Opening talk of the 2021-22 Speaker Series to honor the Rev. Dr. W.A. Johnson
BRISTOL, Tenn., Aug. 18, 2021 — King University’s Institute for Faith & Culture (IFC) begins its 2021-22 Speaker Series, entitled “Listen to Your Life,” by welcoming Jonathan Lee Walton, Ph.D., dean of the Wake Forest Divinity School.
Walton is a social ethicist whose scholarship focuses on evangelical Christianity and its relationship to mass media and political culture. His latest book, “A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World,” explores the Bible from the perspective of the most vulnerable and violated characters, and focuses on developing a Christian social ethic of radical inclusion and human affirmation.
On Wednesday, Aug. 25, at 7 p.m., Walton will honor the lifelong work of the Rev. Dr. W.A. Johnson, pastor of Lee Street Baptist Church, who has cared for the Bristol community for more than 60 years. The event will be held at Lee Street Baptist Church, and is free and open to the public. Guests are requested to observe the church’s masking and/or social distancing policies.
“As we begin a year in which we are listening for the holiness and mystery in our lives, it’s a pleasure to welcome Dr. Walton and honor Dr. Johnson,” said Martin Dotterweich, Ph.D., director of the IFC. “Both of these gentlemen’s lives are richly textured with the pursuit of justice and the care of community, ideals that were at the forefront of Jesus’ ministry and which remain at the heart of Christianity today. We look forward to learning from them and sharing in their insight, especially during these challenging times.”
Walton’s work and insights have been featured in national and international news outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, and the BBC. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Divinity degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary. He served as the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church at Harvard University, prior to being appointed Dean of the Divinity School and Dean of Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University in 2019. He also occupies the Presidential Chair in Religion & Society at Wake Forest.
For more information about the King Institute for Faith & Culture and to view the entire speaker schedule, visit king.edu/faithandculture.