Director, Centre for Black Theology
Dr Dulcie Dixon McKenzie is the Director of the Centre for Black Theology (CBT). Besides her leadership and teaching roles in the Foundation, she is a recognised academic known for creating impactful events for theological dialogue and education. Since joining Queen’s in 2014, she has been integral to the advancement of theological education for learners from Black majority Pentecostal churches, creating opportunities for them to explore and engage in advanced theological studies and events. Dulcie convenes and chairs the distinguished online monthly Black Theology Forum at Queen’s.
Academic Background and Research
Dulcie is an interdisciplinary scholar with a background in social sciences and brings a practical perspective to theological education and research. Her groundbreaking PhD research at the University of Birmingham (2014) was the first academic study of Black gospel music in Britain. She studied the impact of African Caribbean Pentecostal spirituality on the development of Black British gospel music, drawing on Black theology and various academic disciplines.
Dulcie is recognised as a pioneer of Black gospel music in Britain, having played a significant role supporting artists, ministries, and the wider Black Christian community through radio broadcasting. Her contribution to Black gospel music and Christian broadcasting nationwide has been recognised through numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. This pioneering work continues to inform her wider research interests, which include Black Pentecostal spirituality, Black church history, Black hymnody, and Womanist theology. Overall, her work and scholarship translate into Black empowerment and affirmation of faith, identity, history, and heritage. Through her scholarship, teaching, leadership initiatives, and public engagement, Dulcie champions the study of African Caribbean Pentecostalism, advocating for a deeper appreciation of its contribution to British society and global Christianity.
Black Church Digital Archive Project
Dulcie is the lead researcher for the project Black Church Digital Archive, which is a pioneering research initiative to create a lasting educational resource that interprets the rise of Black Pentecostal churches in the UK and preserves their legacies.
Select Publications
- McKenzie, Dulcie Dixon. Black Gospel Music in Britain: Reclaiming Its African Caribbean Pentecostal Roots and Route. London: Bloomsbury, forthcoming.
- McKenzie, Dulcie Dixon. “Give Me That Old-Time Religion: Towards a Black Pentecostal Aesthetics.” Chap. 20, in T&T Clark Handbook of Theology and the Arts, edited by Stephen M. Garrett and Imogen Adkins, 279 – 90. London: T&T Clark, 2025.
- McKenzie, Dulcie A. Dixon, Pauline E. Muir, and Monique M. Ingalls, eds. Black British Gospel Music: From the Windrush Generation to Black Lives Matter. London: Routledge, 2024.
- Migration, Mission and Music: Valuing the Legacy of African Caribbean Pentecostalism, Chapter 5, in World Christianity in Western Europe: Diaspora Identity, Narratives and Missiology, editor, Israel Oluwole Olofinjana, (2020). Oxford, Regnum Studies in Mission p 71 – 89.
- “Toward Teaching Black Theology through Black Gospel Music in Britain.” Discourse 8, no. 2 (2009): p 127 – 171.
- “Black British Theology in Black British Gospel Music” Chapter 3 in Post-Colonial Black British Theology – New Textures and Themes, edited by Michael N. Jagessar and Anthony G. Reddie (2007). Peterborough; Epworth p 25 – 29.
