Jonathan Lee Walton

Jonathan Lee Walton was named Dean of Wake Forest University School of Divinity, Presidential Chair in Religion and Society, and Dean of Wait Chapel in 2019.  Prior to joining Wake Forest University, he was the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and the Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church of Harvard University.

Dean Walton is a social ethicist whose scholarship focuses 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 latest book, A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World (Westminster John Knox Press, 2018), explores the Bible from the perspective of the most vulnerable and violated characters toward developing a Christian social ethic of radical inclusion and human affirmation.

Dean Walton is an outspoken advocate for social justice and civil rights. His work and insights have been featured in several national and international news outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, and the BBC.