Oxford Study Tour

Meet the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture

Center for Faith and Culture | September 16, 2020
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A new academic year has begun. As you purchase your books, sharpen your pencils, and get adjusted to your new classes, we’d love to introduce you to the three Centers on the campus of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

The Center for Great Commission equips missionaries, those who carry the gospel to the nations. The Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership equips pastors, those who carry the gospel to the pews. And the Center for Faith and Culture helps you engage the intersection of faith and culture.

Faith should have everything to do with our day-to-day lives.

Who We Are

The L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture (CFC) is the hub of cultural engagement at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. We exist to educate you to engage the intersection of faith and culture so you can equip others, fulfill the Great Commission and glorify God in all your life. Dr. Ken Keathley serves as the Director of the CFC.

L. Russ Bush
Dr. L. Russ Bush

We also embody the life and ministry of our founder, Dr. L. Russ Bush (1944-2008). Dr. Bush was a noted philosopher, apologist, author, professor, pastor and friend. He spent his life serving the church, the Southern Baptist Convention and most recently Southeastern. He served as Academic Vice-President, Dean of Faculty and Professor. In 2006 he became Dean of Faculty Emeritus and the first Director of the CFC. As Academic Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty, Dr. Bush was instrumental in Southeastern reclaiming its sound theological heritage.

Dr. Bush’s guidance was foundational in the development of the CFC. This center is the materialization of a vision he had for many years. It was his passion to connect theology with culture to make the Gospel of Christ known. The CFC was named for Dr. Bush at its creation in 2006 because he embodied the vision and modeled the ministry of the CFC. The CFC seeks to continue Dr. Bush’s legacy.

Why We Exist

From an early age, we learn to place our faith in a box. We may pull it out on Sundays, but we neatly return it to its hidden place the rest of the week. As a result, faith has little to do with our day-to-day lives. We live, work and play as if God did not exist.

Faith deserves to be reunited with Monday to Saturday. Faith should have everything to do with our day-to-day lives. We should live, work and play for God’s glory.

How can you make faith impact the rest of your life? Practically speaking, what does it look like for faith to intersect with science, the arts and every aspect of culture? The CFC seeks to answer these questions so you can fulfill the Great Commission and glorify God with all your life.

What We Do

We host events.
The CFC regularly hosts events and conferences — bringing world-class leading scholars and thinkers to you. This year, our newly renovated CFC Meeting Room makes these events even better.

In recent years, the CFC has hosted everyone from musician Andrew Peterson to New York Times columnist Ross Douthat. We’ve also hosted conferences on everything from a debate on the Historical Adam to a conference on the age of the earth.

Ross Douthat
New York Times columnist Ross Douthat speaks in an event with the L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture.

This academic year, we have a fascinating lineup of events:

  • Online Drummond-Bush Lecture with Dr. Malcolm Yarnell (Oct. 2 at 7pm)
  • “Science, Philosophy and Theology”: CFC lecture with Dr. Dr. Jeffrey Koperski (Jan. 28, 2021 at 7pm)
  • “The Goodness of Creation and Human Responsibility”: A Faith+Culture Forum with Drs. Alister McGrath, Katharine Hayhoe, Norman Wirzba, Jonathan Wilson, Rusty Pritchard and Mark Liederbach (Feb. 18-20, 2021)

We write.
The Intersect Project is the blog of the CFC, and it serves as a hub for daily articles and videos at the intersection of faith and culture. In 5 years, Intersect has published more than 1000 posts and seen dramatic growth in readership.

We listen.
Christ and Culture is the brand-new podcat of the CFC. In it, Dr. Ken Keathley interviews leading thinkers on a wide-range of cultural topics so we can see how faith intersects with every aspect of our life.

We mentor.
The CFC Mentorship is designed to mentor a small number of students interested in thinking critically about crucial cultural issues in light of biblical Christianity. The group will meet twice per month with Dr. Kenneth Keathley and other guest speakers for thought-provoking discussions and fascinating group trips. Group members will also have assignments including short selected readings, questions for discussion and/or selected subjects for research.

We travel.
Each summer, a group of Southeastern students tour Oxford and learn about the rich history of scholars in a one of a kind trip abroad. Plus, they receive course credit.

Dr. Stephen Eccher on the Oxford Study Tour
Dr. Stephen Eccher on the Oxford Study Tour

Where You Can Find Us

The CFC is housed on the second floor of Patterson Hall on the campus at Southeastern. You can also like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.  

Patterson Hall. Come to the Table exhibit.
Patterson Hall

A version of this post originally published on Aug. 22, 2019.

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Center for Faith and Culture

The L. Russ Bush Center for Faith and Culture seeks to engage culture as salt and light, presenting the Christian faith and demonstrating its implications for all areas of human existence.

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