First Black President Appointed At Princeton Theological Seminary

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Theological Seminary has appointed Rev. Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton to serve as the Seminary’s eighth president. He will succeed M. Craig Barnes, who has served as Princeton Seminary’s president since January 2013.

Walton is the Seminary’s first Black president. His appointment is effective Jan.1, 2023.

“Theological education is at an inflection point,” Walton said. “The church is changing. Society is changing. So, we need clear-minded, faith-informed professionals who can speak hope, equity, and healing in all fields of human endeavor.”

Walton comes to Princeton Seminary from Wake Forest University’s School of Divinity in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he has served as dean since 2019.

Before joining Wake Forest University, he served on the faculty at Harvard Divinity School and was the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church of Harvard University.

Walton earned his PhD in 2006 and his MDiv in 2002 from Princeton Seminary. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science from Morehouse College and is an ordained Baptist minister and a gifted preacher. He is a member of the Humanities Advancement Council at Morehouse College and has served on the Board of Trustees at Princeton Seminary.

“This feels like a glorious homecoming showered with grace. For over two decades, Princeton Seminary and the precious people that I’ve been blessed to know have enriched my intellectual and spiritual life,” Walton said in a statement.

Walton is trained as a social ethicist whose scholarship focuses on the intersection of evangelical Christianity, mass media, and political culture. He is the author of two books - “Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism” and “A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World.”

“Dr. Walton’s profound commitment to scholarship and strong leadership experience perfectly position him to advance Princeton Seminary’s mission to serve as a vital and engaging hub for pastoral formation, Christian theology, and leadership generally,” Michael Fisch, Chair of the Board of Trustees said in a statement.

Princeton Theological Seminary is the second oldest seminary in the United States, with leading biblical scholars, theologians and clergy among its faculty and alumni.

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