Yesterday I met with Gabriel (a junior). Gabriel had seen the story about the Diocese of New York opposing the Board of General Theological Seminary over a possible lease of the campus. We talked through the details of exactly what is going on. And thanks to Gabriel’s advocacy, I will hold a forum for the […]
The Eucharist was a powerful start to the week. The Great Litany was followed by a powerful and thoughtful sermon by Lo Selles. I felt as if Holy Week was starting appropriately. The heart of our practice as Christians is to live fully into the church calendar. This is what we will endlessly encourage our […]
Yesterday, I decided as part of Palm Sunday discipline to read a chapter from a t&tclark book called Psalms: My Psalm, My Context, edited by Athalya Brenner-Idan and Gale A. Yee. I went to the chapter by Melody Knowles on “Psalm 132: Livegiving conversations with a Psalm”. It was a beautiful, intimate, and powerful piece of […]
It is a delight to welcome prospective students to the campus this morning. A decision to visit a seminary is the first crucial step in the journey of discernment. It is a major decision. Families will move. People will leave their jobs. The implications of this moment are often difficult and complicated. For our guests, […]
Virginia Theological Seminary is blessed with many donors. Donors come from all sorts of places. Their shared love is the Seminary. It won’t surprise anyone that a donor can support Virginia Theological Seminary from a variety of different political and ethical perspectives. Their politics can be different; they can be “low” or “high”; they might support […]
On Sunday I had the privilege of preaching and teaching at the Adult Education hour at Calvary Episcopal Church, in Summit New Jersey. This meant I spent the weekend and the start of this week at The General Theological Seminary in New York. Now, I confess I tread carefully in disclosing my trips to New […]
On Friday, we will welcome some important guests to the campus. This is our Spring Visit Day. I will have the joy of preaching at the 8.15am opening Eucharist. Back in the last century, hybrid or distance education was a very solitary and, often, frustrating affair. Perhaps it involved listening to cassette tapes or watching […]
Since hearing the news about the retirement of our distinguished Head Librarian – Dr. Mitzi Budde, we have been hard at work thinking through our options. Dr. Budde has built a premier library, offering a high quality library service to all. We will need someone exceptional to follow her tenure. Today I am delighted to […]
It was the dress rehearsal of American Patriots last night, and it was amazing. The whole concept is extraordinary: taking regular people expressing their views and putting these views into music sounds impossible, but it works brilliantly. Over the course of 90 minutes, different voices were put into close proximity. So, at one moment I […]
Yesterday I sat with a new book – Engaging Latino/a/x Theologies: A Conversation by my esteemed colleague and friend Dr. Sharon E. Heaney. It is an important book. It is a book committed to conversation. Latino/a/x theologies are explored through six principles – teología en conjunto, mestizaje, lo cotidiano, interpreting Scripture latinamente, la lucha, and la justicia. Central […]