Dwight Nathaniel Hopkins (born 1953) is an American

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

and ordained

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

minister who serves as a professor of theology at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

Biography

Hopkins was born on February 22, 1953, in

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. In 1976, he graduated

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

. He earned his

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

(1984),

Master of Philosophy A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

(1987), and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(1988) degrees from

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

. He has a second earned PhD degree from the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) (, ) is a public university, public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university status in 1918, making it the oldest univer ...

in South Africa, which became a basis for his book ''Down, Up and Over: Slave Religion and Black Theology'' (2000). Hopkins is currently professor of theology at the Divinity School of University of Chicago. Hopkins is the communications coordinator for the International Association of Black Religions and Spiritualities, a

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a $25,000 (about $550,000 in 2023) gift from Edsel Ford. ...

–sponsored global project. Hopkins is a member of and teaches at

Trinity United Church of Christ Trinity United Church of Christ is a predominantly African-American megachurch with more than 8,500 members. It is located in the Washington Heights community on the South Side of Chicago. It is the largest church affiliated with the United C ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

was also formerly a member of this church. In 2024 he was named Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Theology

Hopkins is a constructive theologian focusing on contemporary models of theology,

black theology Black theology, or black liberation theology, refers to a theological perspective which originated among African-American seminarians and scholars, and in some black churches in the United States and later in other parts of the world. It contex ...

, and liberation theologies. He defines black theology as "how God, or the spirit of freedom, works with the oppressed black community for their full humanity." According to Hopkins black theology started with a full-page ad in the New York Times in 1966 by a few black pastors asking for a "theological interpretation of black power." Today it focuses on the area of asking how to include black churches and how to serve them in a crisis. He began working with black theology when a colleague gave him a two-page article about it by James H. Cone from the

Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...

. After meeting with the dean at the seminary to discuss points in the article he was enrolled in their master's program and Cone was his new advisor. Hopkins has commented on, and mentioned as a source of inspiration for black liberation theology by

Jeremiah Wright Jeremiah Alvesta Wright Jr. (born September 22, 1941) is a pastor emeritus of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, a congregation he led for 36 years, during which its membership grew to over 8,000 parishioners. Following retirement, his b ...

. Wright was lead pastor at the church attended by presidential candidate

, and the source of controversy regarding Obama. Hopkins attends and has spoken in defence of the

, often supporting Wright. Hopkins explains Wright's use of "God damn America" was taken out of context as it was theological wordplay, using the word "damn" straight out its specific meaning in the original Hebrew: "It means a sacred condemnation by God to a wayward nation who has strayed from issues of justice, strayed from issues of peace, strayed from issues of reconciliation". Hopkins also stated that attacks on Wright are actually attacks on the very institution of the black church: "To caricature and attack Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. is to attack the Black church in America.... Attempts to muzzle him and Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago exemplify a bad omen for every African American preacher and every African American church in the country. And with the Black church censored, other Christian churches will be the next in line."More Than a Sound Byte: Wright Wasn't Wrong By Gordon Jackson April 14, 2008
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Works

*''Being Human: Race, Culture, and Religion'', 2005. *''Cut Loose Your Stammering Tongue: Black Theology in the Slave Narratives'', revised and expanded edition, 2003; co-editor. *''Global Voices for Gender Justice'', co-editor with Ramathate Dolamo and Ana Maria Tepedino. *''Heart and Head: Black Theology Past, Present, and Future'', 2002. *''Religions/Globalizations: Theories and Cases'', 2001; co-editor. *''Black Faith & Public Talk: Essays in Honor of James H. Cone's "Black Theology and Black Power"'', 1999; editor. *''Down, Up & Over: Slave Religion and Black Theology'', 1999. *''Introducing Black Theology of Liberation'', 1999. *''Liberation Theologies, Post-Modernity, and the Americas'', 1997; co-editor. *''Changing Conversations: Religious Reflection and Cultural Analysis'', 1996; co-editor. *''Shoes That Fit our Feet: Sources for a Constructive Black Theology'', 1993. Named an Outstanding Book on Human Rights by the Gustavus Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights in North America. *''We Are One Voice: Essays on Black Theology in South Africa and the USA'', 1989; co-editor. *''Black Theology in the U.S.A. and South Africa: Politics, Culture, and Liberation'', 1989.

References

Staff Page at Divinity School, University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago News Experts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Dwight 1953 births 20th-century American theologians 20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States 21st-century American theologians African-American Baptist ministers African-American theologians American Baptist Churches USA ministers American Baptist theologians Baptists from Virginia Harvard College alumni Liberation theologians Living people Religious leaders from Richmond, Virginia Union Theological Seminary alumni University of Cape Town alumni University of Chicago Divinity School faculty Writers from Richmond, Virginia 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century Baptist ministers from the United States 21st-century African-American academics 21st-century American academics 20th-century American Protestant theologians