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As keynote speaker of Princeton Theological Seminary’s 2026 Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture, The Honorable Rev. Dr. Raphael G. Warnock emphasized that although America is “in the throes of a spiritual crisis” that “there is human possibility even in tough places.”
A crowd of nearly 200 people gathered in the Seminary Chapel Thursday evening to hear the junior United States Senator from Georgia. The annual lecture invites conversations about issues of racial and social justice.
“This lecture has served as a commemoration and as a charge, a moral reckoning with Dr. King’s radical vision — his…beautiful, theological and ethical vision,” said Princeton Theological Seminary President Jonathan Lee Walton, PhD, in his opening remarks.
When we stand up, it makes a difference.
The lecture also urges participants to “consider what it means for each of us to lead with conviction and compassion, intellect and action, faith and public service,” said Trustee Dr. Karen Jackson-Weaver, a scholar, historian, and 2006 Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecturer.
A history-maker, Warnock is the first African American elected to the US Senate from the state of Georgia and only the second African American to represent a southern state in the Senate since Reconstruction. For the past two decades, he has also served as senior pastor of the historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, in Atlanta, Georgia. The youngest person to ever hold that role at the spiritual home of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Warnock first and foremost considers himself “a pastor who serves in the Senate.”
During his speech, Warnock reflected on the meaning of his historic win on January 5, 2001, and the realities of the tragic day that followed.
“Our beloved country is both the hope of January 5 and the horror of January 6,” he said. “Both the miracle of democracy and the oppression that runs counter to democracy…are right there in our charter documents. Our Declaration of Independence, our Constitution, our Bill of Rights are all evidence of the enormous possibilities we represent, as well as our brutal human flaws and failures. Both days, January 5 and January 6, are at the core of who we are and who we might yet become.”
Drawing from Isaiah 40 and his upcoming book, “The Crooked Places Made Straight: Reflections on the Moral Meaning of America,” Warnock called for a reimagining of “geopolitics that centers love and justice.” He urged politicians to “get beyond the predictable partisan arguments to a larger moral vision” focused on equity, integrity, and inclusivity.
He recounted the ongoing threats to democracy, like voter suppression and unethical practices that permeate 21st century politics, but reflected on something Benjamin Franklin said while exiting the Constitutional Convention in 1787. When asked what type of government America would have. He replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”
“We have to fight to keep it,” Warnock said, underscoring the critical role of voting and protecting such civil rights, adding “We could lose the very thing that makes us America.”
That actionable sentiment rang particularly true for Christopher Hampton, MTS student. Appreciating Warnock’s ability to frame the current moment within the broader context of America’s history, he said, “It helps us, as Americans, see that we hold the power to choose which future path to follow. And it reminds us that we desperately need to choose hope.”
Warnock’s realistic view of America on the eve of its 250th birthday, as well as his ability to translate theological ideas into political action, resonated with Isaac Shin, MDiv student.
“He sees the reality of people’s lives and the state of the political arena as they are, and he does not give in to despair,” Shin said.
When asked about how to see the signs of God’s glory during times that feel hopeless, like in Isaiah 40, Warnock said they can be found everywhere, especially during times of tragedy. Recalling a recent visit to Minneapolis, Minnesota — to stand where George Floyd, Renée Good, and Alex Pretti lost their lives — Warnock reflected on the powerful organizing that happened in response to those murders.
“They stood there every night singing and bearing witness,” he said. “When we stand up, it makes a difference.”
First established in 1999, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture is one of the many ways in which Princeton Seminary continually explores how theological education shapes not only the church, but a more ethical, moral world.
“The Seminary’s mission is incomplete if it does not engage the ongoing realities of racial and social injustice in our country and our world,” said President Walton. Adding that, “theological education must be intellectually rigorous, spiritually discerning, and publicly engaged.”
