Richard Albert Mohler Jr. (born October 19, 1959) is an American
evangelical theologian, the ninth president of
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was ...
in
Louisville, Kentucky, and host of the podcast ''The Briefing'', where he daily analyzes the news and recent events from an evangelical perspective. He has been described as "one of America's most influential evangelicals".
Education and personal life
Mohler was born on October 19, 1959, in
Lakeland, Florida. During his Lakeland years, he attended Southside
Baptist Church. Mohler attended college at
Florida Atlantic University in
Boca Raton
Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...
in
Palm Beach County as a Faculty Scholar. He then received a
Bachelor of Arts from
Samford University
Samford University is a private Christian university in Homewood, Alabama. In 1841, the university was founded as Howard College by Baptists. Samford University describes itself as the 87th oldest institution of higher learning in the United Sta ...
, a private, coeducational
Baptist-affiliated college in
Birmingham,
Alabama. His
Master of Divinity
For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and divi ...
and
Doctor of Philosophy degrees in systematic and historical theology were conferred by the
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at ...
.
Career
In addition to his presidency at SBTS, Mohler was the host of ''The Albert Mohler Program'', a nationwide radio show "devoted to engaging contemporary culture with
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
beliefs." He currently produces a weekday podcast on the news, ''The Briefing'', in which he provides commentary on current events from a Christian point of view, often providing a historical background as well. He also regularly broadcasts interviews with various different people on a podcast called ''Thinking in Public''. He is former vice chairman of the board of
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family (FOTF or FotF) is a fundamentalist Protestant organization founded in 1977 in Southern California by James Dobson, based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The group is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations ...
and a member of the
Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) is an evangelical Christian organization promoting a complementarian view of gender issues. According to its website, the "mission of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is to set fort ...
. ''
Christianity Today
''Christianity Today'' is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. ''The Washington Post'' calls ''Christianity Today'' "evange ...
'' recognized Mohler as a leader among American
evangelicals
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
, and in 2003 ''
Time'' called him the "reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the U.S."
Mohler has presented lectures or addresses at a variety of conservative evangelical universities.
Mohler served as editor of ''The Christian Index'', the biweekly newsletter of the
Georgia Baptist Convention. From 1985 to 1993 he was Associate Editor of the