Personal Profile

Tom Gilson
Contact Me Directly

Hometown
Lebanon, Ohio

Credo
Christians do not hold the truth, we are held by it.

Portfolio
Strategy, Speaking, Writing

Past “Lives”
I grew up in a small but wonderful town in Michigan, spent 13 years in four different cities in Southern California, then 8 years in Orlando, followed by eleven years in Yorktown, VA, where American independence was won. I started out as a musician, then got involved in Christian ministry leadership.

My graduate degree is in Industrial and Organizational Psychology. Science and philosophy are things I do in my free time. Does that hinder my credibility here? I hope not. I do my homework, and I stick to things I understand, or if I have questions you’ll know about it in what I write. (You won’t see me arguing the fossil record here, for example–it’s not my field and I don’t pretend to have what it takes to learn it.)

I/O Psych is among the most quantitative (i.e. mathematical) of all the social sciences. The “hard” scientists sometimes say that none of the social sciences are really science, but this comes as close as you’re going to get. It has the advantage as well of trying to account for personality, which enters into a lot of my thinking about evidences for God, the ultimate personality. But the main question I invite you to ask is, “Does what I say make sense?” And if it doesn’t, by all means leave a comment and let me know!

I’ve been a strategic planner for the many and diverse ministries of Campus Crusade for Christ in the U.S. (The opinions in this blog are my own, not those of Campus Crusade for Christ.)

For about 2 years from 2010 to 2012 I worked with BreakPoint, the worldview ministry founded by Charles Colson, as a strategist and writer. I continue to write a monthly column for BreakPoint. I’m currently working in cooperative connection with King’s Domain in southwest Ohio.

Hobbies and Interests
My interests are of course reflected on the blog: Bible, science (and keeping the two in proper relationship), philosophy, ethics, strategy. In addition, I have a great family to spend lots of time with. Also, I swim a couple of miles just about every week at the local Y. When I get the time, I enjoy all kinds of outdoor sports, especially the quiet kind: hiking, canoeing, tent-camping, sailing, archery, cross-country skiing.

My Least Favorite Thing
Following slow ugly trucks, especially where the scenery could be so much nicer if I could only see it!

I have some computer skills, but boy, do I hate being viewed as a techie. I use Macintosh computers partly to ward off that thinking. (You don’t need to be a techie to have usable skills on the Mac. And if someone wants to know how to solve a Windows question, well, gee, I guess I just don’t know.)

My Real Passion
First of all, it’s Jesus Christ, who is the source of all life and love; and then my wonderful wife and two great kids! I love the church I’m in too, and Campus Crusade for Christ has been a truly great group to work with for many years.

Beyond that and wrapped all around it all, what I care about most is equipping Christians to be strong in their faith, knowledge, thinking, and strategies so that we can be more effective in reaching others everywhere with the life and love of Christ.

Books
Mentioned that already.

Movies
Almost never watch them. But I sure loved the Lord of the Rings trilogy. And on a semi-related note, I really loved the stage musical Les Misérables. What incredible music! What a deep, strong expression of what grace really means in Christ!

TV
Well, I’ve never yet watched an entire episode of Survivor, Friends, Seinfeld, CSI, or Everybody Loves Raymond. (Update December 2010: I’m not even sure what current popular TV shows I should tell you I haven’t watched yet. NCIS, 24, … ?) I think TV and I parted ways sometime around 1980, or whenever Mannix was canceled. (According to that website, Mannix was knocked unconscious 55 times, got shot at least 17 times, was blinded once, and always came out of it fine by the end of the show. It didn’t mention all the times his car went over a cliff. Now, is that great TV or what?)

Really, though, why watch the tube when I could be doing all the things I listed above? The big exception: anytime Michigan State sports is on the air (that’s my alma mater).