Dr. Gary Osmundsen (M.A. ’06) grew up in a loving home but felt spiritually empty, until a life-changing encounter with Christ that eventually led him to Talbot School of Theology. Today, he’s a committed family man — married to Julie and father of four children — and an assistant professor of philosophy at Grand Canyon University, where he aims to “embody for my students and mentees the virtues, insights and orientation toward God and reality that each of my professors uniquely embodied for me,” he said. Talbot Magazine recently caught up with him for a Q-and-A.

Q: Share briefly about your upbringing, family, and place you grew up.

I grew up in the small, beautiful, rural and water-surrounded town of Cape May, New Jersey. This is where my parents, Gary and Jackie, were high school sweethearts who became parents right after graduation. We grew up in a home built on the love, care and support my parents fostered through their shared devotion (married 53 years and counting), sacrifice and unwavering commitment to us. Despite being raised in a loving and nourishing home, my soul experienced spiritual malnourishment. After 22 years of chasing counterfeit candidates of happiness, I found myself in a dark ditch of depression. Praise be to God, I eventually became the blessed beneficiary of Jesus’ Good News of forgiveness, regeneration, union and fellowship with God — the Trinity — and have been a disciple of Jesus for over 32 years.

Q: How did you hear about Talbot? What led you to come to the school?

After my sudden and life-altering conversion to Christianity, I faced a new set of challenges from family, friends and professors. In short, I needed to find recourse to address the intellectual challenges and, at times, outright attacks on God’s existence, the divinity of Jesus, and the alleged abuses and incoherent claims associated with Christianity. I believe God providentially introduced me to Christian thinkers like J.P. Moreland and William Lane Craig. Back then, I was ordering cassette and VHS recordings of Bill’s debates. And when I read J.P.’s book Love Your God With All Your Mind, I immediately wanted to study under him. So, when I inquired into Biola’s M.A. in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics program and discovered that both J.P. and Bill were professors there, it was an easy and exciting decision to spend the next season of my life studying at Biola.

Q: Share some of your favorite memories from Talbot. What did you gain the most from your time at Talbot?

One of my favorite memories was an answered prayer and lifelong friendship that ensued. After my first year, I prayed for either a more affordable living arrangement or a compatible roommate. Days later, the program administrator called, offering me a spot at “The Philosophy House,” which reduced my living expenses by 40%. My new housemate, John Kwak, eventually became the best man in my wedding, and I was his. What I gained the most from my time at Talbot was learning from some of the best Christian exemplars that happened to also be some of the best Christian philosophers in the world. My professors gave me so many examples of how to both live well (in general) and model what exemplary teaching and scholarship looked like (specifically). Indeed, one treasured memory I have is serving as J.P. Moreland’s teaching assistant, a relationship that grew into a lasting friendship. Learning from him continues to shape my journey as a follower of Jesus, husband, father and philosophy professor.

Q: What are you doing now in the ministry? How did Talbot prepare you for this?

I currently have the privilege of teaching philosophy at Grand Canyon University (GCU), a Christian institution where I have been blessed serving since 2016. It is deeply humbling to be entrusted with the hearts and minds of over 400 students each year, a responsibility that I do not take lightly. I teach a variety of philosophy courses, including a 300-level class I designed called Knowledge and Reality, which covers epistemology and metaphysics. (I get to teach out of J.P.’s and Bill’s Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview — how cool is that!) Recently, I completed a co-authored book with three GCU colleagues titled, An Introduction to Philosophy: A Christian Guide to the Things That Really Matter, which will be published by Zondervan Academic in March 2025. I believe Talbot School of Theology prepared me exceptionally well for this ministry by providing exemplary Christian philosophers and theologians as role models. Without the education and mentors who invested their time and effort in my formation — first as a Christian, and then as a Christian philosopher — I would not be able to offer my students and colleagues the kind of character, goods and services they deserve.

– Interview by Ben Shin

 

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