Dwight Nathaniel Hopkins (born 1953) is an American

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

and ordained

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

minister who serves as a professor of theology at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

Biography

Hopkins was born on February 22, 1953, in

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

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. In 1976, he graduated

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

with a

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

. He earned his Master of Divinity (1984),

Master of Philosophy The Master of Philosophy (MPhil; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. In the United States, an MPhil typically includes a taught portion and a significant research portion, during which a thesis project is conducted under supervision. An MPhil ...

(1987), and

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is ...

(1988) degrees from Union Theological Seminary. He has a second earned PhD degree from the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

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 US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

–sponsored global project. Hopkins is a member of and teaches at Trinity United Church of Christ.

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

was also formerly a member of this church.

Theology

Hopkins is a constructive theologian focusing on contemporary models of theology, black theology, 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 ** ''Un ...

. 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 be ...

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

, and the source of some recent controversy. Hopkins attends and has spoken in defence of the Trinity United Church of Christ, 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 Christian theologians Baptists from Virginia Harvard College alumni Liberation theologians Living people Religious leaders from Richmond, Virginia Union Theological Seminary (New York City) 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