Lamin Sanneh was born in The Gambia to an African royal family. He earned degrees at University of Birmingham and the Near East School of Theology in Beirut before completing his doctorate in Islamic History at the University of London. Sanneh taught at the University of Ghana, the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, Harvard, and Yale Divinity School, where he was Professor of Missions & World Christianity, Professor of History, and Professor of International and Area Studies. He was an editor-at-large of The Christian Century, and served on the board of several other journals. For his academic work, Sanneh was made Commandeur de l’Ordre National du Lion, Senegal’s highest national honor. He was appointed by John Paul II to serve on the Pontifical Commission of the Historical Sciences at the Vatican and by Pope Benedict XVI to the Pontifical Commission on Religious Relations with Muslims.

Dr. Sanneh authored hundreds of articles and numerous books on Christianity and Islam. Among his best known works are Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West, Translating the Message: The Missionary Impact on Culture, and The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, The West, and the World.