Richard Wilson is the Columbus Roberts professor of theology and chair of the Roberts department of Christianity in the college of liberal arts at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and, for 2014, the president of the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary.
Richard’s articles that have appeared on EthicsDaily.com are available here.
1. Where did you grow up?
I grew up in southern Indiana. Our family moved often, sometimes city to city (Salem, Bedford, Evansville) and sometimes within a city.
2. What is your favorite Bible verse, book or story? Why?
The stories of Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37-50.
They continually remind me of the nuances and dynamics of a life of faith seen as a journey punctuated by challenges and possibilities, failures and successes, setbacks and advances and, in the end, the maturity to embrace them all.
3. What is your favorite movie? Why?
“On the Waterfront”
It is a gritty reminder of how oppression and injustice can be confronted nonviolently through courage and compassion.
4. Who are three of the people you admire?
Joe Cooper (my first mentor and teacher), Gerald Thomas (pastor) and Olu Q. Menjay (colleague).
5. What is one little known fact about yourself?
At the 1985 Southern Baptist Convention gathering in Dallas, I was the first person ruled out of order by convention president, Charles Stanley.