Faculty Appointments and Honors

June 18, 2015

For 86 years, Westminster Theological Seminary has been committed to assembling a world-class faculty, able to train our students as specialists in the Bible to proclaim the whole counsel of God. Recently we celebrated with you the appointments of Dr. Gregory K. Beale (PhD, Cambridge University) in New Testament and Dr. Iain Duguid (PhD, Cambridge University) in Old Testament. Their appointments are significant milestones toward our goal of a world-class faculty.

Today, we are pleased to celebrate additional announcements and honors. President Peter A. Lillback expresses, "The faculty is the heart of Westminster. And so I’m extremely grateful for our Lord’s providence in giving us such outstanding teachers for our student body. They represent not only the teachers of the next generation, but also the maturity of a lifetime of ministry.”

Rev. Dr. R. Kent Hughes (DMin, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) joins the practical theology department with more than 40 years experience in pastoral ministry, including youth ministry, church planting, and 27 years as senior pastor of College Church in Wheaton, IL.

He has authored or contributed to over 30 books, including Disciplines of a Godly Man and Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome. He is also senior editor of the acclaimed Preaching the Word commentary series, authoring many of the New Testament volumes himself, including Mark: Jesus, Servant and Savior, which received the ECPA Gold Medallion Book Award for best commentary in 1990.

Dr. Hughes is a founder of the Charles Simeon Trust, which conducts expository preaching conferences throughout North America and worldwide.

A festschrift was published in his honor in 2008. Preach The Word: Essays on Expository Preaching in Honor of R. Kent Hughes includes contributions by D. A. Carson, Wayne Grudem, John F. MacArthur, Bruce Winter, J. I. Packer, Phillip Jensen, Philip Graham Ryken, Peter Jensen, and more.

Dr. Hughes shares, “Two of the distinguishing marks of my pastoral ministry have been a commitment to sequential biblical exposition (lectio continua) and the development of my colleagues, ministerial apprentices, and interns as preachers of the Word. Westminster Theological Seminary, with its impeccable bibliology and long-standing commitment to Christ-centered biblical theology, provides a wonderful context for me to teach and impart my passions for preaching and pastoral ministry.”

Watch Dr. Hughes speak on the "Essentials of Biblical Exposition," from our most recent preaching conference.

Rev. Dr. Jonathan Gibson (PhD, Cambridge University) joins us as Assistant Professor of Old Testament. Dr. Gibson is associate pastor-scholar at Cambridge Presbyterian Church in England.

He is a contributor to and coeditor (with David Gibson) of From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective. He is also author of historical and biblical articles in Themelios, Journal of Biblical Literature, and Tyndale Bulletin, as well as "Obadiah" in the NIV Proclamation Bible.

Dr. Gibson shares, “For a long time now, I have admired Westminster’s theological distinctives and the seminary's commitment to training men and women for gospel ministry from a confessional basis. I look forward to being a part of how God is using Westminster to build his church throughout the world.”

Watch Dr. Gibson's recent lecture on Psalm 8.

Rev. Dr. Carlton Wynne (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) joins us as Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics. He has served as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America, and has co-edited with Derek Thomas Zeal for Godliness: Devotional Meditations on Calvin’s Institutes.

Dr. Wynne shares, “I count it a high and holy privilege to serve at Westminster Theological Seminary as a new member of the faculty. This is a place where theological convictions have, for decades, been shaped and sharpened and where godly zeal has been fueled for the glory of Christ. It is with this legacy in mind that, alongside those who have been my teachers for the past several years and are now my colleagues, I hope to love and serve Westminster's students. I am keenly aware of my need for the Spirit's help in this happy task and I ask for prayers that I would be faithful and effective.”

Watch Dr. Wynne's recent lecture on Wolfhart Pannenberg.

Other honors:

Also, current New Testament faculty member Rev. Dr. Brandon Crowe (PhD, University of Edinburgh) has been promoted to Associate Professor of New Testament.

We honor Prof. Michael Kelly (MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary) as he decides, after 17 years of faithful teaching with us, to pursue new opportunities in ministry. His comments can be read here.

Also, we would like to announce that Rev. Dr. David B. Garner (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary), Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, has added the role of Vice President for Advancement. He brings to this role years of experience not only in academic theology and teaching, but also in missions, pastoral ministry, and executive leadership.

Join us in honoring these men’s contributions in teaching, scholarship, and ministry, and to congratulate them in their next steps.