Gayraud Wilmore
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Gayraud Stephen Wilmore Jr. (December 20, 1921 – April 18, 2020) was an American writer, historian, ethicist, educator, and theologian, known for his role in the Civil Rights Movement and his scholarship related to the history of the
African-American church The Black church (sometimes termed Black Christianity or African American Christianity) is the faith and body of Christian denominations and congregations in the United States that predominantly minister to, and are led by, African Americans, ...
and the history of African-American religious experience, as well as his contributions to
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 ...
.


Early life and army service

Wilmore was born in
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
, to a mother who was a domestic worker and a father who was an office clerk. His father, a World War I veteran, founded the first Black
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...
Post in the state of Pennsylvania. In high school, Wilmore was active in drama club, wrote for the school newspaper, and briefly joined the
Young Communist League The Young Communist League (YCL) is the name used by the youth wing of various Communist parties around the world. The name ''YCL of ountry' originates from the precedent established by the Communist Youth International. Examples of YCLs includ ...
before graduating in 1938. After high school, he enrolled at Lincoln University, but was soon drafted into the United States Army. As a Buffalo Soldier, he served with the all-black 92nd Infantry division in Italy. After returning to the United States, he completed his studies at Lincoln University, receiving his
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
degree in 1947.


Ministry and academic career

Wilmore completed a
Bachelor of Divinity In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity or Baccalaureate in Divinity (BD, DB, or BDiv; ) is an academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies. ...
degree in 1950, also at Lincoln University. Soon after graduation he was
ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...
by the
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) The Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PCUSA, is a mainline Protestant denomination in the United States. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States too. Its theological roots lie primarily in the Scottish Reformat ...
and appointed pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He would serve that congregation for three years. During his time in West Chester he helped integrate the local school system, with one of his sons becoming the first black student to attend an all-white school. He began his first serious work related to civil rights when he was appointed to the PCUSA's Board of Christian Education's Department of Social Education and Action. He became an associate executive on the board, holding the position for five years. Wilmore then became a member of the faculty of
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Pittsburgh Theological Seminary (PTS) is a Presbyterian graduate seminary in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1794, it houses one of the largest theological libraries in the tri-state area. History Pittsburgh Theological Seminary was for ...
, where he worked from 1959 to 1963 as assistant professor of social ethics. In 1963, when the 175th General Assembly of the UPCUSA convened, it created the Commission on Religion and Race, naming Wilmore as its executive director. During his time as executive director, Wilmore oversaw several racial justice initiatives, organized protests, and trained ministers to participate in boycotts. He served as executive director from 1962 until 1972. Upon his retirement from the commission, he joined the faculty at
Boston University School of Theology The Boston University School of Theology (STH) is the oldest theological seminary of American Methodism and the founding school of Boston University, the largest private research university in New England. It is one of thirteen theological sc ...
, teaching social ethics there from 1972 until 1974. He then taught at
Colgate Rochester Divinity School Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School is a Baptist seminary in Rochester, New York. It is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA. History 1820s–1960: Early history Four Baptist institutions merged over the course of the 19th and ...
from 1974 until 1983, before joining
New York Theological Seminary The New York Theological Seminary (NYTS) was an American private non-denominational Christian seminary in New York City. It was founded in 1900 as the Bible Teacher's College. It ceased operating as an independent seminary on July 1, 2024. Throu ...
, where he served as dean of divinity until 1987. He moved again to teach
church history Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of t ...
at the
Interdenominational Theological Center The Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) is a consortium of five predominantly African-American denominational Christian seminaries in Atlanta, Georgia, operating together as a professional graduate school of theology. It is the largest ...
in
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
, where he also became editor of the school's theology journal. He remained at the school for five years before joining the faculty of
United Theological Seminary United Theological Seminary is a United Methodist seminary in Trotwood, Ohio. Founded in 1871 by Milton Wright, the father of the Wright brothers, it was originally sponsored by the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. In 1946, members o ...
in
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
, as an adjunct professor from 1995 until 1998. He died on April 18, 2020, at the age of 98.


Publications

Wilmore wrote or edited 16 books and is considered an internationally acclaimed scholar and theologian of the history of the
African-American church The Black church (sometimes termed Black Christianity or African American Christianity) is the faith and body of Christian denominations and congregations in the United States that predominantly minister to, and are led by, African Americans, ...
and
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 ...
. He was a contributing editor to ''Christianity and Crisis.'' Among his more popular books are ''Black Theology: A Documentary History, 1966–1979'' (edited with
James Hal Cone James Hal Cone (August 5, 1938 – April 28, 2018) was an American Methodist minister and theologian. He is best known for his advocacy of black theology and black liberation theology. His 1969 book ''Black Theology and Black Power'' provided ...
and published in 1979); ''Black Religion and Black Radicalism: An Interpretation of the Religious History of African Americans'', the first edition of which was published in 1973; and ''Pragmatic Spirituality'', published in 2004.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilmore, Gayraud 1921 births 2020 deaths Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School faculty Interdenominational Theological Center alumni Military personnel from Philadelphia Writers from Dayton, Ohio Writers from Philadelphia African-American theologians 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people