Richard Mouw and Robert Millet

Dr. Richard J. Mouw has served as president of Fuller Theological Seminary since 1993, after having served the seminary for four years as provost and senior vice president. A philosopher, scholar, and author, Mouw joined the faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary as professor of Christian philosophy and ethics in 1985. Before coming to Fuller he served for 17 years as professor of philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has also served as a visiting professor at the Free University in Amsterdam.

A graduate of Houghton College, Mouw studied at Western Theological Seminary and earned a master’s degree in philosophy at the University of Alberta. His PhD in philosophy is from the University of Chicago.

Mouw has a broad record of publication. He has been an editor of the Reformed Journal and has served on many editorial boards, including currently Books and Culture. He is the author of 19 books, including The God Who Commands, The Smell of Sawdust, He Shines in All That’s Fair, Culture and Common Grace, Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport, Praying at Burger King, an expanded and revised edition of Uncommon Decency: Christian Civility in an Uncivil World,and most recently, Abraham Kuyper: A Short and Personal Introduction, The Challenges of Cultural Discipleship, and Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals.

Mouw serves as a panelist in the online forum “On Faith”offered by the Washington Post. In 2007 Princeton Theological Seminary awarded Mouw the Abraham Kuyper Prize for Excellence in Reformed Theology and Public Life.

Mouw has also participated on many councils and boards, and he currently serves as president of the Association of Theological Schools. He served for six years as co-chair of the official Reformed-Catholic Dialogue, and is a leader for interfaith theological conversations, particularly with Mormons and Jewish groups.

A leading voice in initiating civil dialogue with other faith communities, Dr. Mouw emphasizes in his recent book, Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals (2012), that “understanding Mormonism isn’t just about being nice, it’s a Christian mandate.” It is important, Mouw states, to move beyond denunciation to dialogue, allowing both parties to express differences and explore common ground.

Mouw’s wife, Phyllis, is an art historian who is involved in seminary and community programs. Their son Dirk, daughter-in-law Christine, and grandsons, Willem and Peter, live in Arkansas.

Dr. Robert L. Millet is a professor of ancient scripture and emeritus Dean of Religious Education at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Millet is a Latter-day Saint author and speaker with more than 60 published works on virtually all aspects of Mormonism. Millet co-founded the evangelical-Mormon dialogue.

He appears frequently as a commentator on BYUTV and in other visible roles at assorted media outlets as Manager of Outreach and Interfaith Relations for Church Public Affairs.

Millet is considered one of the foremost scholars on the Joseph Smith Translation (also known as the Inspired Version) of the Bible.

Millet received a Ph.D. from Florida State University in biblical studies and contemporary theology and a Master's Degree in Psychology from BYU. Millet has been a member of BYU faculty since 1983.

Millet has six children with his wife, Shauna Sizemore Millet, whom he wed in 1971.

For the past twelve years, Richard Mouw and Robert Millet have co-chaired a behind-closed-doors dialogue between about a dozen evangelicals and an equal number of Mormon counterparts. They have talked for many hours about key theological issues: the authority of the Bible, the person and work of Christ, the Trinity, “continuing revelations” and the career of Joseph Smith, the 19th century founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), better known as the Mormon Church. There is disagreement on some important theological questions. But they have also found that on some matters they are not as far apart as they thought they were.

Watch the half hour Inner Compass interview (episode #1311).

Presentations at Calvin University

Evangelicals and Mormons: A Conversation and Dialogue
Part of the: January Series
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 12:30:00 PM
Covenant Fine Arts Center Auditorium