Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial LectureJanuary 16, 2017 at 10–11:30 a.m.
The annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Lecture emphasizes the continuing struggle for civil rights. This year lecture will be provided by Professor Jonathan L. Walton with a keynote address entitled "It Was All A Dream..." This lecture examines the role of faith and moral imagination in the ethical thought and public protests of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Social ethicist and scholar of American religions Jonathan L. Walton is the Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard University and Pusey Minister in Harvard's Memorial Church. He is also a professor of religion and society on the faculty of divinity. Professor Walton's research addresses the intersections of religion, politics and media culture. He has published widely in scholarly journals such as Religion and American Culture: A Journal of Interpretation and Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.And his book Watch This! The Ethics and Aesthetics of Black Televangelism (NYU Press, 2009) disrupts commonly held assumptions that associate evangelical broadcasting with white, conservative evangelical communities, while illumining the ways televangelists' professed aims are frustrated by their hyper eediated methods. Professor Walton's work and insights have been featured in several national and international news outlets including the New York Times, CNN and the BBC. In July The New York Times published his article, "Split-Second Decisions that Leave Black and Brown People Dead e Walton earned his PhD and master of divinity degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary. And the Atlanta native graduated from Morehouse College with a BA in political science. Walton was an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of California, Riverside prior to joining the faculty of Harvard Divinity School. This evens is sponsored by the Chaplains Office, Diversity Center, Peace Studies Program, President's Office, and Target.