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Laura Zifer Powell

Laura Powell (née Zifer; born 30 November 1976) is a Christian apologist, disciple-maker, speaker, writer, and public policy enthusiast.

Early life and Spiritual Conversion

Born in Florida, Laura and her family moved often throughout her childhood. Due primarily to her parents’ frequent moves, she never attended the same school for more than two years. She moved away from home at age 15 to live and train at Van der Meer Tennis Academy in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. She earned a full tennis scholarship to Duke University, and helped her team finish in the top five of the NCAA all four years, including a second-place finish her senior year.

During her senior year at Duke University, Laura had what she describes as a supernatural encounter with the Lord which convinced her that God is real, that he has certain standards for his people, and that she had violated those standards. She knew she deserved to be rejected and punished by God, but she begged him for another chance and promised to live her life for him. A few days later, she attended an Athletes in Action meeting at the invitation of a friend, where she heard the good news that Jesus had paid the penalty for her sins so that she could be forgiven and adopted into His family. She committed to trusting and following Christ for the rest of her life, whatever the cost.

After graduation, rather than pursue her plan to be a lawyer/lobbyist, she committed to a one-year ministry and discipleship program called Doulos Ministries, where she was discipled by mature Christians while living with and caring for troubled teenagers. She describes it as the hardest year of her life and yet also the most valuable because she grew immensely in her walk with the Lord. By the end of that year, she knew she wanted to serve in vocational ministry long-term.

A couple years later, Laura went to Denver Seminary, where she studied hermeneutics, theology, church history, the Bible, pastoral counseling, and more from some of the most outstanding Christian scholars in the world. She describes this as one of her favorite seasons of her life.

Career

Laura has devoted her adult life to ministering to others with the truth of Christ resurrected. For many years she has written and taught women’s Bible studies, discipled women, provided pastoral counseling in the U.S. and abroad, ministered to Muslims around the world, and equipped Christians with the scientific, philosophical, and historical evidence for the truth of Christianity. She currently writes, teaches, and creates videos for Women in Apologetics and through her own ministry, An Affair with Reason.

Personal Life

Laura met her husband, Scott Powell, at Duke University, where they both committed their lives to Christ. They have dozens of spiritual children all over the world as they have devoted their lives to ministering in a combined total of 70+ countries between them.

Major Influences

• Craig Blomberg
• William Lane Craig
• Wayne Grudem
• Greg Koukl
• Nancy Pearcey
• Nabeel Qureshi
• J. Warner Wallace
• David Wood

Works

Articles

• Why I Stopped Sharing My Personal Testimony (2020)
• Is Christianity a Religion? (2020)
• The Burden is Light? (2020)
• The Greatest Barrier to Reaching Muslims (2020)
• The Problem with Claiming God’s Promises (2020)
• The Islamic Dilemma: A Game-Changer for Conversations with Muslims (2020)

Website

https://www.laurazpowell.org/ Category:Theologians Category:Theologians by nationality Category:Theologians by religion