Samuel “Kip” Elolia, Ph.D., Diploma, Scott Theological College; B.A. Tyndale University College; M.A. Acadia University; Ph.D. Trinity College, University of Toronto
Ministry Experience: 6 years, in Kenya and Canada
Until his appointment to Emmanuel in 1998, Dr. Elolia taught for 5 years at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, and before that a Cairns fellow and tutor at Trinity College, University of Toronto. Since joining Emmanuel he has been teaching wide ranging courses in Theology and World Christianity. In his classes, Kip underscores the Church’s unique responsibility to practice the Gospel by bearing witness in its speech and life together to the reality of God’s presence and action in Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit
As an African theological educator he tries to dispel the assumption that western theology is normative and universal while other theologies (African, Asian, Latin American, and Black) are local, contextual and limited. Therefore, in his teaching he engages students to be open to a broad theological curriculum and pedagogy that goes beyond the emphasis on the Global North (West) to include the experiences of the majority of Christians in the Global South. Evidently, Christianity in the Global South is a vibrant world Christianity that has been received and transformed in local contexts with their own Christology, liturgies and ecclesiastical structures. Kip’s goal is to challenge the students to guide the Church in North America to catch up with the global Church.
Dr. Elolia’s broad research interests for which he has also published include African Pneumatology, Christology, Inculturation, Postcolonial Theology, Religion and Civil Society. He received the ATS Lilly grant in 2005 to conduct research on African Pneumatology for which he hopes to publish in a book form. His edited volume Religion and Politics (2013) was selected for panel discussion at the 2013 AAR/SBL annual meeting at Baltimore MD. Kip has also published articles in theological journals and encyclopedias.
Dr. Elolia has served on Professional Boards including American Academy of Religion where he served on the steering committee and for two terms as the co-Chair of African Religions Group (2001-2007) He is also a member of African Association for the study of Religion (AASR)
For over 10 years Dr. Elolia has taken fellow faculty to Eldoret, Kenya where they teach at Kao L’Amani College, and visit some of the Churches for which the students and missionaries serve. Dr. Elolia and his wife Robin have two children (Kimu and Pippa) who are in College. For fun and relaxation, he enjoys Music, storytellers, hiking and amateur photography.
