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“Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many.... The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you.’”  ~ 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

We live in an age of branding, thus an age of simplicity. Today, the pressures of public performance, fueled by political polarization and social media algorithms, reward us for reducing complicated people to flat categories. We are “righteous” or complicit, oppressor or victim, an enemy or an ally. This includes ourselves. “Choose this day whom you shall serve!” 

Dr. Jonathan Lee Walton aims to explore a provocative paradox in contemporary Christianity. We have congregations with sophisticated vocabularies of diversity, inclusion, and racial justice that remain remarkably homogeneous in practice. Yet other congregations employ theological language that may strike some as far less inclusive while fostering worshiping communities with a stronger sense of belonging. Sociological research reveals that public profession matters much less than practices of community formation. Together we consider the habits that teach us to encounter one another as more than identity abstractions or ideological categories. Paul’s image of the body in 1 Corinthians offers a compelling alternative for us to consider.

Jonathan Lee Walton, Ph.D., is a social ethicist and religious educator known for engaging American evangelical traditions. On January 1, 2023, he became the 8th president of Princeton Theological Seminary. He is the author of two books: "Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism" (NYU Press) and "A Lens of Love: Reading the Bible in Its World for Our World" (Westminster John Knox Press). Walton has also published dozens of works in various academic journals, books, magazines, and newspapers. His work and insights have been featured in national and international outlets, including the New York Times, CNN, Time Magazine, and the BBC. Prior to becoming the president of Princeton Seminary, he served as the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals and Pusey Minister in the Memorial Church of Harvard University and dean of the School of Divinity and Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University. He earned his Ph.D. and Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and his BA from Morehouse College in Atlanta. Dr. Walton is married to Cecily Cline Walton, a children’s book author. They are the parents of three children and reside in Princeton, NJ.