A former atheist who found faith, Mary Jo Sharp has navigated two distinct American cultures: the post-Christian ethos of the Pacific Northwest and the evangelical landscape of the Bible Belt. Her introduction to apologetics began during her own search for answers. Mary Jo now serves as the Director of Strategic Initiatives at Search Ministries, a national organization with a passion for evangelism. She previously taught apologetics at Houston Christian University, where she played a key role in establishing their apologetics program.

Her insights have been featured in Christianity Today's article "The Unexpected Defenders," and she is sought after internationally as a speaker, especially in exploring how apologetics intersects with spiritual formation. She has authored works for the Lausanne Movement's Fourth International Congress on World Evangelism, as well as for Zondervan, Holman Bible Publishers, and Kregel Publications. She also contributed to the Worldview Study Bible and the LifeWay Women's Bible.

Mary Jo is the author of the widely used Bible study Why Do You Believe That? Her newest book with Zondervan, Why I Still Believe, reflects her commitment to engaging doubt and belief with intellectual seriousness and a deeply caring, personal approach.

She and her husband make their home in Portland, Oregon, where they enjoy the forests, the coffee, and the endlessly quirky charm of the Pacific Northwest.