Emilie Townes Elected to Presidency of AAR

Emilie Townes, a Baptist theologian at Yale University Divinity School, has recently been elected to the presidency of the American Academy of Religion.

Here's the press release issue by the American Baptist News Service:

AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCHES USA CONGRATULATES REV. DR. EMILIE TOWNES ON HER ELECTION AS PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF RELIGION

VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 11/29/07) — The Rev. Dr. Emilie Townes, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African American Religion and Theology at Yale Divinity School, has been elected president of the American Academy of Religion, the world's largest association of religion scholars. Townes, an ordained American Baptist minister, is the first black woman to serve as president of the Academy.

“Professor Townes is a trailblazer who has helped develop the next generation of theological scholars,” said ABCUSA General Secretary Rev. Dr. A. Roy Medley. “She is a woman of strong faith in whose life the gifts of Christ are being used to benefit people of all backgrounds. We are proud of her impressive accomplishments, but most especially of her efforts to encourage black women to answer the call to ministry and theological education.”

Widely respected in her field, Townes’ teaching and general research interests focus on Christian ethics, womanist ethics, critical social theory, cultural theory and studies, as well as on postmodernism and social postmodernism. Among her many publications are Breaking the Fine Rain of Death: African American Health and a Womanist Ethic of Care; Womanist Justice, Womanist Hope; and In a Blaze of Glory: Womanist Spirituality as Social Witness.

Townes served with ABC Women in Ministry during its early years and was a member of ABCUSA’s General Board. Townes holds an A.B. from the University of Chicago, an A.M. from the University of Chicago Divinity School, a D.Min. from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.