NASHVILLE (AP) - Russell D. Moore, a theology professor from Biloxi, Miss., has been elected as the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

The nation's largest Protestant denomination said on Tuesday that Moore will start on June 1 in his new role as the top ethics official, who will address social and moral concerns and their implications on public policy issues, such as gay marriage.

He follows Richard Land, who was a well-known spokesman for the convention before retiring last year after 25 years in the position. Moore is dean of the School of Theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

He is a widely recognized preacher, writer and commentator on faith, culture and politics.