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Christianity Today announced the hiring of Russell Moore to serve as a full-time public theologian for the publication and to lead a New Public Theology Project.
Moore previously worked as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC). He faced great backlash during the 2020 election after he expressed his opposition to the reelection of Trump.
“I’ve struggled with this decision because my gratitude for the honor of serving the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is so deep. As I conclude my time serving Southern Baptists as ERLC president, I am filled with gratitude as well as excitement for the future,” Moore said.
Moore received harsh criticism in 2015 when he referred to Trump as an “arrogant huckster.” In 2016, Moore spoke about Trump after audio footage leaked of him boasting about inappropriately grabbing women.
“What I’m concerned about is the reputation of evangelical Christianity,” he said. “When people previously told us character matters are now just waving away serious and shocking character issues as though they don’t matter at all.”
Moore came to ERCL in 2013 where he served as the dean, provost, and theology professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky. When Trump rose in the presidential election, Moore took on more political profile, and with his opposition to Trump, Southern Baptist megachurches stopped supporting the organization.
David Prince, chair of the ERLC’s trustees, defended Moore after the report, saying the ERLC “has served Southern Baptists faithfully during a time of political, cultural and, in some cases, denominational chaos.”
Christianity Today’s president and CEO, Timothy Dalrymple spoke about Moore joining the team.
“Russell has established himself as one of the most significant evangelical voices of our time. He illuminates the relevance of the gospel to the whole of life, from everyday matters of faith to the great debates in our society and culture,” Dalrymple stated. “Importantly, he does all of this in a voice that demonstrates what we at Christianity Today call beautiful orthodoxy, weaving together a deep commitment to the historic integrity of the church with a generous, charitable, and humble spirit.”