Princeton Theological Seminary Announces 2026 Annie Kinkead Warfield Lectures Featuring Dr. Willie James Jennings

Dr. Jennings to present “Only Then Will We Build: Forming a Real Doctrine of Creation”

PRINCETON, NJ, UNITED STATES, March 11, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Princeton Theological Seminary will host the 2026 Annie Kinkead Warfield Lectures from March 16–26, 2026, featuring Dr. Willie James Jennings, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School.

Over the course of six lectures, Jennings will present “Only Then Will We Build: Forming a Real Doctrine of Creation,” engaging one of Christianity’s most foundational doctrines at a moment of profound global ecological, racial, and cultural reckoning.

Warfield Lecture Schedule

All lectures are open to the public. They will be held on the Princeton Seminary Campus (Theron Room, Wright Library), livestreamed on YouTube. All times are EST.

Lecture One: Assimilating Desire — Monday, March 16, 7 p.m.
Lecture Two: Contemplating Connection — Tuesday, March 17, 5 p.m.
Lecture Three: Overcoming Enclosure — Thursday, March 19, 5 p.m.
Lecture Four: Discerning Bone and Dirt — Monday, March 23, 7 p.m.
Lecture Five: Embodying Sanctuary — Tuesday, March 24, 5 p.m.
Lecture Six: Living Building — Thursday, March 26, 5 p.m.

“The Warfield Lectures represent one of Princeton Seminary’s most enduring commitments to serious theological inquiry,” said John Bowlin, Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs and the Robert L. Stuart Professor of Philosophy and Christian Ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary. “They create space for sustained engagement with doctrines that shape the church’s life across generations. Dr. Jennings’ work on creation speaks directly to this moment, while remaining deeply rooted in the theological disciplines that have long defined this lectureship.”

Established through provisions in the will of Dr. Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (1851–1921), the lectureship was created to honor the memory of his wife, Annie Kinkead Warfield, and to advance rigorous engagement with central doctrines in the theological thought of the Reformed churches. Since the inaugural lectures were delivered in 1959, the series has invited leading scholars to explore the biblical basis, historical development, systematic formulation, exposition, or defense of core Christian doctrines. In the 1990s, the Warfield family agreed to expand the series to include speakers beyond confessional Reformed traditions, reflecting both the breadth of the Reformed heritage and the Seminary’s commitment to theological scholarship in service to the wider church.

A Doctrine of Creation for Our Time
Dr. Jennings’ lectures will offer a sustained theological exploration of creation, engaging questions of race theory, decolonial and environmental studies, and the theological imagination required to build communities of belonging.

Dr. Willie James Jennings is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Systematic Theology and Africana Studies at Yale Divinity School. An ordained Baptist minister and leading theologian working at the intersections of Christian thought, race theory, decolonial studies, and environmental theology, his scholarship explores how theological imagination shapes belonging and the built world.

He is the author of the forthcoming "Reframing the World: A Christian Doctrine of Creation" (Yale University Press). His landmark book "The Christian Imagination: Theology and the Origins of Race" received the 2010 American Academy of Religion Book of the Year Award and is widely regarded as one of the most significant works in theology of the past 25 years. He was also awarded the 2015 Grawemeyer Award in Religion for his groundbreaking work on race and Christianity. His book "After Whiteness: An Education in Belonging" won the 2020 Publishers Weekly Religion Book of the Year Award and the 2023 Lilly Fellows Program Book Award.

“The Warfield Lectures are not just an important event in the life of Princeton Theological Seminary. They are one of the most exciting sites of theological production writ large, featuring leading scholars as they reshape how academy and church think about commitments central to the Reformed faith and beyond,” reflected Dr. Hanna Reichel, the Charles Hodge Professor of Systematic Theology at Princeton Seminary. “We are thrilled to host Dr. Willie James Jennings, whose ground-breaking work on race, imagination, and the built environment over the past decades is now culminating in a thoroughly realized doctrine of creation – challenging and inspiring alike.”

Media & Registration

Members of the media are welcome. To RSVP or request interviews, please contact Linda Romano at linda.romano@ptsem.edu.

About Princeton Theological Seminary
Founded in 1812, Princeton Theological Seminary equips women and men for faithful, compassionate, and competent leadership in ministry, academia, and public life — preparing them to serve Christ with integrity, scholarship and joy.

Linda Romano
Princeton Theological Seminary
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