One strategy we have used throughout this pandemic is to constantly test the community. There is a significant percentage of students and faculty who rarely leave the campus (which, incidentally, probably isn’t that healthy – but that is for a different commentary on a different day). Naturally, staff come and go. But being a residential […]
My son and I sat in 1823 last Wednesday. “So, Luke,” I said, “We need some pictures on the wall. What would you recommend?” We use to have 19th century prints of church leaders. However, diversity was not one of their strengths. So Luke and I had an interesting conversation. Luke quite liked a sports […]
The Rev. Dr. Richard Burridge is a good friend of Virginia Theological Seminary. If you look at his publications over the years, you will see that we are often given credit for a being a place where there is space and opportunity to write. He made several plans to visit us in 2021, but a […]
It is true that the formal exception of one corporate act of worship does not start until the formal semester starts. The provision of chapel services in January is focused on those enrolled in January term classes and those who wish to keep the practice going in between semesters. So attendance is not required; however, […]
The Faculty all got tested for COVID, and I am pleased to report that we all tested negative. So we started our traditional January retreat. It is an opportunity to think about our work together. We were blessed with the presence of Dr. Roger Nam from Emory (a consultant on teaching whose visit was made […]
It was my privilege to deliver a lecture yesterday at High Point University. The topic was “Theodicy Revisited: The Atonement as Penance.” It took place in a window between two snow storms. It was lovely to meet such an energetic and strong department of religion and philosophy. And it was lovely to see John Wesley […]
As you may have noticed if you've visited campus lately, there is now an eleven-dock Capital Bikeshare station on campus!
Of the many worries that I have the gift of carrying, one is computer security. In my discussion with FDS yesterday, we talked about “phishing attempts.” Apparently, in a test over the last two weeks, 20% of our community clicked on a “suspicious” link. Fortunately, this was only a test. If it had been a […]
Yesterday was an important day. The national calendar of the United States has this important moment where we recognize the work that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. started and that we must progress. It is a moment when we are invited to examine our history as a nation and acknowledge the evil of slavery and […]
It is inevitable as we navigate this season that the VTS community is interested in the results of our COVID testing. In the last two weeks, two further students have come down with the variant, along with one staff member in facilities. The two students are both living in the apartments. In all cases, we […]