Date: October 19, 2023
Today, I want to highlight a new book. Edited by Herschel Wade and Christopher Poore, Looking for our God: Voices of Color Speak from Virginia Theological Seminary is a collection of 26 contributions (some sermons, some poetry, some articles). It is a powerful book. Passionate reflection meets hopeful analysis; it is a compelling and thoughtful collection.
The work of capturing these voices at this moment is important. It was partly the marking of our Historic Bicentenary that generated the idea. Virginia Theological Seminary needs to listen to these voices. We must understand, heed, and change if the institution is going to live into the promise of the Gospel.
I hope this is the start of an annual collection. With our ever changing population (students are only here for one, two, or three years), it would be wonderful to have these reflections every year, so we can continue to hear the message that VTS has an obligation to include. This obligation is the very work of God.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary