Pro Ecclesia Medal of Service – Kenyatta Gilbert, B.A. ’96

“I am who I am because of the cradle that shaped me,” said Kenyatta Gilbert, B.A. ’96, Ph.D. “I am the product of both a working pastor father and elementary educator and entrepreneur mother.” 

These early influences are apparent in Gilbert’s current roles as dean of the School of Divinity and professor of homiletics at Howard University, where he cultivates curious minds, thoughtful voices and a deeper understanding of faith.

Gilbert’s parents, Robert and Elwayne, allowed him and his siblings to explore the world on their own terms and ask questions about God. He credits them for always feeling deeply empowered as a curious person and now as a critical mind. Following in his father’s historic footsteps to Baylor, Gilbert earned a bachelor’s degree in political science with an idea of perhaps working on Capitol Hill one day. 

During his time at Baylor, Gilbert was chaplain for Alpha Phi Alpha, president of Heavenly Voices and even started a bible study, Nexus. 

“I did those things out of a sense of exploration, curiosity and a strong sense of call, which became the catalyst for continuing to say yes to things I didn’t feel ready to do.”

Although law school felt like a probability, there was a lingering pull toward theology and seminary. Gilbert attended Princeton Theological Seminary and later found a unique home at Howard University close enough to that Capitol Hill dream. 

“I think about humanity first; persons are formed, and everyone is in different places in their formation.”

At Howard, Gilbert has found a sense of cultural community that sustains him and keeps him grounded in his own racial, cultural, spiritual and intellectual identity. Furthermore, as a historically Black university, and the only one to attain R1 status, Howard has enabled him to connect to a wider population of people who are asking questions in a culturally contextual and diasporic way. 

“I have great affection for where people are in their journey and how they access faith or not, how they think about life and what shapes their worldview,” said Gilbert. “I think my experiences are unique to my outlook and my perspective theologically, socio-politically, what I believe devotionally and biblically.”

Howard University doesn’t have an undergraduate religion program, nor does it have a freestanding seminary. The identity of the School of Divinity is tied to an appreciation of the Christian faith but also a wider appreciation that difference in diversity, culture, religion and geography makes for a greater and deeper conversation. 

“I have established my voice here,” Gilbert said. “Because I have, it empowers me to help others establish their own. There’s no riskier or better vocation than preaching for that voice to materialize.”

Homiletics, the study of preaching, allows one to see the interconnections between theology and other defined disciplines and how that informs the formation of a person. Gilbert prefers the title of class facilitator rather than professor when it comes to teaching. He brings the tools he has along with his years of experience to the table to engage in conversations where others bring their own tools and experiences.

“I want students to do the work, to be better than who they were prior to coming into the class,” Gilbert said. “I marvel at how God speaks through other people.” 

The challenge, Gilbert said, is that the younger people trying to get into this work have shifted focus toward too much connection and not enough reflection. Part of that mindset is society urging productivity over meaning, quantity of connections over depth of relationship. Gilbert noted that it’s a great time to do theological work because it’s multifaceted. It’s labor-intensive and requires creative problem solving and reflection, but it is incredibly gratifying. 

“Faithfulness can be the mark of your life,” Gilbert said. “That’s what I want to be said about me when I make my transition. That I was faithful, I was sincere, I understood my limitations, but I also understood that every day brings an opportunity to do better, to do more, to love better, to love more, to serve better, to serve more and to rest and reflect.”