Matters in a World that Rejects the Bible''

Wallace describes his investigative journey from atheism to Christianity.

Television and Movies

Wallace has appeared in several television productions and news broadcasts. His cold cases have been featured on ''Dateline'' (NBC). he has also been featured on '' North Mission Road'' (TruTV, formerly CourtTV). He appeared several times as a homicide consultant on ''Behind the Screams'' (Reelz Network). Wallace has hosted a weekly television show, ''Cold-Case Christianity'' (NRBtv),and appeared in ''

God's Not Dead 2 ''God's Not Dead 2'' is a 2016 American Christian drama film, directed by Harold Cronk, and starring Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe, David A. R. White, Hayley Orrantia and Sadie Robertson. It is a sequel to '' God's Not Dead'' (2014), and t ...

'' (PureFlix).

Dateline Appearances

Deadly Triangle. This episode describes the murder of Archie McFarland. The Night Before Halloween. This show features the murder of Robin Hoynes. Secrets in the Mist. This episode describes the murder of Carol Lubahn. The Wire. This two-hour show features the murder of Lynne Knight. The Threat. This Dateline episode features a case from 1988. It describes the murder of Barbara “Joan” Bradford who was shot to death in her home. The Murder of Teri Hollis. This Dateline web special features a case J. Warner Wallace's father originally investigated involving a young girl who was murdered in Torrance in 1972.

Personal life

Wallace is married to Susie who has been his co-author and editor. They have four children and live in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallace, J. Warner Christian apologists American Christian writers 1961 births Living people American Calvinist and Reformed ministers California State University, Long Beach alumni University of California, Los Angeles alumni Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary alumni Biola University faculty People from Torrance, California Converts to Protestantism from atheism or agnosticism Critics of atheism 21st-century Christians