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Abilene Christian University’s Baptist Studies Center and Siburt Institute for Church Ministry are jointly hosting a webinar on Feb. 13 featuring Dr. Russell Moore, the new editor in chief of Christianity Today and one of the leading public voices regarding culture and Christian ethics over the past few decades. 

The event will take place through Zoom at 1 p.m. CST Feb. 13 and is free and open to the public but requires registration.

Moore, along with hosts Dr. Myles Werntz, associate professor of theology and director of the Baptist Studies Center, and Dr. Carson Reed, executive director of the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry and dean of the Graduate School of Theology, will discuss the future of denominations in American Christianity. 

“Denominational life within Christianity nationally is largely in decline, both because of the rise of independent Christian movements and the decline of those affiliating with Christianity,” Werntz said. “For the last 20 years, Dr. Russell Moore has been intimately involved in shaping American evangelical life and brings that experience with him as the editor in chief of Christianity Today, one of the most widely read periodicals in the world on the Christian life. His experience, both within Baptist life and now as the head of the flagship Christian periodical in the United States, gives him a unique perspective both with respect to where denominations have been in the past, and where they may be going in the future.

In this conversation, Moore will talk about his own denominational journey and commitments, as well as what he sees on the horizon regarding the future of denominational life in the United States.

In addition to his editor in chief role, Moore is director of Christianity Today’s Public Theology Project. The Wall Street Journal has called Moore “vigorous, cheerful, and fiercely articulate.” He was named in 2017 to Politico Magazine’s list of top 50 influence-makers in Washington and has been profiled by such publications as The Washington Post and The New Yorker. He was president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention from 2013 to 2021. Prior to that role, Moore served as provost and dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, where he also taught theology and ethics. Moore is the author of several books, including The Courage to Stand: Facing Your Fear Without Losing Your Soul, Onward: Engaging the Culture without Losing the Gospel, and The Storm-Tossed Family: How the Cross Reshapes the Home. A native Mississippian, he and his wife, Maria, are the parents of five sons.

Learn more about the Siburt Institute for Church Ministry and the Baptist Studies Center.

— Wendy Kilmer

Feb. 6, 2023