Matt Kloos, a senior electrical engineering student at the University of Iowa, has served as the UIowa Ratio Christi president for the past 3 years. He has been a role model to other students and has also served as a leader in Cru.  Even though Matt is a walking encyclopedia of Christian apologetics, he humbly articulates his Christian faith with gentleness and respect. This past spring semester Matt led his fellow Ratio Christi students by presenting Greg Koukl’s “Tactics” along with his own work on “How to Share Your Christian Faith with People Who Disagree.” In the interview below, Matt briefly discusses his faith walk with Christ, how he became interested in apologetics, and what Ratio Christi and the Legatus Christi award means to him.

When did you come to Christ as Lord and Savior, and how did that come about?

I grew up in a very evangelical family in which God’s name was constantly glorified. For that, I
am immensely grateful. I accepted Christ into my life at an early age but never became more
than, at most, an infant in Christ until high school. I can’t tell you exactly at which moment I was justified by Christ, but I know Christ has truly transformed my life. He is the reason for my
existence, and my amazing heavenly Father. My journey in Christ has been a process, but there was a distinct point in my life when Christ took hold of me.

How did you become interested in apologetics, and how did you get involved with Ratio Christi?

During the summer before my Senior Year of high school, I was taking a college speech course.  One of the requirements of the course was a final presentation which had to be persuasive in
nature. While trying to decide what to talk about, I “stumbled” upon a little video by J Warner Wallace on the reality of the resurrection of Christ. From that one video, I was hooked. Until
then, it never even occurred to me that there could be good, logical reasons for faith in Christ.  At that point, every hour not spent on math homework became about learning more about the reasons for why Christianity is true.

Eventually I gave my speech in which I demonstrated using history, science, and philosophy that the God of Christianity truly exists. Now that I think about it, maybe I should have limited the
scope of my presentation, given the 9-minute time limit. Either way, after the speech, I realized that I did not want to stop learning about apologetics. So, I just continued learning as much as I
could possibly learn during the fall semester. This led to my love of theology, and in the

process, my love for God exploded. Ever since discovering apologetics, my faith has blossomed like a lovely flower, and my relationship with God has become far more intimate.

What impact has the Ratio Christi ministry had on your walk with God and your personal ministry?

Ratio Christi has helped my increase in my knowledge of apologetics and theology, but most
importantly, it has helped me grow in my walk as a Christian. Through Ratio Christi, I have
learned how to help steward the information I have learned to other curious students of Christ.  The community we have built has also helped show me how to walk in this world in a Christ
honoring way. I especially thank Jim for always modelling how to treat people with dignity,
respect, and kindness, no matter who they are.

What were some of your favorite areas of involvement and highlights serving with this RC chapter?

I loved teaching a few lessons on using apologetics to be more effective in evangelism. It is our role as ambassadors of Christ to be as effective witnesses as we can by the grace of God.

However, I have to say my favorite part about Ratio Christi is the plethora of fascinating
tangents we dig into over the course of the semester. The members of Ratio Christi are always asking fascinating philosophical and theological questions to one another. I just love how iron always sharpens iron during our meetings. Even when students debate with one another, the
conversations are always polite, kind, and productive. I will always love Ratio Christi for the fact that its members are relentless in pursuing truth with one another.

What does the LegatusChristi award mean to you?

To me, this award is a responsibility to embody what it represents. If I were to take this award
and use it to build myself, then it is worthless. If I got this award, only to put it on the wall and
forget my mission, then it is worthless. What is important is the calling God has placed on me and on each one of us as Christians to be effective communicators of the good news to the lost world around us. This is our mission. And Christ is our true reward-wait, scratch that-our
truly free gift!

How do you envision taking the apologetics you have learned through 
Ratio Christi into your future endeavors?

I have many plans for using the apologetics I have learned. From teaching classes at my local
church to the YouTube channel I have started, I plan on helping other Christians learn more
about what we believe and why we can reasonably believe it. In my evangelism, apologetics plays an extremely important role for answering critical objections to the gospel. I do not see any reason why that should change as I continue to talk about the greatest news in history.

What are your short and long-term career/ministry/mission plans?

In the short term, I have started an apologetics/theology-based YouTube channel. I am planning on becoming an engineer and spending my life with my soon-to-be-wife.

On the long term, I would love to formally teach in some capacity. Either at a local church or as

a part of some other organization. Other than this, I plan on becoming an entrepreneur and
writing several books.

Would you consider coming back to work with your RC chapter, starting one at another school, or working with RC in any other capacity?

That is certainly possible. As I mentioned above, I see myself teaching, but that is likely a few years out. However, whenever God wants to place me in such a role, God willing, I would love to help Ratio Christi spread to another school.

What would you say to other students who might be considering getting involved in Ratio Christi, whether they be skeptics, seekers, or 
believers?

Do it! Apologetics absolutely changed my life because of Christ. Join, investigate apologetics, and don’t
turn back!