New T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics Selected at Logsdon Seminary

A professor with ties to Texas has been selected to serve as the next T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon Seminary.

 Dr. Myles Werntz will begin his duties in January 2016. Werntz, who currently serves as Assistant Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies for the School of Ministry at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Fla., fills the Maston Chair previously held by Dr. Bill Tillman. Tillman, Professor of Christian Ethics Emeritus at HSU, served as the first Maston Chair from 2000 to 2012, and now serves as the Director of Theological Education for the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

 We are exceedingly pleased to have Dr. Werntz joining Logsdon and HSU in January,” said Dr. Lanny Hall, HSU President. “His significant scholarship, his past service in church ministry and his impressive academic record are exceptional. I believe he is uniquely qualified to serve in this important position.”

 In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Werntz will be responsible for planning and directing the annual T.B. Maston Lectures in Christian Ethics, and overseeing the publication of  “The Window”, a semi-annual publication designed to provide ministers with a practical, creative, substantive tool that will aid them in sermon preparation, research and ministry to the local church.

 “It is seldom that one finds the depth of scholarly achievement and teaching ability in someone so young as Dr. Myles Werntz,” said Dr. Donald Williford, Dean of Logsdon School of Theology and Seminary. “I am elated to have someone of his stature join the faculty of Logsdon Seminary. Dr. Werntz brings a solid understanding of Baptist life, an enthusiasm for teaching Biblical Ethics, and a thorough academic preparation to serve as the T. B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics.”

 Werntz earned his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English Literature from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Ark. in 2000, his Master of Divinity (M.Div.) from Truett Seminary at Baylor University in 2003, and his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Religion from Baylor University in 2011.

 From 2011 to 2012, Werntz served as a Temporary Lecturer of Theology at Truett Seminary, and from 2012 to 2014, a Postdoctoral Fellow at Truett. In 2014, Werntz assumed full-time teaching responsibilities at Palm Beach Atlantic University.

 “We are very pleased that Dr. Werntz has accepted the invitation to fill the Maston Chair at Logsdon,” said Dr. Thomas Brisco, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer. “A gifted classroom teacher, Dr. Werntz has already established himself as an emerging voice in the field of Biblical Ethics.”

 Werntz is the author of ” Bodies of Peace: Nonviolence, Ecclesiology, and Witness,”  as well as several other chapters and articles on ecclesiology, war and peace, and Christian witness. He also served as editor of two posthumous volumes of work by the Mennonite theologian John Howard Yoder.