Phillip Bethancourt, now lead pastor of Central in College Station, Texas and former ERLC executive vice president, joins Jeff Pickering, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik, and Travis Wussow to discuss how Christians can engage conversations on COVID vaccine hesitancy. Bethancourt’s church recently served their community as a vaccination site.

Guest Biography

Phillip Bethancourt is lead pastor of Central in College Station, Texas. Before he was called to pastor Central, he served as the Executive Vice President of the ERLC team for seven years. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University, class of 2004, and he then went on to earn an MDiv and PhD in Systematic Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Phillip and his wife, Cami, have been married since 2005, and have four boys. Phillip’s authored books and curriculum include: Exalting Jesus in Genesis, Christ-Centered Parenting: Gospel Conversations on Complex Cultural Issues, and Religious Liberty: How the Gospel Shapes Our First Freedom.

Resources from the Conversation

• Connect with Phillip Bethancourt
• Read the AP story where Phillip is quoted: Vaccine skepticism runs deep among white evangelicals in US by David Crary
• Listen to the episodes we referenced: NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins on the COVID-19 vaccines + Russell Moore on the ethics of the COVID-19 vaccines
• Read Dr. Moore’s Washington Post op-ed co-authored with Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals: Not the mark of the beast: Evangelicals should fight conspiracy theories and welcome the vaccines
• See more COVID19 related resources from the ERLC
• Subscribe to ERLC’s Policy Newsletter