Matt Hawkins is a Senior Acquisitions Editor for B&H Publishing Group (trade), an imprint of Lifeway Christian Resources.
He also serves as chair of the board for the national non-profit, The One America Movement, partnering with faith communities across religious, political, and racial divides to confront toxic polarization.
Leadership profile assessments are available upon request, including The Predictive Index, Gallup Clifton Strengths, DISC, and The 6 Types of Working Genius. CV is available here (PDF).
Matt’s role as a developmental editor of trade books parallels his Ph.D pursuit. His subject matter expertise, academic focus, and original content flows from a 20+ year career at the intersection of religion and politics. Recent projects include doctoral studies (public theology), adjunct faculty in philosophy & religion, and cohosting the podcast Crossing Faiths.
Prior to his current Ph.D work at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Matt completed an M.A. in Ethics and Public Affairs (Philosophy) from George Mason University and a B.A. in Business & Administration from Belmont University. Prior to joining B&H Publishing, he served as adjunct faculty in the philosophy department of Columbia State Community College.
A native of West Virginia, Matt previously served as a Policy Director for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) in Washington, D.C. The ERLC is the public policy arm of America’s largest network of Protestant Christian churches with over 46,000 congregations nationwide. Through broadcasting and government relations, a 17 year career with the ERLC provided Matt with a front seat to the nation’s debates involving religion and politics (2001-2018).
Matt’s experience in Washington included leadership in The International Religious Freedom (IRF) Roundtable, as co-chair of the Congressional Working Group and later on the Steering Committee. The IRF Roundtable is perhaps the most politically and religiously diverse gathering in DC, uniting across deeply held divisions to advance a most basic human right—religious freedom—around the globe.
Matt was the founding host & producer of the ERLC’s Capitol Conversations podcast for 4 years, interviewing other advocates and policy makers including members of Congress and ambassadors. Matt has published at The Wall Street Journal, The Gospel Coalition, ERLC.com and in a collaborative chapter in the academic title, The Rhetoric of Religious Freedom in the United States (2017), “Persuasive Ambassadors: The Southern Baptist Commitment to Religious Freedom for All”.
Matt and his wife, Crystal (a nurse practitioner), live with their daughter in the greater Nashville, TN area (Lebanon, TN). When not hanging out with family or thinking about religion and politics, he enjoys restaurants and cooking with his wife, serving his local church, and occasionally banging on a vintage drum kit from the 1960’s.
