Dr. Caleb O. Oladipo became just one of 100 active members in the American Theological Society — the nation’s oldest organization dedicated to the production of dissemination of theological knowledge — when the organization nominated and elected him in April.
A professor and Snellings Chair of Evangelism and Christian Missions for Campbell University Divinity School since 2016, Oladipo called his induction into the Society “a great honor” not only for him, but for the University.
“The Society is one of the most exclusive professional organizations in the world, and some of the most well-respected theologians and leaders in theological education are members,” he said. “Membership does not exceed 100 at any given year, and it is by invitation from active members only. Having membership in the society is the envy of theological faculty across the United States and Canada, and it has been one of the greatest honors of my life and teaching career to be nominated and voted in.”
Oladipo joins theologians from some of the largest, most renowned universities and seminary schools in the nation. He said he was “thrilled” to see some of the professors he had as a student at Yale University Divinity School in the 1980s on the list.
“Some of them have published important books that continue to shape our vision and understanding of Christianity,” he said. “I learned from some of my professors at Yale, for example, that one must define his faith with the eloquence and character of his indigenous spiritual wealth to achieve the full depth of Christian maturity. Therefore, using existing cultural and indigenous spiritual idioms is relevant and significant in the propagation of Christian knowledge.
“I have been shaped and inspired by the thoughts of my professors in graduate school, and I will always owe them a debt of gratitude.”
Oladipo said he has devoted his teaching career and publications to looking at the natural depth of Christianity in the Global South. He first accepted Christ through the Baptist Mission organization in his native Nigeria, and that missionary influence remains dominant in his life and work today.
He earned his undergraduate degree in theology from Wayland Baptist University in Texas and his Master of Divinity degree at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. He went on to earn a Master in Sacred Theology from Yale and was named the school’s first Charles W. Forman Scholar in 1988. Five years later, he earned his Ph.D. in theological studies from Baylor University. Since, he has written numerous articles and three books — The Developments of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the African (Yoruba) Indigenous Christian Movements (1996), and The Will to Arise: Theological and Political Themes in African Christianity and the Renewal of Faith and Identity (2006); and a volume in the recent book, Christians in the City of Lagos (2025)
“Early in my teaching career, I sensed that the Christian faith in Africa must have a life and direction of its own,” Oladipo said. “What is most beautiful about the Chrisitan faith is its internal diversity, and I have dedicated my career to writing about how Christianity is defined and shaped by African traditional spirituality and cultural idioms. [In Christian in the City of Lagos], my volume gives an extraordinary opportunity for church leaders and theologians in the Western world to observe and listen to people whose experience of Christianity as Africans is illuminating and profoundly eye opening.
“It gives me great joy and career fulfillment when I meet scholars at seminars or academic conferences, expressing their gratitude for my insights after they have read my publications.”
Oladipo said his nearly decade-long experience at Campbell University has been a “tremendous honor.”
“One of the best ways to describe my experience at Campbell University Divinity School is that it is a marvelous gift of God’s grace at the height of my teaching career,” he said.