Dr. David Wood, a Christian apologist who led a troubled life prior to becoming a Christian, recently admitted to committing statutory rape against two underage girls decades ago. Wood, a former atheist, is the founder of the Acts 17 Apologetics ministry. On his “Apologetics Roadshow” YouTube channel, he often criticizes the Islamic faith.
On the Nov. 9 episode of “Apologetics Roadshow,” Wood, 49, confessed to having sex with a 13-year-old girl and a 15-year-old girl when he was 18. Back then, he said, he didn’t care about any possible consequences. The incidents took place “before I went to jail,” Wood said, referencing his 1994 arrest for assaulting his father with a hammer.
The apologist, who became a Christian in 1996 while incarcerated, used his confession to criticize Muslims and their beliefs. Because Muhammad reportedly married a 6-year-old girl and consummated the marriage when that girl was 9, Wood said the prophet was a rapist and a pedophile.
Editor’s note: This article references sexual abuse, which some readers may find disturbing.
Apologist David Wood: ‘I Was Bad’ Before Finding Jesus
Near the end of a six-hour conversation on “Apologetics Roadshow,” Christian apologist David Wood mentioned that someone was going to “expose” him, so he decided to come clean himself. While admitting he had sex with the two underage girls, Wood emphasized that both of them were post-pubescent.
One girl “flung herself at me,” he said. With the other one, he had anal sex. “I did nothing against their will,” Wood said in his defense. “I didn’t forcibly do anything.”
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“If you want to condemn me for it, condemn me,” Wood told viewers. “I’ve done all sorts of messed-up stuff in my life.” He added, “That was my criminal life, before I became a Christian…So, I was bad…I tended to be the bad boy.”
After assaulting his father, Wood was diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. He described making plans to burn down someone’s house, noting that he was “born without” a sense of right and wrong. “If I hadn’t gotten locked up when I did, I would have done way worse” stuff, said Wood.
While in prison, Wood heard about Jesus from an inmate who had walked into a police station to confess years of criminal activity. “Where would I be right now if God hadn’t used that one act of faithfulness?” he asked.
Wood never faced criminal charges for the statutory rapes. Those incidents happened when he was out on bond, he said, awaiting trial in Virginia for assaulting his father.
