KANSAS CITY – Owen Strachan joined the Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary’s faculty on July 1, as associate professor of Christian Theology and as director of a forthcoming center for theology and culture.
Having previously served since 2010 in multiple roles at Boyce College and Southern Seminary, in Louisville, Ky., Strachan will undertake the duties of molding the next generation of God-called men and women at Midwestern Seminary.
“Dr. Strachan is one of the brightest young minds in the Southern Baptist Convention and the broader Evangelical world,” Allen said. “He is a gifted thinker and author, and we are thrilled to have him coming to Midwestern Seminary. There is no question he will further strengthen our accomplished faculty.”
Allen stated that in addition to his professorial duties, Strachan will hold the responsibility of engaging this generation’s most crucial issues in his leadership role over a soon-to-be-launched center designed to engage theology and culture.
“Dr. Strachan is both thoughtful and convictional, and he is the perfect man to lead our forthcoming center on theology and culture,” Allen said. “It will be a serious center, led by a serious man, engaging the most serious and urgent theological and cultural issues of our generation. And, ultimately, the center will serve the church, comporting with Midwestern Seminary’s mission to exist for the church.”
“It is a thrill to join a surging seminary,” Strachan said. “This is a rare privilege in our time, when many schools are moving away from traditional training. I love and share the robust vision of theological education that Midwestern Seminary has so effectively promoted. There is no more important work in the world than training future leaders of God’s church. This is life or death stuff. The blessing of the Lord is on this school, and it’s hard not to want to be a part of that.”
Strachan also elaborated on goals he’s set for his new roles at MBTS, saying, “This role will allow for maximal writing time, which is a calling on my life. I relish engaging the culture and believe that it is a vital part of doctrinal instruction. It’s my hope that the center for theology and culture will serve as a power plant for knowledge of the Word and the times.
“In sum, I’m fired up about training the next generation of pastor-theologians,” he added. “The days are evil and the world is shaking under our feet, but secularism, Islam, and sexualized postmodernism are, in reality, opportunities—gospel opportunities. I want to help train up an army of gospel Navy SEALs who do not fear the world; who laugh at Satan’s schemes; and who risk everything they have to show that Christ is all.”
The Maine native is a graduate of Bowdoin College (A.B. in History), Southern Seminary (M.Div. in Biblical & Theological Studies), and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Ph.D. in Theological Studies).
In roles within the SBC and greater Evangelical sphere, Strachan serves as president of the Council on Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, whose purpose is “to set forth the teachings of the Bible about the complementary differences between men and women, created equally in the image of God, because these teachings are essential for obedience to Scripture and for the health of the family and the church.” Strachan plans to maintain his role within the CBMW as he transitions to Midwestern Seminary.
He is also a contributing writer for The Gospel Coalition, a research fellow of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the SBC, and a fellow of the Center for Pastor-Theologians.
At SBTS, Strachan was director of the Carl F.H. Henry Institute for Evangelical Engagement, and at Boyce College, he served as chair of Gospel & Culture. Prior to his time in Louisville, Strachan was the full-time managing director of the Carl F.H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and associate director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at TEDS, which is in Deerfield, Ill.
A well-established writer, Strachan has published six books, including: Risky Gospel: Abandon Fear and Build Something Awesome; editor of The Pastor as Scholar, the Scholar as Pastor: Reflections on Life and Ministry by John Piper and D.A. Carson; Jonathan Edwards, Lover of God; Jonathan Edwards on Beauty; Jonathan Edwards on the Good Life; Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity; and Jonathan Edwards on Heaven and Hell.
In 2015, Strachan will have five more works published: The Colson Way (Thomas Nelson); Reawakening the Evangelical Mind (Zondervan); The Pastor as Public Theologian (Baker); Designed for Joy (Crossway); and Essential Evangelicalism: The Enduring Influence of Carl F.H. Henry (Crossway).
Strachan has written academic journal articles for Themelios, Trinity Journal, Fides et Historia, Journal for Biblical Manhood & Womanhood, Bulletin of Ecclesial Theology, and Theology for Ministry. Further, he has authored popular articles for The Atlantic, Washington Post, First Things, The American Spectator, The City, and Christianity Today. He writes regularly for 9Marks, The Stream and his Patheos blog, “Thoughtlife,” which was ranked a top-100 Christian website by ChurchRelevance.com.
He speaks regularly for churches and conferences, and has been profiled in World Magazine as a young evangelical leader and by Baptist Press for his pro-life work.
“Owen Strachan’s ready ability to contribute to the Midwestern faculty as a writing theologian, as well as an accomplished classroom lecturer, makes him a welcomed addition to our team of scholars and instructors,” commented Jason G. Duesing, Midwestern Seminary’s provost. “Like the Kansas City Royals, with all-stars at every spot on the field, we are having fun pursuing our gospel work with some of the greatest faculty in Evangelicalism.
“Strachan’s heart for training and shaping ‘pastor-theologians’ fits perfectly under our ‘for the Church’ banner and brings me great joy,” Duesing added. “That he also brings expertise on the great Evangelical theologian, Carl F.H. Henry, to the task of teaching theology could not come at a better time for theological education. In our day, we need the wisdom of Henry more than ever, and I am grateful Strachan can show us the way.”
Strachan will be relocating to Kansas City, Mo., with his wife, Bethany, and their three children.