2025 Howard Thurman Homily

The annual Howard Thurman Homily is the King & Faith Series' keynote address.

The Howard Thurman Homily is a significant annual service held at The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco, organized by the Northern California Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Foundation. This service pays tribute to the influential theologian and civil rights leader, Howard Thurman, known for his impact on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Over the years, this event has featured a distinguished roster of speakers, each sharing their insights on the intersection of faith, social justice, and the enduring legacy of Howard Thurman. Past speakers have included prominent civil rights activists, theologians, and community leaders who have drawn inspiration from Thurman's teachings. These speakers have eloquently addressed pressing issues of our time, invoking the spirit of Thurman and King in their calls for justice, equality, and unity.

The 2025 Howard Thurman Homily speaker is Dr. Willie James Jennings, Ph.D., the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. Dr. Jennings is the author of The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race published by Yale University Press and recipient of the 2010 American Academy of Religion Book of the Year in the Constructive- Reflective Studies category. It is one of the most important books in theology written in the last 25 years and is now a standard text read in colleges, seminaries, and universities. Dr. Jennings is also the recipient of the 2015 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his groundbreaking work on race and Christianity. Dr. Jennings’s commentary on the Book of Acts won the Reference Book of the Year Award, from The Academy of Parish Clergy. He is also the author of After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging, which was the inaugural book in the much-anticipated book series, Theological Education between the Times, and has already become an instant classic, winning the 2020 book of the year award from Publisher’s Weekly.*

Dr. Jennings is in high demand as a speaker and is widely recognized as a major figure in theological studies and theological education across North America and the world. He has given several prestigious lectures, including the Bampton Lectures at Oxford University, the Huslean Lectures at Cambridge University (Fall 2024), the Cole Lecture at Vanderbilt University, the Parks-King Lecture at Yale University, the Ferguson Lecture at Manchester University, and the Hughes-Cheong Lecture at the University of Melbourne.*

Dr. Jennings is completing work on a two volume project on the doctrine of creation. Volume two, provisionally entitled, Jesus and the Displaced: The Redemption of Habitation, will be published before volume one which carries the provisionally title, Unfolding the Word: Recasting a Christian Doctrine of Creation. Dr. Jennings is also finishing a book of poetry entitled, The Time of Possession.*

The Howard Thurman Homily serves as a beacon of hope and a reminder of the enduring power of faith in the pursuit of social change, carrying forward the legacies of both Howard Thurman and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Howard Thurman Homily takes place annually on the Sunday before the Martin Luther King, Jr. federal holiday at the Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples (Fellowship Church) in San Francisco and is a partnership between the NorcalMLK Foundation and Fellowship Church.

* Willie Jennings. Yale University Divinity School. Date accessed November 29, 2024. https://divinity.yale.edu/faculty-and-research/yds-faculty/willie-james-jennings.