Westmont Magazine A New Moon on Campus

Gary W. Moon will be the first director of the Martin Family Institute and Dallas Willard Center for Spiritual Formation at Westmont. He comes from Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, where he was executive vice president/provost and professor of psychology and spirituality, and also serves as director for the Renovaré International Institute for Christian Spiritual Formation and as editor-in-chief for Conversations: A Forum for Authentic Transformation.

“Dr. Moon is a man of great spiritual depth and wisdom who will help make Westmont a leader in the discipline of spiritual formation,” says President Gayle D. Beebe.

Moon has authored several books, including “Apprenticeship With Jesus: Learning to Live like the Master” and “Falling for God: Saying Yes to His Extravagant Proposal.”

“I believe history will judge the life and writings of Dallas Willard to be among the truly exceptional contributions of our generation,” Moon says. “That’s why I look forward to promoting the ideals of this new endeavor.”

“The purpose of the Willard Center is preparing a new generation of Christian leaders to articulate the philosophical, theological and biblical rationale for developing an interactive relationship with Christ,” says Trustee Patty Martin, who along with her husband, Eff, made a significant gift to Westmont to establish the institute and center. In the future, the Martin Family Institute plans to develop additional centers focused on world Christianity and the role of Christianity among the religions of the world.

Moon earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Georgia and a master’s of divinity and doctorate in clinical psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. He serves on the advisory board for the American Association of Christian Counselors and the editorial boards for The Journal of Psychology and Christianity and Marriage and Family: A Christian Journal. His research focuses on the theoretical and practical integration of psychology and theology, and has published or presented more than 100 professional and popular papers.