This is the season of Admissions, when prospective students walk our pathways, sit in our classrooms, and try to imagine whether Virginia Theological Seminary might become home. Their experience while here is pivotal. Long before they read a strategic plan or examine a course syllabus, they are asking a simpler question: How does it feel […]
This is one of those moments in the history of humanity when a significant percentage of the world is committed to some form of abstinence. The great Christian festival of Lent and the great Muslim month of Ramadan coincide. God is being acknowledged in a shared way of surrender. Ramadan started on Tuesday night; and […]
It is a lovely piece of writing. It is part biographical, part theological, and part history. It is a conversion narrative that explains why Ash Wednesday was a way into Anglicanism. You can find the article here. I recommend it to you. Ash Wednesday is the only occasion in the Church Calendar when we come […]
It is always a little stressful at this moment. Some are pleased; they are proficient in all six areas. Others are disappointed. The gift of community is to ensure that we honor the different places we are all in. Perhaps do not celebrate too much, and do not let yourself be defined by one set […]
On Tuesday 17 February at 2:00 p.m. (i.e. tomorrow), in the Lettie Pate, we will host a screening of Familiar Touch in partnership with Goodwin Living. I warmly encourage our students, faculty, and staff to attend. Aging will come to all of us, and even now many of us are accompanying parents, parishioners, friends, or […]
It is my practice to share with the community, through the commentary, the decisions emerging from last week’s Board meeting. This time is perhaps the strangest moment in my deanship. The Board is starting the search for my successor. I will retire at the end of June 2028. My successor is likely to be appointed […]
Today and tomorrow, Six Half Dozen will be filming the Rev. Dr. Barney Hawkins and me. We will begin in the Chapel, where together we will discuss the building of the chapel—how the architect was chosen, the significance of the windows, and the importance of the pew in the oratory. We will then move to […]
It was a tricky moment. Senior Vice President Knowles and Senior Vice President Burridge were both working in their offices. The alarm went off, preceded by a loud rumbling. Fire trucks arrived quickly. It was early evening on Monday. I was notified and called the Director of Facilities, Mr. John Erbe, asking him to come […]
Tonight offers a truly joyful celebration in song and spirit. We gather at 7:00 p.m. in Immanuel Chapel for Hymn Sing: Celebrating The Hymnal 1982, marking forty years since this remarkable book helped shape the voice of our worship. The Hymnal 1982 is far more than a collection of hymns—it represents a movement of renewal, […]
On Friday evening at The General Theological Seminary, we had the joy of conferring the Dean’s Cross on two remarkable recipients: Stephen Colbert and Evelyn McGee Colbert. The Dean’s Cross honors the well-formed life. It reflects our conviction that theological education is not only about intellectual excellence, but also about formation – shaping lives marked […]