KANSAS CITY (BP) – The new Center for Public Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary aims to equip the church “for theological engagement in a fallen order and a secularizing public square,” as described by MBTS President Jason Allen.
Allen has named Owen Strachan as the center’s director.
Strachan, 35, joined Midwestern Seminary’s faculty as associate professor of public theology in June 2015. He is the author or coauthor of eight books and has served as president of the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood since 2014.
Allen, addressing Midwestern’s alumni and friends luncheon June 15 during the SBC annual meeting in St. Louis, said, “In being a seminary that exists to serve the local church, the CPT offers another vital training tool to equip pastors, missionaries and ministry leaders to fulfill the Great Commission amidst a lost and morally-confused culture.”
Strachan said the Center for Public Theology will engage the public square from a worldview “created by sound doctrine.”
“It’s my hope that the CPT can help believers think well about our world and engage it as Gospel-shaped salt and light,” Strachan said.
Currently at the CPT website – http://cpt.mbts.edu – are several culture commentaries by Strachan, including “The future is not determined: on millennials and politics,” “Your gender is too small: man as male and female” and “The Gospel is bad news for our stereotypes.”
Future initiatives of the center, Strachan said, include a lectureship series, podcasts and additional essayists.