We do not have a one-note constituency. Born in Richmond, Virginia, Hopkins received his B.A. from Harvard and his Ph.D. from Union Theological Seminary, where he studied under Cone. Before joining the Divinity School faculty in 1996, he taught at Santa Clara University. Though victims of systemic racial discrimination, most African American churches fall short in identifying evil and God s presence in larger social analyses and visions. They should also, he suggests, borrow from the social sciences methods of cultural inquiry that lead them to a specific understanding of how the poor and the marginalized actually live their lives.
Ultimate concerns reside in the flesh of everyday life.
Currently, Hopkins is working on two more books, both due out next year. In addition, Hopkins plans to edit a book compiling the lectures of the Divinity School conference speakers. I want to clarify where it came from.