“The beloved community was a long project for Martin Luther King Jr., but the immediate thing was to change the structures that oppressed people, particularly with race, class, and militarism. I think he sounds a clarion call for churches even today.”
+ Dwight N. Hopkins, the Alexander Campbell Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School, and scholars from the Fuller community lecture on Martin Luther King Jr. and the social, cultural, and pastoral intersections of the Black experience. Dr. Hopkins was the featured speaker for the Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, January 21–25, 2019. The celebration included lectures, conversations, worship and more, and was sponsored by the William E. Pannell Center for African American Church Studies. Pictured right, students enjoy coffee and conversations before the lectures.
+ Dwight N. Hopkins, the Alexander Campbell Professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School, lectures on the tangible lessons from Martin Luther King Jr. on the relationships among race, economic hardship, and theology.
+ Alexis Abernethy, associate provost for faculty inclusion and equity and professor of psychology, responds to Dwight Hopkins’ lecture, focusing on psychological health, speaking truth to power, and her research on music and embodiment.
+ Kenneth Waters, associate dean of the School of Theology at Azusa Pacific University, responds to Dwight Hopkins’ lecture, focusing on the structural realities of poverty in Martin Luther King’s vision for justice.
+ Oscar Owens, Christian Education Director at West Angeles Church of God in Christ, responds to Dwight Hopkin’s lecture, focusing on the biblical basis for economic justice.
+ Lecturers and respondents of the 2019 Martin Luther King Celebration reflect with the audience on the implications of the day’s lectures for the broader American church. Listen to the audio versions of these presentations below.