Baylor University’s Truett Seminary Appoints Dr. Jamal-Dominique Hopkins as Associate Professor of Christian Scriptures

Baylor University’s George W. Truett Theological Seminary Dean Todd D. Still has announced the appointment of Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, PhD, as Associate Professor of Christian Scriptures. In addition to Scriptures classes, Dr. Hopkins will teach courses within Truett’s Black Church Studies Program. He will join the Seminary faculty on August 1, 2022.

“We look forward to Dr. Hopkins joining the Truett faculty,” said Stephen B. Reid, PhD, Professor of Christian Scriptures and chair of the search committee who recommended Hopkins. “He brings rigorous biblical scholarship and a talent for meeting students where they are. His generous Christian spirit will enhance the Truett and Baylor communities.”

Hopkins earned an associate’s degree from Pasadena City College, a bachelor’s degree from Howard University, a master of arts with an emphasis in biblical studies and theology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a PhD from the University of Manchester. His research interests include biblical studies and Late Second Temple Judaism, with particular emphasis on the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran literature.

Currently, Hopkins serves as Dean of the Seminary and Department of Religion and Associate Professor of Biblical Languages at Allen University’s Dickerson-Green Theological Seminary in Columbia, South Carolina. He is also a Pedagogy Fellow for the Christ and Being Human Project at the Yale University Center for Faith and Culture. He is an ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church, and is currently working on a book project regarding religious sacrifice in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

“I'm elated to welcome Dr. Hopkins to the Truett community and to Baylor more broadly!” added Malcolm B. Foley, PhD, Director of Truett’s Black Church Studies Program and Special Advisor to the President for Equity and Campus Engagement. “His expertise, energy, and scholarship will be a boon for students as well as his fellow faculty members. Particularly his work in biblical studies and Black political theology will continue to expand our understanding of what it means to be followers of Christ in an unjust world.”

In his spare time, Hopkins enjoys creating short amateur films, attending live theatre, and admiring God’s creation during nature walks. He grows rosemary, thyme, basil, and mint in his garden, which he uses to prepare unique meals for his wife, Karen, and their seven children when they come to visit.

Hopkins is looking forward to sharing his research and love for Scripture and intertestamental literature with Truett students and to contributing to the mission and vision of the Seminary’s Black Church Studies Program.

“I am thrilled to join the amazing faculty at George W. Truett Theological Seminary,” Hopkins shared. “My wife and I prayed that God would send us to an institution that is not only closer to home, but one that is also critically engaged in the life of the mind and in service to the Christian church. Truett Seminary is the answer to our prayers and a place we are now blessed to call ‘home’ starting in the fall of this year.”

Please join us in welcoming Jamal-Dominique Hopkins to the Truett Family!