Theological Bootcamp

by Douglas W. Phillips, Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., Michael Butler

You believe in the Bible, but can you defend the canon of Scripture? You know that God's Law should be binding on men, but which laws are still applicable? You trust that God is sovereign, but how do you work through such thorny concepts as the will of man and election? You want to tell the world about Christ, but do you lack the biblical confidence on how to defend your faith against cynics? These and other foundational issues are the subject of our Theological Bootcamp, volumes I and II. Recorded in a local church in San Antonio, Texas, this series includes the clear and helpful teachings of Dr. Ken Gentry, Dr. Michael Butler, Jeff Pollard, and Doug Phillips. Whether you are a father seeking to disciple his family, a church shepherd wanting to provide excellent material for Bible studies, or a Christian student hoping to be rooted in the foundational doctrines of the Faith, Theological Bootcamp I and II will help you to fulfill the biblical mandate to "be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Peter 3:15).

Audio CD

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Doug Phillips is a sinner, saved by grace. God was pleased to place him in the home of Howard and Peggy Phillips, two outstanding parents who loved him and poured their lives into him. His father personally discipled Doug for much of his life, taking Doug with him around the country, such that Doug had traveled with his family through 49 of the 50 states by the time he was 18. His father — a former candidate for President of the United States who served as Acting Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity under Richard Nixon — faithfully read both Old and New Testament to him at the dinner table, taught him constitutional law, public policy, and communicated to Doug a remarkable passion for history. They listened together to more than 2,000 audiocassettes on history, books, and theology.

As a young man, Doug was also discipled by Robert Gifford, a great preacher of the Word and pastor of Sovereign Grace Baptist Church, who communicated to Doug a passion for Christian apologetics and the sovereignty of God. Because of his father’s work as a statesman, Doug had the opportunity to spend time with, and learn from, many of the great Christian leaders of the last 30 years. It was during this time, however, that Doug came to realize that the greatest witness a man could offer for Jesus Christ was not what he knew, but how he lived his life as a father and a husband. It was at this time that God began to build a vision in Doug’s life for seeing the restoration of biblical manhood, godly femininity, and the Christian home.

While running a Christian newspaper in college, Doug met Beall, a young woman who ran a ministry to unwed mothers called “Alternatives to Abortion” (interestingly enough, Beall herself had been adopted). Five years later, on “the happiest day of my life — except for every day after that,” Doug and Beall were married. Doug attended law school for the purpose of developing skills that would help him defend home educators and Christian parents from State tyranny. He graduated from George Mason School of Law, where he studied under judges Robert Bork and Doug Ginsberg. He served for six years at the Home School Legal Defense Association in multiple capacities including staff attorney and Director of the National Center for Home Education.