Jonathan L. Walton

Jonathan Lee Walton (born June 22, 1973) is an author, ethicist and religious scholar. He is the Dean of Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Presidential Chair in Religion & Society and Dean of Wait Chapel. He is the author of A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in its World for Our World.[1]

Jonathan L. Walton

Early life and education

Walton was born in Frederick, Maryland to John H. Walton and Rose Marie Walton. His father was an air traffic controller with the Federal Aviation Administration and his mother was a homemaker. His family moved to Syracuse, New York before settling in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980.

In 1991, Walton graduated from Lithonia High School and attended Wofford College on a football scholarship. He transferred to Morehouse College following his freshman year and graduated in 1996 with a BA degree in political science. Walton also became a licensed minister that same year and entered the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1999, completing his MDiv in 2002 and his PhD in 2006.

Career
Harvard Professor Jonathan L. Walton with more than 30 fellow faculty members during a protest in Cambridge against of the repeal of the DACA program.

Walton began his professional career as a minister while pursuing his academic studies. He served as the officiating pastor of Memorial West Presbyterian Church in Newark, New Jersey.

In 2003, he was appointed a lecturer at Princeton University’s Department of Religion and The Program in African American Studies. He accepted a position as assistant professor of Religious Studies at the University of California in 2006.[1]

Walton joined the faculty at Harvard University in 2010 as assistant professor of African American Religions, Harvard Divinity School, and resident scholar of Lowell House, Harvard College.

In 2012, he was appointed the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church,[2] following the death of the Rev. Peter J. Gomes, who served in the position for 41 years.[3]

Walton served on several boards and committees at Harvard as well as the Board of Trustees at Princeton Theological Seminary, and the National Advisory Board of the John C. Danforth Center on Religion & Politics at Washington University in St. Louis.

In 2019, he was appointed the Dean of Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Presidential Chair in Religion & Society and Dean of Wait Chapel.

Scholarship

Much of Walton's scholarship is focused on evangelical Christianity, and its relationship to mass media and political culture. His first book, Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism (NYU Press 2009), examines the theological and political traditions of African American religious broadcasters.

His work and insights have been featured in several national and international news outlets including the New York Times,[4] CNN,[5] Huffpost[6] and Time.[7] Walton is an outspoken advocate for oppressed and vulnerable people in society.[8]

Walton's book A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World (Westminster John Knox Press 2018), is an extension of his work from the pulpit and classroom. The book is the interpretative exploration of the Bible from the perspective of the most vulnerable and violated characters in scripture.

In his review of the book, Cornel West said Walton “is one of the very few grand figures in American culture who is both public intellectual and prophetic preacher. His brilliant work and visionary words are legendary at Harvard and throughout the country and world. This timely book is another testament to his calling rooted in the legacies of Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Elijah Mays, Reinhold Niebuhr and Fannie Lou Hamer.”[9]

Walton was appointed dean of the Wake Forest University School of Divinity in April 2019.[10] He assumed the position on July 1, 2019.[11]

Awards and honors

Personal life

Walton and his wife, Cecily Cline Walton and their three children live in Winston-Salem, NC.

References
  1. "Jonathan L. Walton". harvard.edu. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  2. Freedman, Samuel G. "A Shift in Black Christianity as Harvard Installs a Minister". Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  3. "Succeeding a legend: Rev. Jonathan Walton makes his mark at Harvard's Memorial Church - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  4. Walton, Jonathan L. "Split-Second Decisions that Leave Black and Brown People Dead". On the Ground. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  5. Jonathan L. Walton. "Bishop Long: Did you or didn't you?". Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  6. Walton, Jonathan L. (2015-06-19). "Mass Shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church: An American Ritual of Blood". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  7. "Why Authoritarians Love to Quote This Bible Passage". Time. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  8. "More than 30 arrested in Harvard Square during DACA protest - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  9. "A Lens of Love Paper - Jonathan L. Walton : Westminster John Knox Press". www.wjkbooks.com. Retrieved 2018-07-25.
  10. "Jonathan L. Walton named Dean of WFU School of Divinity". Wake Forest University. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  11. Allen, Bob (April 30, 2019). "Harvard's Jonathan Walton named dean of Wake Forest School of Divinity". Baptist News. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
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