Jacob Haywood

Hello! I am Jacob. I’m guessing you are here to either learn a little about me or to get in contact with me, so…you get to do both, or either, or neither! Anyways, here’s a little about who I am!

I hold a PhD in Christian Apologetics from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, with a focus on the problem of evil and suffering and also a Master of Theology in Applied Theology and a Master of Divinity in Christian Ministry.

I am an author. Battles in the Promised Land: Suffering, Hope, and the Abundant Christian Life, was published this year through Wipf and Stock Publishers. I have co-written the children’s book Uncreated God, which teaches children and parents about the existence of God through creation. I am a contributor to Lifeway Research and have had one article published in the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s Decision magazine.  I have one academic journal article, “O Felix Culpa…Christus Resurrexit: Resurrection and Plantinga’s Infinite Goods,” published in the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.

I am Pastor of First Baptist Church in Portland, TN, and have been in pastoral ministry for over fifteen years.

My wonderful wife is Sara, and we have an incredibly lively ten-year-old named Hudson, a beautiful seven-year-old princess, Hopelyn, a precious adopted three-year-old dream come true, Haddi Jo, and our newest addition, little handsome Henry Haywood!

Out of my passion for and studies within Apologetics, I founded Reason for Hope. Through it I seek to equip followers of Jesus to defend their faith, giving a reason for the hope that is within them. Also, hope amidst suffering is a core component of Reason for Hope and central to my focused PhD work in the problem of evil and suffering. I would love to come equip your church or group! Find out more here.

God has given me a passion to seek to answer tough questions in a simple, sometimes understandable way. Please contact me with any questions about faith or Christianity you may have and I will get back to you with an answer! I pray that I can be a motivation and encouragement for you to follow Jesus with every aspect of your being. He is worth it. He is so worth it.

If you would like to contact me with any questions, concerns, inquiry about speaking engagements, or prayer requests, I would absolutely love to hear from you! Fill out the form below and I will reply shortly.