Darrius Hills

Darrius D. Hills is an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Grinnell College.  He received his M.Div. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and his M.A. and Ph.D in Religion (concentration in African American Religion) from Rice University. His research interests privilege African American religious thought, liberation theologies, womanist religious thought, Black male studies, and religion and culture.

Dr. Hills’ course offerings will largely address the intersections of religion, race, and gender in American culture. Currently, Dr. Hills is completing his first book, tentatively titled: Religion, Race, and Manhood: Black Religious Thought and Black Male Identity, which is under contract with New York University Press. Dr. Hills’ essays, reviews, and other writings can be found in journals such as American Religion, the Journal of Africana Religions, and Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions. Most recently, Dr. Hills was selected one of ten junior religion scholars nation-wide as part of the 2020-2022 cohort of the prestigious Young Scholars in American Religion program. 

Hills’ research and teaching has also been supported by the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry (of the United Methodist Church), the Forum for Theological Exploration (formerly The Fund for Theological Education), the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion, the Louisville Institute for the Study of American Religion, and the Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture.