Dr. Craig Hazen is an internationally known speaker recognized for his spell-binding messages that combine great depth of knowledge with lively humor and captivating stores. He is always an audience favorite. People don’t normally expect a successful academic to be so accessible and engaging, but this award-winning speaker is full of wonderful surprises for your church or conference.
He is a Professor of Comparative Religion and Christian Apologetics at Biola University and Founder and Director of the Master of Arts Program in Christian Apologetics—the largest and highest ranked program of its kind in the world. He also directs the new Master of Arts Program in Science and Religion at Biola. For over a decade he has been the editor-in-chief of the philosophy journal, Philosophia Christi, the world’s top-circulating philosophy of religion journal.
He did his doctoral work in the prestigious Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara where he focused on the historical interaction of science, religion, and philosophy. He is a contributor to a range of scholarly journals and books including Wissenschaftund Religion, To Everyone an Answer, The Apologetics Study Bible, Passionate Conviction, Tough-Minded Christianity, A Mormon in the White House?, The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis, and a monograph from the University of Illinois Press entitled The Village Enlightenment in America. He also wrote the lead essay in a provocative book The New Mormon Challenge that helped open doors for high-level dialogue with key LDS leaders.
Hazen has contributed to two popular books nominated for Gold Medallion publishing awards and was a feature editorialist for an east coast newspaper focusing on the intersection of Christianity and culture. His latest work is a popular new novel titled Five Sacred Crossings.
Prof. Hazen holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Religious Studies, a B.A. in Biological Sciences, and has studied at the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France. His academic work and research has been recognized with multiple awards for excellence from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Religion. For a number of years he taught biology, chemistry, and computer science and ran a comparative animal physiology research lab at the California State University. He has been a fellow of University of California, Berkeley, The Intercollegiate Studies Institute, and the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center. As an instructor at the University of California, Prof. Hazen was nominated three times as teacher of the year and co-taught one of the largest single classes in the University of California system.
At Biola University he was named the winner of the Robert B. Fischer Award for Faculty Excellence, the highest faculty honor. Prof. Hazen is a very popular and engaging speaker and has lectured to audiences all over North America and Europe on religion and science, Christianity among world religions, the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus, and cultural trends in religion. He is known for his great content, humor, and the way he brings the Scriptures alive through unforgettable story telling. Hazen has lectured in the White House and U.S. Capitol multiple times, and has fielded questions from the Washington DC press corp. He is also a former co-host of a national radio talk program and is a regular on-camera expert for video and broadcast television. He became a Christian at age seventeen and has been married to Karen for over thirty years. They live in southern California and have four adult children.
"I have observed Dr. Hazen in various settings through the years—speaking at large events, churches, and defending the faith as a guest on my television program. I have been thoroughly impressed by his effectiveness, scholarly knowledge, and strong speaking skills. He is uniformly respected, both inside and outside Biola, as a Godly and gifted communicator." - Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Christ
"Dr. Hazen is more than a skilled communicator. He is among the best I have ever encountered. And you will think so too. I know this because I have seen and heard him do this in person, in my radio studio and from many stages. It is a gift, not a skills set to be learned, and God gave him this gift." - Hugh Hewitt, host of the nationally syndicated Hugh Hewitt Show
"Craig is an excellent communicator who has distinguished himself as a talented professor, a sought-after public speaker, and yet someone who can relate to people individually as well. Dr. Hazen has the rare ability of speaking to large crowds and making everyone in the audience feel like he is talking one-on-one with them" - Josh McDowell and Sean McDowell, authors, speakers
"I’ve observed Dr. Hazen uphold, communicate, and defend the truth of Scripture, yet in a way that embodies Jesus’ compassion and concern for people, and in a way that is accessible to everyone. I know from first-hand experience that the Bible is Craig’s authority and that he finds his direction and motivation from the pages of God’s Word. He is one of my exemplars." - Zeke Pipher, Senior Pastor, Heartland Church
"Craig brings genuine warmth to every public event at which he speaks, and endears himself to all through his transparent humility." - Don Sunukjian, Pastor and Professor of Public Speaking
"I have rarely come across a leader and speaker with greater capacity, creativity, and competence." - Curt Swindoll, national ministry consultant
"Craig’s life has been a model for those who are committed to reaching the lost for Jesus Christ. I have known him for years and have not seen him waver from his commitment to reaching the lost. He simply will not stray on this matter. He lives to reach people for Christ." - Kevin Lewis, Professor of Law and Theology
"I have invited Dr. Hazen to speak at student conferences around the country. In each of those conferences I have observed his ability to communicate with young men and women who are in the thick of a culture changing before our eyes. Unquestionably, Dr. Hazen understands the culture and the students who live in it. He reaches them powerfully with his messages." - Carmen Mayell, Youth Development Project
"As I have had the privilege of getting to know and serve with Dr. Hazen over the years, I’ve found him to be a unique and powerful blend of evangelistic passion, intellectual prowess, and interpersonal warmth and approachability. He is a truly engaging public speaker." - Mark Mittelberg, speaker and author