Rev. Dr. James A. Wharton

Denomination: Presbyterian Church (USA) (PCUSA)
Organization: Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX

Dr. James A. Wharton was a renowned scholar of the Old Testament and a respected preacher in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Born in 1927 to missionary parents in the Belgian Congo, he pursued his theological education with distinction, earning a B.D. from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1951 and a Th.D. from the University of Basel, where he studied under the influential theologian Karl Barth.

Wharton began his academic career as Professor of Old Testament at Austin Seminary (1956–1975), where he became known for his efforts to highlight the continuity between the God of the Old Testament and the God revealed in Jesus Christ. He later served as Senior Pastor of Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston (1975–1985), before joining the faculty at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University as Professor of Homiletics until his retirement in 1996.

Throughout his career, Dr. Wharton published numerous articles and theological reflections and authored a commentary on the Book of Job. He was also a member of the General Assembly Ad Interim Committee on a New Confession of Faith for the PCUSA.

In retirement, he remained active in ministry and worship at Warren Wilson Presbyterian Church in North Carolina.