The Rev. James W. Farwell, Ph.D., is the Professor of Theology and Liturgy. His fields of expertise include liturgical and sacramental theology; liturgy, suffering, and trauma; theories of ritual and theologies of religion; and Christian comparative theology with attention to the tradition of Soto Zen.
- Ph.D., Emory University
- M.Div., The General Theological Seminary
- B.A., Catholic University of America.
- Cert., Institute for Buddhist Studies, Graduate Theological Union
A member of the American Academy of Religion and the Society for Comparative Theology, Dr. Farwell convenes both the Seminar on Liturgy and Comparative Theology and the Anglican Consortium of the North American Academy of Liturgy. He holds a dual appointment as the H. Boone Porter Professor of Liturgics at The General Theological Seminary, an affiliate institution of Virginia Seminary.
In his thirty years in higher education, Dr. Farwell has taught theology, religious studies, and philosophy at the college and graduate levels. He has been a priest of the Episcopal Church for 34 years.
Dr. Farwell’s publications include book chapters, essays, and journal articles on liturgy, sacramental theology, prayer book revision, dual religious belonging, and learning across religious traditions. He is the author or editor of the following books:
- Ritual Excellence: Best Practices for Leading and Planning Liturgy (Seabury, 2023)
- T&T Clark Handbook of Sacraments and Sacramentality, co- edited with Martha Moore Keish (T&T Clark, 2023)
- The Liturgy Explained (Morehouse, 2013)
- This Is the Night: Suffering, Salvation, and the Liturgies of Holy Week (T&T Clark, 2005)
His current book projects include Here the Way Unfolds: A Christian Commentary on Dōgen’s Shōbōgenzō (Peeters Press); The Eucharist: Understanding Christianity through Its Ritual (New York University Press); and a revised and expanded version of This is The Night, his 2005 book on the liturgy of the Paschal Triduum.
Before joining the faculty at VTS in 2012, Dr. Farwell was Thomas W. Phillips Chair of Religious Studies and Professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy at Bethany College. In addition to full-time faculty appointments at Bethany and at General Theological Seminary, he was Affiliate Professor in the doctoral program in Liturgics at Drew University.