Robert McAfee Brown was a theologian and activist who served as a minister and educator in the Presbyterian denomination. He was educated at Union Theological Seminary, Oxford University, and Columbia University. He was a leading figure of the Ecumenical movement who fought for civil rights and was an advocate for many social justice clauses.

Brown taught at Stanford University, Union Theological Seminary, and the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. He has written nearly thirty books, which include The Bible Speaks to You, Gustavo Gutierrez: An Introduction to Liberation Theology, and Persuade Us to Rejoice: The Liberating Power of Fiction.