WALNUT SHADE – Vincent Tichenor, the newest member of the Missouri Baptist Apologetics Network (MBAN), is a medical doctor with a family practice in Walnut Shade. He also works urgent care in addition to running his own practice. He brings the perspective of medical science to the defense of the Christian faith, alongside the varied expertise of his 23 fellow apologists.
As people wrestle with issues such as abortion and gender identity, Tichenor brings biblical, academic, and philosophical perspectives to the table.
He has a longstanding interest in apologetics and philosophy, getting started in the study while in high school.
Vincent Tichenor
“I read C.S. Lewis’s books ‘Mere Christianity’ and “The Problem of Pain,” he said.
Tichenor said when he was growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s in Missouri, “Christianity was not seen as an intellectual pursuit by many in academia.” He added, “The false belief was perpetuated that it has to be either science or religion.” In other words, the two were mutually exclusive.
He found affirmation that science and faith are compatible during his undergraduate studies at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.
“The founders of the scientific revolution were theists,” said Tichenor. “Their pursuit of science was founded on a worldview that believed there is order in the universe, and we can discover that order.”
He discovered that statements such as those from Isaac Newton rang true: “This most beautiful System of the Sun, Planets and Comets could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.”
Newton’s greatest published work was “Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica.” The above quote comes from the epilogue of this work.
Tichenor likes addressing several areas of apologetics in his studies and teaching. He is adept in his defense of Christian doctrine. “The Sunday School class I teach is named ‘Defending the Faith,’” he said. “We go through various Christian doctrinal areas and answer questions that might challenge those doctrines. Doctrines we address include the doctrine of revelation, God’s attributes, the Trinity, the doctrine of Christ, and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.”
For example, the title of a lesson about omnipotence is: “Can God create a rock too heavy for Him to lift?”
Tichenor also is interested in the field of philosophical apologetics—the branch of apologetics that uses philosophy, reason, and logic to defend and explain Christian truth claims. He follows apologist and philosopher William Lane Craig on topics such as arguments for the existence of God, as well as the use of logic to show that Christianity is a robust faith.
And he studies natural theology—the branch of philosophical apologetics that seeks to utilize arguments based solely on general revelation to justify belief in God’s existence. One such argument is the Kalam Cosmological Argument for the existence of God, which is the modern take on an old medieval argument. It was formulated by William Lane Craig and states: “Anything that begins to exist has a cause. The universe began to exist. Therefore, the universe has a cause.”
General revelation concerns what God has revealed about himself in creation, conscience, and reason. This makes God’s existence and certain attributes evident, but not sufficient for salvation.
God also reveals himself in special revelation – namely, Scripture and the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Tichenor and his wife Kaila have been married 13 years. Kaila is the daughter of retired MBC team leader Rick Hedger. The Tichenors have two children, ages 10 and 12. Their home (and the office for the medical practice) is located on the north edge of the Branson area in Walnut Shade. They are members of First Baptist Church, Forsyth.
Tichenor said when he is not practicing medicine or teaching apologetics, he likes to pursue road cycling, woodworking, and auto repair.
To reach him, check out his bio on the MBC Apologetics website: www.mobaptist.org/apologetics/mban.