The Nicene Council

Executive Council

Kenneth G. Talbot, Ph.D., Th.D. Chairman Dr. Talbot is the pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, Florida and President of Whitefield Theological Seminary. He has written numerous articles and books including his best selling Calvinism, Hyper-Calvinism, and Arminianism (co-authored with Dr. W. Gary Crampton.) He has served as the moderator for the Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly and is a much sought after conference speaker.

George Gatis, Ph.D., J.D. Legal Counsel Rev. Dr. George Joseph Gatgounis (Gatis), Esq . serves as legal advisor for NiceneCouncil.com. He was the first accredited Reformed and conservative chaplain at Harvard University since the 1930's. Harvard, which prides itself on ideological diversity, apparently found Gatis' credentials to be a welcome addition to its staff. His long retinue of degrees - four masters and three doctorates (Th.D., Ph.D., and a J.D.) - proved to be of value at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, school with its vaunted academic reputation. In other areas, Dr. Gatis has worked as a jail chaplain, evangelist, nursing home chaplain, a missionary in Cyprus, and Moderator of his Presbytery. He also serves part-time as counsel to the Rutherford Institute on the First Amendment, which he studied at Harvard. Dr. Gatis is no stranger to life-threatening pain -- he has suffered numerous surgeries to remove tumors. Dr. Gatis is a brilliant writer, with a forthcoming series of books, as well as a much sought after conference speaker, debater, and expository preacher. He currently lives in South Carolina and is a practicing attorney and part-time campus chaplain at the Citadel.

Gary DeMar, Ph.D. Gary DeMar grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is a graduate of Western Michigan University and earned his M.Div. at Reformed Theological Seminary. In 2007 he finished Ph.D. in Christian Intellectual History from Whitefield Theological Seminary. He has lived in the Atlanta area since 1979 with his wife Carol. They have two grown sons. Gary and Carol are members of Midway Presbyterian Church (PCA).

Gary is the President of American Vision and the host of two nationally syndicated radio shows: History Unwrapped-a 60-second vignette heard on more than 300 stations and The Gary DeMar Show-heard every day in several major markets from 3:00 to 4:00 PM EST.

Gary is also a prolific writer, having authored over twenty books covering a full range of topics. Dr. DeMar has been interviewed by Time magazine, CNN, MSNBC, FOX, the BBC, and Sean Hannity.

Brandon Vallorani, M.B.A., B.F.A Brandon grew up in the small town of Grafton, West Virginia. He currently serves as the Executive Vice President of American Vision. Brandon has his M.B.A. from Thomas More College and his B.F.A. from West Virginia University. He and his wife, Jan, reside in Dallas, Georgia, where they homeschool their four children. Brandon and his family are active members in a PCA church.

James F. Dietz, B.A., M.B.T.S. James F. Dietz is the Dean of Students and Director of Student Services at Knox Theological Seminary in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Jim graduated from Grand Rapids School of the Bible and Music in Grand Rapids, MI, and with honors from Knox Theological Seminary (MBTS '04) in Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Prior to coming to Knox Seminary, Jim served in pastoral ministry for over 20 years in Kansas and Utah. Jim and Becky have been married 31 years and are the parents of four adult children, and the grandparents of Isaac and Brenna. Jim is a member at New City Presbyterian Church in Coral Springs, FL where he serves as a Ruling Elder.

Mr. Brian Godawa is the director of Godawa Creative and the screenwriter for the award-winning feature film To End All Wars starring Kiefer Sutherland and Robert Carlyle. Most recently, he has been hired to adapt to film the best-selling novel The Visitation by author Frank Peretti and was previously hired to rewrite the ABC/Touchstone mini-series, Ghost Soldiers, based on the best-selling book by Hampton Sides. He has recently written A Summer for the Gods, a feature film about the Scopes Monkey Trial. His book Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment (InterVarsity Press) is in its seventh printing.