“The Black Experience in America”

Esau McCaulley (Wheaton College)

Esau McCaulley is an author, active Anglican clergy person, and The Jonathan Blanchard Associate Professor of New Testament and Public Theology at Wheaton College. McCaulley earned a BA from the University of the South, an MDiv from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, a Master of Sacred Theology from Nashotah House, and a PhD in New Testament from the University of St. Andrews under the supervision of N. T. Wright. His research and writing focus on New Testament Exegesis, African American Biblical Interpretation, and Public Theology. He has authored numerous books and articles, including Sharing in the Son’s Inheritance: Davidic Messianism and Paul’s Worldwide Interpretation of the Abrahamic Land Promise in Galatians (2019) and Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope (2020), which won numerous awards including Christianity Today’s Book of the Year. His most recent book is How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South (2023). McCaulley also served as the editor of New Testament in Color: A Multi-Ethnic Commentary on the New Testament (2024). His work also extends beyond the academy. He is a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, and his writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, and Christianity Today. He is also the author of several books for children.