Christmas Special: Esau McCaulley on Reading While Black (OnScript)

Rev. Dr. Esau McCaulley completed his Ph.D. in New Testament at the University of St Andrews where he studied under the direction of N.T. Wright. His research and writing focuses on Pauline theology and the intersection of race, Christian identity, and the pursuit of justice.

His book Sharing in the Son’s Inheritance focuses on the role Jewish messianism played in Paul’s argument that Jesus has made believers heirs in the Messiah to the Abrahamic promises in Galatians. He is also the author of the award-winning book, Reading While Black: African-American Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope, in which he argues that the Bible rightly understood and read from a decidedly Black perspective can speak a word of hope to African Americans in the United States. Alongside these more academic works, he also writes popular pieces for numerous outlets including Christianity Today, The Washington Post, and The Witness: A Black Christian Collective.

Dr. McCaulley is also the Director of Next Generation Leadership for the ACNA (Anglican Church in North America), a province-wide initiative committed to raising up and training the next generation of Anglican clergy and lay leadership. He is married to Mandy, a pediatrician and a navy reservist. Together, they have four wonderful children.

Founder and Director of the Center for Hebraic Thought

Dru teaches Biblical literature, theology, and biblical interpretation at The King’s College. He is an editor for the Routledge Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Biblical Criticism series; an associate director for the Jewish Philosophical Theology Project at The Herzl Institute in Israel; and a co-host for the OnScript Podcast. His recent books include Biblical Philosophy: An Hebraic Approach to the Old and New Testaments (Cambridge University Press); Human Rites: The Power of Rituals, Habits, and Sacraments (Eerdmans); and Epistemology and Biblical Theology (Routledge). 

Before that, he was a high-school dropout, skinhead, punk rock drummer, combat veteran, IT supervisor, and pastor—all things that he hopes none of his children ever become.

He and his wife have four children. Interviews, articles, and excerpts of books can found at drujohnson.com.