Willie James Jennings

American theologian (born 1961)

The Reverend Dr. Willie James Jennings
Portrait of Jennings in 2023
Born	April 29, 1961
Spouse	Joanne Browne

Academic background
Alma mater	Calvin College Fuller Theological Seminary Duke University
Academic work
Institutions	Duke University Yale University
Notable works	The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race

Willie James Jennings (born April 29, 1961) is an American theologian, known for his contributions on liberation theologies, cultural identities, and theological anthropology. He is currently an associate professor of systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale University.

Biography

Jenning gained his B.A. in religion and theology at Calvin College in 1984, and his M.Div in Fuller Theological Seminary in 1987. He completed his Ph.D. in religion, with a concentration on theology and ethics, at Duke University in 1993, supervised under Geoffrey Wainwright. His Ph.D. dissertation topic is "Reclaiming the Creature: Anthropological Vision in the Thought of Athanasius of Alexandria and Karl Barth."^[1]

From 1990 to 2015, Jennings worked at Duke University Divinity School and taught theology and black church studies there,^[2] before he was appointed associate professor of systematic theology and Africana studies at Yale in 2015.^[3] He is an ordained Baptist minister and has served as interim pastor for several North Carolina churches.

The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race

In 2010, Jennings published The Christian Imagination,^[4] for which he received the American Academy of Religion book award in 2011,^[5] and the Grawemeyer Award in Religion in 2015.^[1]

Later, Jennings released Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible through the Belief Bible commentary series in 2017.^[6] He is currently^[when?] working on a major monograph provisionally entitled Unfolding the World: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation.^[7] He has also contributed to Religion Dispatches, a website run by University of Southern California concerning the intersection of religion, politics, and culture.^[8]

Critical response

The book has been praised for its incisive analysis of the historical and theological roots of racial inequality and its call for a more inclusive and justice-oriented understanding of Christianity. It has been influential in shaping discussions around race, theology, and decolonization.^[9]^[10]

Works

The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-30017136-5
Acts: A Theological Commentary on the Bible. Westminster John Knox Press, 2017. ISBN 978-0-66423400-3
After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman's Press, 2020. ISBN 1-46745976-3

References

^ ^a ^b "Willie Jennings". Faculty. Yale Divinity school. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
^ Jennings, Willie. "Becoming the common: why I got arrested in North Carolina". Religion Dispatches. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
^ "Divinity School to boost faculty diversity". Yale Daily News. Yale University. 11 November 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
^ Jennings, Willie (2010). The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-30017136-5.
^ "Willie James Jennings". Fuller Mag. Fuller Seminary. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
^ "Latest Release from Belief". WJK books. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
^ "Willie Jennings | Religious Studies". religiousstudies.yale.edu. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
^ "About". Religion Dispatches. Retrieved 5 November 2017.
^ "The Christian Imagination | Syndicate". Retrieved 2022-10-30.
^ Meyer, ~ Eric Daryl (2015-02-08). "The Ineradicable Supersessionism of the Christian Imagination". An und für sich. Retrieved 2022-10-30.

U.S. Black church denominations and leaders

General themes

Religion in Black America
Historically African-American Christian denominations
Clergy

Methodist

African Methodist Episcopal Church	John Adams Sr. Richard Allen Sarah Allen Benjamin W. Arnett George Lincoln Blackwell Morris Brown Jamal Harrison Bryant John Richard Bryant Richard H. Cain Archibald Carey Jr. Daniel Coker James H. Cone James Levert Davis Jordan Winston Early Orishatukeh Faduma Floyd Flake Carolyn Tyler Guidry Sarah E. Gorham William H. Heard Reginald Jackson Henrietta Phelps Jeffries Absalom Jones Ben Kinchlow Vashti Murphy McKenzie Biddy Mason Lena Doolin Mason Robert Meacham Lyman S. Parks Daniel Payne Charles H. Pearce Clementa C. Pinckney William Paul Quinn Reverdy Cassius Ransom Richard Henry Singleton Charles Spencer Smith Theophilus Gould Steward Henry McNeal Turner William Tecumseh Vernon D. Ormonde Walker Lewis Woodson
African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church	William H. Day Julia A. J. Foote James Walker Hood Thomas James Singleton T. Jones John Kinard Jermain Wesley Loguen John E. Price William Henry Singleton John Bryan Small Mary J. Small Jeffery Tribble James Varick Alexander Walters
A.U.M.P. Church	Peter Spencer
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church	William Yancy Bell William H. Miles

Baptist

Dexter Avenue Baptist Church	Vernon Johns Martin Luther King Jr.
First African Baptist Church (Richmond, Virginia)	Lucy Goode Brooks
First African Baptist Church (Savannah, Georgia)	David George
Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship	Paul S. Morton
Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention	Clinton Caldwell Boone Lott Cary
National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc.	Stewart Cleveland Cureton Joseph H. Jackson T. J. Jemison Willie James Jennings Henry Lyons Benjamin Mays W. J. Simmons
National Baptist Convention of America, Inc.	R. H. Boyd
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America	S. M. Lockridge
Progressive National Baptist Convention	Ralph Abernathy William Augustus Jones Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. Gardner C. Taylor
United American Free Will Baptist Church	Benjamin Randall