Dr. Michael Joseph Brown, an internationally recognized biblical scholar, minister, and public intellectual who served as president of Payne Theological Seminary, has died.
Dr. Michael Joseph Brown
Brown earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Vanderbilt University before pursuing advanced theological education at the University of Chicago Divinity School. There, he earned both his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy degrees, immersing himself in the rigorous study of biblical texts while developing the interpretive methods that would define his scholarly career.
Brown was appointed president of Payne Theological Seminary in 2016, assuming leadership of one of the nation's historic African Methodist Episcopal seminaries. Located in Wilberforce, Ohio, Payne has trained generations of AME ministers and church leaders since its founding in 1844. Under Brown's presidency, the institution continued its mission of preparing transformative religious leaders while addressing contemporary challenges facing theological education and the Black church.
Prior to his presidency at Payne, Brown built an impressive academic portfolio that showcased his versatility as both administrator and scholar. He served as Associate Dean at Wabash College, where he contributed to the development of one of the nation's premier liberal arts colleges for men. From 2011 to 2013, he directed the Malcolm X Institute on Black Studies, demonstrating his deep commitment to African American intellectual tradition and his ability to connect biblical scholarship with broader questions of Black identity, resistance, and liberation.
Brown's scholarly legacy includes four influential books that examined biblical interpretation, theological education, and Christian practice from fresh perspectives. His What They Don't Tell You: A Survivor's Guide to Academic Biblical Studies provided invaluable mentorship to emerging scholars navigating the often challenging terrain of academic biblical studies, particularly students of color entering a field that has historically marginalized diverse voices.
Blackening of the Bible: The Aims of African American Biblical Scholarship stands as perhaps his most groundbreaking work, articulating a comprehensive vision for how African American scholars approach sacred texts differently than their white counterparts. The book challenged prevailing assumptions about objectivity in biblical interpretation while celebrating the distinctive contributions of Black biblical scholarship.
His two books on the Lord's Prayer—The Lord's Prayer through North African Eyes: A Window into Early Christianity and The Lord's Prayer and God's Vision for the World: Finding Your Purpose through Prayer—demonstrated his ability to make sophisticated scholarship accessible to wider audiences. These works invited readers to reconsider familiar prayers through the lens of North African Christianity, revealing how geography and culture shaped early Christian practice.
Beyond his books, Brown served as a leading contributor to the New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, a standard reference work consulted by scholars, pastors, and students worldwide. His encyclopedia entries reflected both his meticulous scholarship and his commitment to making biblical knowledge accessible across diverse audiences.
As a minister and public intellectual, Brown brought biblical wisdom into contemporary conversations about justice, faith, and community. His work demonstrated that rigorous scholarship and lived faith need not conflict but could instead enrich one another, offering prophetic insight for churches and communities seeking guidance.
