James Kenneth Echols, first African American Lutheran seminary president, dies at age 67
Richard J. Perry Jr., a professor emeritus at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, called Echols “a giant in the world of theological education.”
James Kenneth Echols, scholar and leader in Lutheran theological education, died December 22 in Philadelphia at age 67. His obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer gave the cause of death as complications after a fall at home.
He was the first person of African descent to be president of a Lutheran seminary in North America, leading the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago from 1997 to 2011. Among the accomplishments of his tenure were the creation of the Center of Christian-Muslim Engagement for Peace and Justice, an endowed chair in Christian-Muslim studies and interfaith relations, and the Albert “Pete” Pero Jr. Multicultural Center.
From 2012 until his retirement in 2015, he was director of theological education and networks for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in the Philadelphia area.
