Judson Press publishes book commemorating Sankofa Institute’s first five years
VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 8/13/18)—Judson Press, the publishing arm of American Baptist Home Mission Societies, has published “Looking Back, Moving Forward: Wisdom from the Sankofa Institute for African American Pastoral Leadership,” edited by Dwight N. Hopkins, professor of Theology at the University of Chicago Divinity School. The book’s release commemorates the first five years of the Sankofa Institute’s establishment.
“Looking Back, Moving Forward” is a collection of lectures from prominent African-American professors, pastors and academics affiliated with the Sankofa Institute for African American Pastoral Leadership at Oblate School of Theology, through which the institute offers graduate degrees. Founded by Sister Addie Walker, the Sankofa Institute offers interdisciplinary and multidimensional programs for academic and professional development of pastoral leadership.
Programs focus on this key question: “How do we look back to learn as we move forward to celebrate and build new social relationships for our families, religious believers, communities and the world?”
While the institute features annual lecture events, it is more of a process “steeped in spirituality, relishing our cultural heritage, aware of political forces, and keen on the economic realities of the 21st century,” according to the book.
“The project focuses on how the black church remains a key to building healthy communities and individuals,” Hopkins notes. “And it offers visions and concretes on how to get there.”
The volume features well-known voices, including Allan Boesak, Cheryl Kirk-Duggan, Alton Pollard III, J. Alfred Smith Sr. and Reggie L. Williams.
Founded in 1824, Judson Press is a publishing ministry of the American Baptist Home Mission Societies, American Baptist Churches USA. It is committed to producing Christ-centered leadership resources for the transformation of individuals, congregations, communities, and cultures.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.
