MACON, Ga. (ABP) — David Gushee, a Baptist theologian and author, has been named to the position of distinguished university professor of Christian ethics at Mercer University.
Gushee currently serves as a professor of philosophy at Union University in Jackson, Tenn. At Mercer, he will be based in the James and Carolyn McAfee School of Theology in Atlanta and is expected to teach interdisciplinary ethics courses throughout the school.
McAfee dean Alan Culpepper said Gushee stands in the tradition of such great Baptist ethicists and social activists as T.B. Maston, Henlee Barnette, and Glen Stassen.
“Dr. Gushee is widely recognized among Baptists and evangelicals for his prophetic voice on such vital issues as creation care, torture and human rights,” Culpepper said. “We look forward to the consciousness-raising that he will bring to McAfee and the recognition that his work will bring to Mercer.”
Mercer President Bill Underwood also praised Gushee as “one of the country's leading voices in the field of Christian ethics.”
“He not only is an outstanding teacher and a prolific scholar, he is frequently called upon by the popular press to comment on contemporary ethical and moral issues facing our country and our world,” Underwood said. “He is an evangelical Christian who is committed to broad ecumenical and interfaith engagement. Mercer is extraordinarily fortunate to attract him to our faculty.”
A native of Virginia, Gushee is a graduate of the College of William and Mary, where he earned a bachelor of arts degree in 1984. He received the master of divinity degree from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1987 and earned a master of philosophy degree and a Ph.D. in Christian ethics from Union Theological Seminary in New York.
A columnist for Christianity Today, Gushee has written or edited nine books, and has published scores of articles, book chapters and reviews. His 2003 Kingdom Ethics: Following Jesus in Contemporary Context, with Glen Stassen, was named Theology/Ethics Book of the Year by Christianity Today. It has been used as a textbook at such schools as Yale, Princeton, and the University of California at Berkeley and has been translated into Japanese, Bulgarian and Spanish.
“I look forward to helping enhance the ethics offerings at McAfee and in the university in general, and particularly the study and practice of ethics…,” Gushee said. “I believe Mercer is a place where I can continue to serve the evangelical world through my teaching, writing and activism while also engaging in significant interfaith dialogue.”
An ordained Baptist minister, Gushee is married to Jeanie. They have four children.
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