Dr. Harry Singleton III on Theology, Liberation, and Public Scholarship
Dr. Harry Singleton III (PhD ‘98) is a Graduate Theological Union alum and scholar in liberation theology. He has built his career at the intersection of faith, pedagogy, and justice, culminating in his latest work, Forever in Thy Path: The God of Black Liberation (Orbis, 2022). Now serving as the Lilly Director of Faith Based Education and Engagement at the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina, Singleton reflects on the formative role the GTU played in shaping his academic and professional journey, from his early days as a “preacher’s kid” in South Carolina, to his work today uniting communities through faith and public education.
Dr. Singleton grew up in Conway, South Carolina, as the son of a Baptist minister and social activist. He was immersed in both religious and political traditions from a young age. His father, a longtime NAACP leader and educator, shaped a ministry that was deeply committed to social justice. “The biblical theme of being a voice for the voiceless was very significant for him,” Singleton recalls. “In many ways, that had an indelible impact on me.”
Singleton's theological awakening began after college when his father introduced him to the writings of James H. Cone, the founder of Black liberation theology. These texts transformed his path. “It was like a conversion experience,” Singleton recalls. “I wanted to become a theologian like James H. Cone.”
Buoyed by this “conversion experience,” Singleton earned his Master of Divinity degree from the Morehouse School of Religion at the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC). At ITC, he studied under Dr. Jacquelyn Grant, a student of Cone and the mother of womanist theology. With Grant's encouragement, along with institutional support from former GTU president Glenn Bucher and former Dean Judith Berling, Singleton moved to Berkeley to pursue his PhD in Systematic Theology and Philosophy at the GTU. While in matriculation at the GTU, Singleton studied with notable scholars such as Claude Welch, Kenan Osborne, and his advisor, George C.L. Cummings, who, like Grant, was also a student of Cone.
For Singleton, the GTU's academic programs highlight the sacredness of all expressions of the divine while underscoring their contextual relevance. This interreligious perspective, bolstered by his father's commitment to justice and his studies of Cone's work, has allowed Singleton to articulate the redemptive nature of the Black liberation struggle and the enduring presence of the divine in Black liberation movements. “Since slavery, we have tapped into a divine reality that is bigger than the power of white racism and that cannot be coopted by the power of white racism,” he says. “And it’s on those two steads that we adopted the God of Black liberation—as that God has adopted us in our oppressed condition.”
In navigating secular spaces as a religion and philosophy professor at Benedict College in Columbia, South Carolina, Singleton’s understanding of divine agency shaped his scholarship and teaching. Inspired by Grant and other mentors, Singleton viewed his teaching as a sacred vocation focused on nurturing students’ minds and spirits, prioritizing their development over the demands of publication. “There is no secular without a seminal creative source,” he states, emphasizing that even non-religious fields stem from divine origins. This belief shapes his teaching and fosters respectful engagement with colleagues in disciplines across the school. For Singleton, theology is not a superior discipline, but an essential foundation for understanding the fingerprints of the divine on all of creation.
Although Singleton’s career has evolved from the classroom to public scholarship as the Lilly Director at the IAAM, his work remains rooted in pedagogy. “I have now moved from students to a larger audience,” he explains. His focus is on showcasing the African American triumph over historical trauma and elevating liberating faith traditions as catalysts for social change. “I must form relationships with community members, so that we can engage in more pragmatic thrusts with which justice is pursued... And in fact, because of the GTU, I would hope that my goal would be to have those faith leaders represented by as many different religious perspectives as possible.”
At the museum, Singleton leads initiatives to connect diverse faith leaders in their shared work for justice. “In all contemporary religions, there is a liberating hermeneutic,” he said. “My goal is to bring those leaders together—locally and nationally—around a common pursuit of justice grounded in their respective faiths.”
Singleton notes that in today's world, fewer spaces exist that foster meaningful conversation and action. With this context in mind, Singleton emphasizes that museums can and should serve as catalysts for social change. As a public theologian, he aims to contribute to this vision, particularly in the face of pressing issues related to racial, gender, and class injustice. Singleton envisions the museum as a platform for redefining theological perspectives. “I want to move away from dogmatic rituals focused on personal endurance and otherworldliness,” he said. “Instead, I want to introduce themes of communal transformation, and to treat salvation in more redemptive and liberating terms.”
Singleton’s story embodies the core mission of the GTU: to provide interreligious, interdisciplinary, and justice-centered education that empowers scholars not only to teach but also to drive change. His work serves as a reminder that theology, grounded in lived experiences, must serve the world beyond the academy.