Dr. Caleb Oladipo

Biography

Originally from Nigeria, Dr. Caleb Oladipo holds the inaugural Snellings Chair of Christian Evangelism and Mission at Campbell University Divinity School where he also serves as the Director of the Braswell World Religions and Global Cultures Center.

Dr. Oladipo received his post-secondary education in the United States, graduating from Wayland Baptist University (B.A.), Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.), Yale University Divinity School (STM—where he was named the first Charles Forman Scholar in 1988) and Baylor University (Ph.D.).

He has written numerous articles and three books that explore the natural depth and character of Christianity in the Global South. The Development of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the Yoruba (Africa) Indigenous Christian Movement (1996); The Will to Arise: Theological and Political Themes in African Christianity and the Renewal of Faith and Identity (2006), and Christians in the City of Lagos (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025).

Dr. Oladipo was a member of the delegation to the 5th Parliament of World Religions at Melbourne, Australia in 2009, and he has served as a visiting scholar and professor in five continents. An active member in many professional organizations, he has received numerous leadership and service awards, including the Distinguished Alumni Leadership Award at Wayland Baptist University in 2016. In April 2025, Professor Oladipo was elected to become a member of the prestigious American Theological Society. He is married to Tylia Barnes, an executive director of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. Fluent in six languages, Oladipo has three adult children and a grandson.