Russell D. Moore has been elected as the new president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission by the entitys board of trustees.
Moore will follow Richard Land as the eighth president of the ERLC, which is the Southern Baptist agency dedicated to addressing social and moral concerns and their implications on public policy issues. Moore will begin his new responsibilities June 1. At that time, Land will become the entitys president emeritus, an honor bestowed on him by trustees in September. Land announced his impending retirement in July 2012.
Moore, a native of Biloxi, Miss., has served since 2004 as Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., where he is also Professor of Christian Theology and Ethics.
Moore is a widely recognized preacher, writer and commentator on matters related to faith, culture and politics. He is the author of books such as _Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches_ and _Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ_.
I am honored and humbled to be asked to serve Southern Baptists as ERLC president, Moore said. I pray for Gods grace to lead the ERLC to be a catalyst to connect the agenda of the kingdom of Christ to the cultures of local congregations for the sake of the mission of the gospel in the world.
Land lauded Moores election,
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I am delighted that the Holy Spirit has led the ERLCs trustees to Dr. Russell Moore as the commissions next president. Dr. Moore is a godly Christian minister, a devoted husband and father and a convictional, committed Baptist. His excellent academic preparation, combined with his keen mind and his tender heart for God and His people, make him a person uniquely suited to serve our Savior and Southern Baptists in this crucial role at such a critical moment in our nations history.
I join the trustees and ERLC staff in committing to pray for Russell and his dear family as he prepares to assume the tremendous responsibilities of the ERLC presidency.
The presidential search committee, led by Barry Creamer, vice president of Academic Affairs and Professor of Humanities at Criswell College, recommended Moore to the trustee board this week after a seven-month search process.
After praying, planning, meeting and working for months to find the man we believe God would have lead the ERLC, we are blessed by the board’s election of Russell Moore today, and confident that God will use his message to impact churches and the public marketplace of ideas for what is right, true and desperately needed today, Creamer said following Moores election.
A widely-sought cultural commentator, Moore speaks frequently to issues of ethics, evangelical engagement and religious liberty, having been quoted or published by many of the nations leading news agencies and periodicals.
Prior to entering the ministry, Moore served former U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) in a variety of roles during Taylors service in Congress.
Moore and his wife Maria are the parents of five sons.
His nomination to the position received affirmation from both political and religious leaders on the national stage, including:
bq. Never before has our nation needed Christian leaders in the Church who are both faithful and compassionate. Russell Moore embodies the honesty, integrity and fortitude of a man deeply rooted in the ways of God and of his Kingdom. His presence of mind and keen insights as a theologian and pastor are such that his work has not only benefited me personally, but many who serve our nation in public life. I have never read anything by Russell Moore that did not leave me with a strong impression that this was a man who could speak carefully and powerfully to the public square. I am deeply grateful for his life and look forward to his many future years of service. Bobby Jindal, Governor of the State of Louisiana
bq. I can think of no one more qualified in experience, in temperament, in passion and in doctrine to represent us as Southern Baptists on the most critical ethical issues of our day, and on the all-important issue of religious liberty, which I believe may be the civil rights issue of this next decade in America… . Rick Warren, Pastor, Saddleback Church
bq. I can think of no one more highly qualified to lead the Commission than Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Of Dr. Moores intellectual gifts, one need say no more than that they are formidable indeed. I have often said, and I repeat here, that he is the most brilliant theologian of his generation in any of the Christian traditions. Similarly, of his leadership skills, one need say no more than that they are exceptional. What he has accomplished at Southern Seminary is nothing short of amazing. He is truly a leader of men… . Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University and Visiting Professor, Harvard Law School
bq. The choice of Dr. Russell Moore to guide the work of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission comes at a strategic moment in both American and Baptist history. He has uniquely prepared himself spiritually, theologically, academically and politically for just such a moment as this. Placing a leader with the right convictions, a razor-sharp mind, and a moral compass that will not fail paints a bright picture for Southern Baptists future. He will have our full support and prayers. Paige Patterson, President, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
bq. Russell Moore will provide epic leadership for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. He will be an outstanding president who will make Southern Baptists proud and who will make the enemies of Christ tremble. He will provide a public voice Southern Baptists will follow and the secular world will respect… . The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary will greatly miss him, as will I, but we congratulate Southern Baptists on the wisdom of their choice. Russell Moore was made for this position of leadership, and for this hour. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
A full list of endorsersas well as more information about Moores life, education and ministryis available at “ERLC.com/MoorePressKit”:/moorepresskit/ (PDF, 2.6 MB). A press photo is also “available at erlc.com”:/images/erlc/rdm/RussellDMoore.jpg.
_The Southern Baptist Convention is Americas largest non-Catholic denomination with more than 16.2 million members in over 44,000 churches nationwide. The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is the SBCs ethics, religious liberty and public policy agency with offices in Nashville, Tenn. and Washington, D.C._
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