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Feb 22

Meet Clarus ’16 Speakers and Thought Leaders

2016 | by Trent Hunter | Category: Clarus 16

This year’s Clarus speakers are what we might call thought leaders. They are doing the hard work of leading institutions and ideas that are sharing the way evangelicals are working through important issues in culture. In the next week we’ll post a list of the books that publishers are gifting to attendees (once again, four solid titles) and next week we’ll post a list of the many organizations and publishers that will be with us in our Books and Resources Room.

Today, we want to introduce you to our speakers if you haven’t taken a good look at them. One purpose of Clarus is to introduce you to the kinds of leaders and preachers that you’ll want to keep track of and learn from in year’s to come. Sometimes you already know them, as in the case of Alistair Begg or Paul Tripp. Sometimes you don’t, but you’ll be glad when you do, as in the case of our speakers most years and this year.

So, here are the men we’ve asked to come and address this year’s theme, Pilgrims in a Strange Land. Click through to some of their writings for a sense of what they’ll bring to our conference this year.

Owen Strachan

Owen Strachan (Ph.D., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) serves as Associate Professor of Christian Theology and the Director for Theological and Cultural Engagement at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as President of The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW), an organization 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.”

A well-established writer, Owen is author of several books, including: The Colson Way: Loving Your Neighbor and Living with Faith in a Hostile World, The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision, and Risky Gospel: Abandon Fear and Build Something Awesome. In addition, Strachan has authored popular articles for The Atlantic, First Things, The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, The Gospel Coalition, The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, 9Marks, and at his blog, Thoughtlife, hosted by Patheos. He can be found on Twitter at @ostrachan.

Justin Taylor

Justin Taylor (Ph.D., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is Executive Vice President of Book Publishing and Book Publisher at Crossway. Crossway’s aim is “to help people understand the massive implications of the gospel and the truth of God’s Word, for all of life, for all eternity, and for the glory of God.” Prior to this role, Justin served as Director of Theological Research and Education at Desiring God. He has been an elder at New Covenant Bible Church in St. Charles, IL, since 2010.

Justin is the co-author of The Final Days of Jesus: The Most Important Week of the Most Important Person Who Ever Lived, and has contributed to several volumes which he also edited, including: For the Fame of God’s Name: Essays in Honor of John Piper, Overcoming Sin and Temptation, and A God Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards. Justin writes regularly at his blog, Between Two Worlds, hosted by The Gospel Coalition. He can be found on Twitter at @between2worlds.

Andrew Walker

Andrew Walker (M.Div., The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) serves as the Director of Policy Studies for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), an entity of The Southern Baptist Convention whose purpose is to “engage the culture with the gospel of Jesus Christ and speak to issues in the public square for the protection of religious liberty and human flourishing.” In his role, he researches and writes about human dignity, family stability, religious liberty, public theology, and the moral principles that support civil society. He also examines how ethics inform public policy decisions and investigates the role that religion plays in American political culture. Andrew is currently a Ph.D. student in Ethics at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Andrew is author of the recent book, Marriage Is: How Marriage Transforms Society and Cultivates Human Flourishing, and a contributor for Sexual Brokenness and the Hope of the Gospel. He is managing editor of Canon & Culture and his writing and commentary has appeared in National Review, The Daily Caller, First Things, The Gospel Coalition, TIME, Public Discourse, The Federalist, and The Weekly Standard. He also serves as the Associate Director of the ERLC’s Research Institute. Prior to working for the ERLC, Andrew served as a policy analyst with The Heritage Foundation’s DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society. He was featured by the New York Times as one of America’s “undaunted” young leaders in defense of marriage. His writings can be found at AndrewTWalker.com. He can be found on Twitter at @andrewtwalk.

If you haven’t already, click here to register.