Danjuma Gibson

Dr. Danjuma Gibson is both a scholar and a licensed professional counselor with experience in theological education, congregational ministry, and administrative leadership. Before joining PTS, he served as professor of pastoral theology, care, and counseling at Calvin Theological Seminary, where he also designed, launched, and directed a new master of arts program in clinical mental health counseling. Dr. Gibson has received research fellowships and grants from The Association for Theological Schools (ATS Luce Pilot Project), Villanova University (Church Management Research Fellowship), and Wabash Center (Wabash Center Research Fellowship); his research in these areas has particularly progressed study of how black and brown communities respond to racial violence and economic factors such as gentrification and disinvestment. Dr. Gibson is the author of two books, Through the Eyes of Titans: Finding Courage to Redeem the Soul of a Nation (Cascade, 2024) and Frederick Douglass, A Psychobiography: Rethinking Subjectivity in the Western Experiment of Democracy (Springer, 2018), and co-editor of Justice Matters: Spiritual Care and Pastoral Theological Imaginations in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic (Routledge, 2023). He has authored numerous book chapters and articles and delivered public lectures on a range of topics related to pastoral practices, trauma, African American religions, bi-vocational ministry, mental health, and intersecting subjects. Dr. Gibson has additional experience as a doctor of ministry program co-director and as a professional in the financial sector, notably as vice president of commercial banking at BMO Harris Bank (Chicago, Ill.). He became a licensed minister in the Church of God in Christ, was later ordained in a non-denominational faith community, then served as senior pastor of Zion Faith Center Bible Church (Chicago, Ill.), where he ministered for more than 15 years.

Books

Through the Eyes of Titans: Finding Courage to Redeem the Soul of a Nation. Cascade, 2024.

 Frederick Douglass, A Psychobiography: Rethinking Subjectivity in the Western Experiment of Democracy. Springer, 2018.

Co-editor, Justice Matters: Spiritual Care and Pastoral Theological Imaginations in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Routledge, 2023.

Book Chapters, Articles, and Essays

(Forthcoming) “Frederick Douglass’s ‘Lessons of the Hour’ on the Psychology and Christianization of Lynching: An American Dilemma,” in Frederick Douglass’s Lessons of the Hour for His Times and Ours, Eds. John R. McKivigan and Julie Husband. Athens, Georgia: UGA Press, 2025.

“Rituals of Lament and Agency in the Aftermath of Anti-Black Racial Violence,” in Liturgy (Special Issue: Rites for Wounded Communities), Volume 39, Number 2, 2024, 55-64.

“Black Lives Moved by the Bible: Moving from the Love of Power to the Power of Love,” in Do Black Lives Matter: How Christian Scriptures Speak to Black Empowerment, Eds. Lisa Bowens and Dennis Edwards. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books, 2023.

“Doing Soul Care from a Region in My Mind: A Baldwinian Interpretation,” in Journal of Pastoral Theology, Volume 33, Issue 1, 2023, 5-21.

“Frederick Douglass: Fostering Psycho-Spiritual Resources for Resilience, Resistance, and Healing in the Age of Terror,” in New North Star: A Journal of the Life and Times of Frederick Douglass, Volume 5, Number 1, 2023, 39-55.

“Black Religion, Mental Health, and the Threat of Hopelessness during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” in Racialized Health, COVID-19, and Religious Responses: Black Atlantic Contexts and Perspectives, Eds. R. Drew Smith, Stephanie C. Boddie, and Bertis D. English. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2022.

“Re-Storying and the Joy of Becoming: Healing Cultural Trauma During Social Crisis,” in Doing Theology in Pandemics: Facing Viruses, Violence, and Vitriol, Ed. Zachary Moon. Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications, 2022

“When Empathy is Not Enough: A Reflection on the Self-Experience of Black Boys in Public Spaces,” in Pastoral Psychology, Volume 67, Issue 6, 2018, 611-626.

“The Economies of Pentecost: Postcolonial Reflections on Pastoral Care, Healing, and Christian Worship,” at Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, 2017.

“Does God Care about Flint, Michigan? A Brief Reflection on Trauma and Community.” Institute for Congregational Trauma and Growth, 2016.

“Trauma of the Heart: Augmenting the Family Paradigm to Stem the Spread of HIV/AIDS and to Facilitate Healing and Recovery in the Wake of HIV/AIDS,” in Journal of Pastoral Theology, Volume 25, Issue 1, 2015, 46-55.