Lamin Sanneh
Encyclopedia
Lamin Sanneh is currently the D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity and Professor of History at Yale Divinity School
.
and the Near East School of Theology, Beirut, he earned his doctorate in Islamic History at the University of London
. Since then, he has written many books and articles on the relationship between Islam
and Christianity
(titles include Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in “Secular” Britain, The Crown and the Turban: Muslims and West African Pluralism, and Piety and Power: Muslims and Christians in West Africa). Sanneh converted to Christianity from Islam
and is now a practicing Roman Catholic.
Another major area of Sanneh's academic work is in the study of World Christianity. He writes extensively about the translation of the Christian message, challenging a good deal of the accepted history of mission in the modern academy. In his 1989 Translating the Message, he writes:
As a professor, Sanneh has taught and worked at the University of Ghana
, the University of Aberdeen
in Scotland, Harvard, and (since 1989) at Yale
. He is an editor-at-large of The Christian Century
, and serves on the board of several other journals. According to the Yale University Website, "He is an Honorary Research Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies In the University of London, and is a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. He serves on the board of Ethics and Public Policy at Harvard University, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama." Sanneh is also a Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Lion, Senegal's highest national honor. He is a member of the Pontifical Commission of the Historical Sciences and of the Pontifical Commission on Religious Relations with Muslims. Sanneh is a naturalized United States citizen.
His wife, Sandra Sanneh, is a professor of isiZulu at Yale University. Their son, Kelefa Sanneh
writes about culture for The New Yorker
.
•The Jakhanke Muslim Clerics: A Religious & Historical Study of Islam in Senegambia (c. 1250-1905). Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, January 1990.
•West African Christianity: The Religious Impact. London: Christopher Hurst, George Allen and Unwin; Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1983.
•Encountering the West: Christianity & the Global Cultural Process: The African Dimension, London: HarperCollins Publishers; Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1993.
•The Crown and the Turban: Muslims and West African Pluralism. Westview Press. Imprint of HarperCollins. October, 1997.
•Religion and the Variety of Culture: A Study in Origin and Practice. Valley Forge, PA.: Trinity Press International, 1996.
•Het Evangelie is Niet Los Verkrijgbaar, Uitgeverij Kok. Kampen, Netherlands: 1996.
•Piety and Power: Muslims and Christians in West Africa. Orbis Books, October 1996.
•Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in 'Secular' Britain (with Lesslie Newbigin & Jenny Taylor), London: SPCK, 1998.
•Abolitionists Abroad: American Blacks and the Making of Modern West Africa, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.
•Whose Religion is Christianity?: The Gospel Beyond the West, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. (Winner: Theologos Award for "Best General Interest Book 2004")
•The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, the West, and the World (co-edited with Joel A. Carpenter). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
•Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
.
Life and work
Sanneh was born and raised in Gambia. After studying at the University of BirminghamUniversity of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
and the Near East School of Theology, Beirut, he earned his doctorate in Islamic History at the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. Since then, he has written many books and articles on the relationship between Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
(titles include Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in “Secular” Britain, The Crown and the Turban: Muslims and West African Pluralism, and Piety and Power: Muslims and Christians in West Africa). Sanneh converted to Christianity from Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
and is now a practicing Roman Catholic.
Another major area of Sanneh's academic work is in the study of World Christianity. He writes extensively about the translation of the Christian message, challenging a good deal of the accepted history of mission in the modern academy. In his 1989 Translating the Message, he writes:
In time, Christianity expanded from Europe into Asia and Africa, among other places, and was able to break out of its Western cultural confinement by repeating the process by which the church's missionary center shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch and beyond. In some important respects, however, the modern shift was unprecedented, for it was the extraordinary multiplicity of mother-tongue idioms that became the subject of Christian mission rather than the cosmopolitan values of an ascendant West. Nonetheless, mission maintained continuity with its apostolic past. In examining the modern missionary phase, however, we should highlight important signposts in the indigenous culture, especially in the local encounter with the modern West. The translation role of missionaries cast them as unwitting allies of mother-tongue speakers and as relucant opponents of colonial domination.He extends these historical reflections further in his 2008 Disciples of All Nations.
As a professor, Sanneh has taught and worked at the University of Ghana
University of Ghana
The University of Ghana is the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian universities and tertiary institutions. It is one of the best universities in Africa and by far the most prestigious in West Africa...
, the University of Aberdeen
University of Aberdeen
The University of Aberdeen, an ancient university founded in 1495, in Aberdeen, Scotland, is a British university. It is the third oldest university in Scotland, and the fifth oldest in the United Kingdom and wider English-speaking world...
in Scotland, Harvard, and (since 1989) at Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
. He is an editor-at-large of The Christian Century
The Christian Century
The Christian Century is a Christian magazine based in Chicago, Illinois. Considered the flagship magazine of U.S. mainline Protestantism, the biweekly reports on religious news; comments on theological, moral, and cultural issues; and reviews books, movies, and music...
, and serves on the board of several other journals. According to the Yale University Website, "He is an Honorary Research Professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies In the University of London, and is a life member of Clare Hall, Cambridge University. He serves on the board of Ethics and Public Policy at Harvard University, and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham, Alabama." Sanneh is also a Commandeur de l'Ordre National du Lion, Senegal's highest national honor. He is a member of the Pontifical Commission of the Historical Sciences and of the Pontifical Commission on Religious Relations with Muslims. Sanneh is a naturalized United States citizen.
His wife, Sandra Sanneh, is a professor of isiZulu at Yale University. Their son, Kelefa Sanneh
Kelefa Sanneh
Kelefa T. Sanneh is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for the New York Times, covering the rock 'n' roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes...
writes about culture for The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
Books
•Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture. Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1989.•The Jakhanke Muslim Clerics: A Religious & Historical Study of Islam in Senegambia (c. 1250-1905). Lanham, Md.: University Press of America, January 1990.
•West African Christianity: The Religious Impact. London: Christopher Hurst, George Allen and Unwin; Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1983.
•Encountering the West: Christianity & the Global Cultural Process: The African Dimension, London: HarperCollins Publishers; Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 1993.
•The Crown and the Turban: Muslims and West African Pluralism. Westview Press. Imprint of HarperCollins. October, 1997.
•Religion and the Variety of Culture: A Study in Origin and Practice. Valley Forge, PA.: Trinity Press International, 1996.
•Het Evangelie is Niet Los Verkrijgbaar, Uitgeverij Kok. Kampen, Netherlands: 1996.
•Piety and Power: Muslims and Christians in West Africa. Orbis Books, October 1996.
•Faith and Power: Christianity and Islam in 'Secular' Britain (with Lesslie Newbigin & Jenny Taylor), London: SPCK, 1998.
•Abolitionists Abroad: American Blacks and the Making of Modern West Africa, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.
•Whose Religion is Christianity?: The Gospel Beyond the West, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2003. (Winner: Theologos Award for "Best General Interest Book 2004")
•The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, the West, and the World (co-edited with Joel A. Carpenter). Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005.
•Disciples of All Nations: Pillars of World Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.