NASHVILLE, Tenn., July 16, 2024 —The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention announced the 2024-2025 Research Fellows at its annual gathering this week in Nashville, Tennessee. The Research Institute is an initiative of the research team at ERLC designed to provide a collaborative space for Southern Baptist researchers and academics to serve the commission and SBC churches on critical theological, ethical, and policy matters in their respective areas of expertise.
Fellows gathered this year to hear lectures and papers as they discussed topics related to this year’s theme, “40 Years of Baptists Engaging with the Naked Public Square,” reflecting on the 40th anniversary of Richard John Neuhaus’ seminal work The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America.
The ERLC Research Institute is made up of four senior fellows and a large cohort of other fellows from across Southern Baptist life including churches, academia, public policy, law, and medicine. The new class of fellows will assist the ERLC in its mission by producing a variety of materials to equip Southern Baptists and churches to engage ethical and cultural issues of the day in the areas of life and bioethics, religious liberty, marriage and family, and human dignity.
“It was a tremendous privilege to host this gathering of committed Southern Baptists, who the Lord has greatly gifted in their various areas of expertise,” said Miles Mullin, director of research and vice president and chief of staff for the ERLC. “Each has a strong desire to use those gifts to serve the churches and a firm commitment to the Baptist Faith & Message. This gathering, then, represents the sort of confessional cooperation that we aim to facilitate as we work to advance the mission of ERLC under the leadership of ERLC President Brent Leatherwood.”
The ERLC Research Institute has a long history within the organization and was established by the organization in 1999 under former president Richard D. Land, who currently serves in the institute as an emeritus fellow.
Jason Thacker, ERLC senior fellow and director of the ERLC Research Institute, commented on the role of the Institute and its priorities for the upcoming year.
Our fellows represent some of the very best from Southern Baptist life and are leaders on critical theological, ethical, and philosophical issues that the church is facing in our rapidly changing culture. I am proud to serve alongside these men and women as we seek to bring both clarity and conviction to the pressing questions that those in our churches and society are asking. Each of these fellows are committed to boldly engage our neighbors with the truth of God’s word and the hope of the gospel message.
The 2024-2025 ERLC research fellows include:
- Nathan Finn, professor of faith and culture, North Greenville University
- Gregg Allison, professor of Christian theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
- RaShan Frost, lead pastor of The Bridge Church, North Charleston, South Carolina
- Bart Barber, pastor, First Baptist Church in Farmersville, Texas and immediate past president of the Southern Baptist Convention
- Thomas Kidd, research professor of church history, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
- Adam Groza, president, Gateway Seminary
- Matthew Martens, trial lawyer, author
- Katie McCoy, director of women’s ministry for Baptist General Convention of Texas
- Brooke Medina, vice president of communications, John Locke Foundation
- Paul D. Miller, professor, Georgetown University
- Andrew T. Walker, associate professor of Christian ethics and public theology, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
- Ryan Tucker, senior counsel, Alliance Defending Freedom
Learn more about ERLC Research online to access free resources.
