Date: January 21, 2022
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 sitting on a bench, as well as to marvel at the piped music that is broadcast across the entire campus. Just think, I found myself musing, if we had the same technology, then we could have “Shine Jesus Shine” being played constantly at VTS.
These trips in a pandemic are tricky. It was elbow greetings and masks inside. But I think it is right to find ways to visit, make connections, and teach, while at the same time keeping safe.
For me, the opportunity to write a lecture that ultimately I will submit to a journal was a joy. It is a different type of thinking from the challenge of navigating a capital campaign, construction, and COVID. I appreciated the invitation to do the lecture on many levels. It was fun.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President