David P. Gushee
Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics
Ph.D. 1993, Union Theological Seminary in New York, Master of Philosophy 1990, Union Theological Seminary in New York, Master of Divinity 1987, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, B.A. 1984, College of William and Mary
Office: (678) 547-6457
Fax: (678) 547-6478
E-mail: gushee_dp@mercer.edu
Profile
David P. Gushee is the Distinguished University Professor of Christian Ethics and Director of the Center for Theology and Public Life at Mercer University. Raised in Virginia, he earned his Bachelor of Arts at the College of William and Mary (1984), Master of Divinity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (1987) and both the Master of Philosophy (1990) and Doctor of Philosophy (1993) in Christian Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York. He has taught for twenty years in fulltime and guest capacities and lectured widely in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.
As Distinguished University Professor, Dr. Gushee teaches at McAfee School of Theology and throughout Mercer University in his specialty, Christian ethics. As Director of the Center, he organizes events and courses to advance quality conversations about major issues arising at the intersection of religion, ethics, and public policy. Beyond his work at Mercer, he is the co-founder and board chair of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, a columnist for the Huffington Post, Washington Post, and Associated Baptist Press, a regular contributor to the editorial page of USA Today, and a contributing editor for Christianity Today. Dr. Gushee also currently serves as co-chair of the Scriptural/Contextual Ethics Consultation of the American Academy of Religion, on the editorial board and board of directors of the Society of Christian Ethics, and on the Church Relations Committee of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he has also taught.
He has published twelve books, and many hundreds of essays, book chapters, articles, reviews, and opinion pieces. His books include the award-winning Kingdom Ethics, as well as Righteous Gentiles of the Holocaust, Getting Marriage Right, and Only Human. He was the principal drafter of both the Evangelical Climate Initiative (2006) and the Evangelical Declaration against Torture (2007), and is a leading progressive evangelical activist as well as scholar. He is regularly quoted in major national media of all types, including the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Gushee’s research interests focus on issues emerging at the intersection between Christian faith, ethics and public policy. He is the author or editor of twelve books in ethics, most recently The Future of Faith in American Politics (Baylor, 2008) and Religious Faith, Torture, and Our National Soul (Mercer, 2010). His next book project, a major scholarly work with Eerdmans Press to be released in 2012, explores the theological roots and implications of belief in the sanctity of human life—and the stark consequences of its rejection.
Dr. Gushee, his wife Jeanie, their daughter Marie and their cat Noah reside in Atlanta, Georgia. They attend First Baptist Church in Decatur, where he teaches a weekly Sunday School class. David is a rabid Atlanta Braves fan and, at 48, still very much enjoys playing tennis and basketball with his students.