Presbyterian scholar of African American Christianity dies

The Rev. Dr. James Anthony Noel (1948-2016), the H. Eugene Farlough, Jr. Chair of African American Christianity, Professor of American Religion at San Francisco Theological Seminary, died of cancer Sunday evening, January 31. He was 68 years old. Noel was also Pastor of New Liberation Presbyterian Church in San Francisco.

A gifted painter, his artwork was on display throughout the SFTS campus and in numerous art galleries in the Bay Area. He said of his paintings: “They contemplate, celebrate, and represent the African Diaspora’s social, religious, and cultural experiences in North America, the Caribbean, and South America… I wanted to capture the beauty and dignity of Black folk as a reality as well as an ideal.” Read More…