Apologetics315 Launches Video Hosting for Apologists
By Kurt Jaros
In 2016, YouTube censored 21 videos from Prager University’s YouTube Channel (“PragerU”) because YouTube found them to be violating so-called “hate speech.” In 2018, Jordan Peterson, Dave Rubin, and well-known atheist Sam Harris left Patreon due to the crowdsourcing website’s activity in banning users unjustly. In the Autumn of 2021, Christian apologist David Wood published a video expressing his frustration and a willingness to stop making videos to his massive audience of 700K+ followers because he continued to be roadblocked by YouTube in publishing material. 1 part non-Christians reporting Christian material + 1 part YouTube bot = deleted videos, strikes on the account, and threats of channel termination. Wood had already been demonetized on YouTube, as some of his content went against the YouTube Partner Program policies, so it is not as if he had been generating ad revenue for himself from his work on YouTube (but YouTube was still making ad money on Wood’s videos!).
Christian ministries invest thousands of dollars into building a YouTube channel in order to equip Christians to defend the faith and win the souls of non-believers over for Jesus Christ. But how much longer will the internet’s video marketplace of ideas tolerate the Christian message? It already holds videos supporting traditional marriage and biological gender norms as “hate speech,” which presents an area of content (e.g., Christian sexual ethics) that is a no-go for Christian apologists. How much longer should Christians continue to play a paying hand against a stacked deck? What if we could create a platform that helps apologists grow their ministries instead of being stuck in the YouTube ecosystem?
For almost 15 years, Apologetics315.com has been a household name in the online apologetics community. It was a pioneer providing daily apologetics resources on the web. The site continues to be a treasure trove of aggregated apologetics resources and Brian Auten, the founder, produces a popular weekly podcast with his co-host Chad Gross. Last month, we launched a video hosting platform for Christian apologists to secure their online witness and take ownership of their subscribing audience. By building a video platform by and for Christian apologists, we are immune from the tech giants’ secular standard of ethics. Furthermore, we provide the apologist with their subscribers’ emails to help apologists grow their ministries … not just their Ap315 channel, but their overall ministries. Our platform provides detailed analytics so apologists can see who watches all of their content, the time a person spends watching the video, when viewers bounced away, etc.
At Ap315 we know we can’t compete against YouTube … it’s an ocean of viewers. Nevertheless, we’ve built a platform that apologists can depend upon and use in creative ways to help their ministries. It’s a website that offers Constructive Data, Content Security, Connectivity to the Target Audience, and Cross-Pollination. (I’m a fan of alliteration, if you couldn’t tell.) This is where you enter. Head on over to our video channels page and check out the video resources available. Subscribe to your favorite channel (or all of them!). While you’re at the site, create a profile, check out the social community, and start a conversation with someone about one of your interests in apologetics. There are no hyper-tailored ads about the vacation you spoke to your spouse about, the shed you did a Google search for 5 minutes ago, or every fifth post being an advertisement. It is a space set apart for learning about apologetics and networking with others.
Apologetics315.com continues to offer daily apologetics resources, now including video channels and a social community!
— Dr. Kurt Jaros is the Executive Director, Chairman of the Board of Directors, and Founder of Defenders Media. He also serves as the host of the Veracity Hill podcast.