Baptist scholar and ethicist Andrew Walker is joining the faculty of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, according to today’s announcement from President R. Albert Mohler Jr.
Walker, who will remain director of research and senior fellow in Christian ethics with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, will be assistant professor of Christian ethics and apologetics at Southern Seminary.
Walker is a leading thinker in Christian ethics and public theology. In his role with the ERLC, Walker researches and writes about the intersection of Christian ethics, public theology, and the church’s social witness. The New York Times called him one of the most “undaunted” defenders of a biblical view of marriage, and he is the co-author of the 2015 book Marriage Is: How Marriage Transforms Society and Cultivates Human Flourishing. His writing has been featured in publications like National Review, First Things, and Public Discourse. Along with Russell Moore, he is co-editor of the nine-volume Gospel for Life series, published by B&H. His recent book, God and the Transgender Debate: What Does the Bible Actually Say about Gender Identity? won The Gospel Coalition’s Public Theology award in 2017.
“Andrew Walker is one of the most outstanding young scholars in his generation,” said Mohler. “I’ve known him for many years, and every year has brought only more confidence in him. God has gifted him with a keen analytical mind, and he is a passionate defender of biblical truth, the Christian worldview, and the sanctity of human life. On issues related to marriage, sexuality, and the dignity of life, Andrew Walker is stellar, and I am especially glad that he will be joining the faculty of Southern Seminary at this time.
“The great challenge in coming years is to prepare a generation of young Christians for the challenges they will face in the future. We are looking at a culture that is increasingly hostile to life, truth, beauty, goodness, and liberty. At the foundation of this crisis stands an assault upon the dignity and the sanctity of human life. Andrew Walker brings a comprehensive theological and biblical vision and an energetic commitment to apologetics to this task. I am thankful for this important addition to the Southern Seminary teaching faculty.”
In a statement about his hiring, Walker highlighted Southern Seminary’s long tradition of theological faithfulness and winsome cultural engagement. The opportunity to teach at the Southern Baptist Convention’s flagship seminary was an “honor and opportunity,” he said.
“To be a professor at Southern Seminary is to step in to a living legacy,” Walker said. “Since its beginnings, Southern Seminary has been a bellwether for evangelical trends in America; and under Dr. Mohler’s leadership, which returned Southern to the founders’ vision, it has stood for tradition, excellence, and theological conviction. Since first setting foot on the campus of Southern in 2008 as a Master of Divinity student, I knew this place was special. It has formed me, and I hope to carry forward its vision. It is of the highest honor to join the faculty of one of America’s most storied and premier theological institutions. As a Christian ethicist, I am excited to help future pastors, church leaders, and scholars understand the moral witness of the gospel and how to connect ethics to the mission of the church. I am grateful to the seminary’s leadership for this honor and opportunity.”
Walker is a three-time graduate from Southern Seminary, having earned his master of divinity, master of theology, and doctor of philosophy degrees in Christian ethics from the school. He also has a bachelor of arts degree in religious studies from Southwest Baptist University, from which he graduated summa cum laude in 2008. His dissertation was about religious liberty in evangelical social ethics and was supervised by Moore during the latter’s tenure at Southern Seminary. His rich academic background includes numerous fields of research, including sexual ethics, human dignity, gender, anthropology, and natural law. Walker’s deep Christian conviction will serve him well as a trainer of the next generation of Christian ethicists and apologists, said Matthew J. Hall, provost of Southern Seminary.
“The Christian landscape is starved for consistent biblical ethics and faithful Christian ethicists. At the crossroads between biblical orthodoxy and biblical orthopraxis lies the crucial discipline of Christian ethics. That’s why I am so delighted that Dr. Andrew Walker is joining this faculty. One of the brightest young minds in evangelical theology, Dr. Walker has quickly distinguished himself as a clear and consistent voice for biblical truth on some of the most significant issues of our time. He is a careful thinker, a prolific author, a skilled teacher, and a committed churchman.”
In addition to his academic responsibilities, Walker is an active member of his local church: Redemption City Church in Franklin, Tennessee. He teaches a weekly Sunday School class to fourth and fifth graders, leads a small group, and teaches a men’s theology group.
Hershael W. York, dean of the historic School of Theology at Southern Seminary, said Walker will provoke both “courage and compassion” among his students at Southern.
“I could not be more excited about Andrew Walker joining this faculty,” York said. “His incisive analysis of contemporary culture and his perceptive application of divine truth guides Christians in a consistent and comprehensive biblical worldview and provokes a courage and a compassion desperately needed in ministers and churches today. He is a potent and passionate addition to the renowned evangelical powerhouse faculty Southern Seminary students know and enjoy.”
Walker has three daughters with his wife, Christian: Caroline, Catherine, and Charlotte.