Allison, Moo recognized with Southwestern academic awards at ETS
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary recognized two prominent scholars during the annual Southwestern Alumni and Friends Reception held in conjunction with the 77th annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) Nov. 18-20 in Boston.
The James Leo Garrett Jr. Award for Contribution to Christian Thought was presented to Gregg Allison, professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky., and secretary of ETS. The Curtis Vaughan Award for Contribution to the Study of Christian Scripture was awarded to Douglas Moo, distinguished visiting professor of New Testament at Phoenix Seminary.
Nominated by the faculty of Southwestern Seminary and Texas Baptist College, the Garrett Award bears the name of the late distinguished professor of theology at the seminary. The award honors the individual who has excelled in contributions for the church in Christian thought in the areas of research, scholarship, teaching, and service.
“Gregg Allison is one of the most thoughtful and prolific theologians in Baptist life,” Southwestern Seminary President David S. Dockery said. “His works in the area of historical theology, the church, the Holy Spirit, anthropology and human embodiment, as well as contributions in significant other areas have established Dr. Allison’s reputation as one of the most respected Christian thinkers of this generation. We congratulate Dr. Allison as a worthy recipient of this year’s James Leo Garrett Jr. Award.”
Allison holds both Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He has authored numerous influential works on theology, including Historical Theology, Sojourners and Strangers: The Doctrine of the Church, and Roman Catholic Theology and Practice: An Evangelical Assessment. His extensive ministry experience includes 18 years with Campus Crusade (Cru), where he worked in campus ministry, and served as a missionary in Italy and Switzerland. In addition to his role as ETS secretary, Allison serves as the book review editor for theological, historical, and philosophical studies for the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society.
“Few theologians have contributed as much to Christian thought as Dr. Garrett, and for me to even be mentioned in association with him is an unprecedented honor,” Allison said. “I am humbled by and gladly receive this award.
“One very small contribution I was privileged to make to Dr. Garrett’s career was an endorsement of a set of his articles in The Collected Writings of James Leo Garrett Jr., 1950-2015: Volume Six: The Roman Catholic Church,” he added. “My endorsement captures something of my admiration for him and his work.”
The Vaughan Award, named in honor of the late distinguished professor of New Testament at Southwestern Seminary, honors the individual who has displayed excellence in research, scholarship, teaching, and service for the church in Christian Scripture.
“Doug Moo is recognized as one of the premier Pauline scholars of the past four decades,” Dockery said. “He has written widely on key exegetical and theological issues in the New Testament, especially those related to the writings of the Apostle Paul. His superb commentaries on Romans and Colossians, as well as masterful work on the theology of Paul, are widely respected. It is a joy to recognize Dr. Moo as this year’s recipient of the Curtis Vaughan Award.”
Moo, who was not able to attend the awards presentation in person, holds an MDiv from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a PhD from the University of St. Andrews. He joined Phoenix Seminary in 2025 as distinguished visiting professor of New Testament and previously served for many years on the faculties of Wheaton College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he taught New Testament studies and mentored generations of students.
Moo’s areas of scholarly expertise include Pauline theology, the letters of James and Hebrews, Bible translation, and creation care. He is a member of the Committee on Bible Translation, the team responsible for overseeing revisions to the New International Version (NIV). He also is active in the Evangelical Theological Society, the Institute for Biblical Research, and the Society of Biblical Literature.
“I was both surprised and gratified to be considered worthy of this award,” Moo said. “It is always encouraging to be recognized by others for whatever contribution I have been able to make to the cause of biblical understanding. At the same time, I feel very strongly that this should be a corporate award, shared with the many excellent students who have taught me so much over 45 years of ministry.”
In addition to the reception, Southwestern and TBC were represented during the annual ETS meeting with paper presentations by faculty and students. Southwesterners also are presenting at the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL) annual meeting taking place Nov. 22-25 in Boston. James Wicker, professor of New Testament, will present “Using AI to Turbo Charge Teaching the Bible” at the SBL event. Doctoral students Federico Fretes and Samuel Kim also will present at SBL. Fretes also was a presenter at the ETS event.
