Date: March 21, 2024
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 a different sports’ team; and they might have different priorities from me in terms of the things they like to buy for their home.
The cardinal rule in philanthropy is that “there are no strings”. So, you can be a million miles away from me in terms of worldview, but provided VTS can deliver on the donor’s intent without being inappropriately limited, then we are inclined to accept. If the situation is complex, then we will build in “safeguards” to ensure that the values of the Seminary are honored.
Most of us are not overly generous. We honor those who are. We follow certain conventions to make sure that the giving is appropriate, but we do not police the countless differences that humans have in politics.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary