Date: October 18, 2024
I have been thinking a great deal about “memory”. As we navigate the challenge of “remembrance” at the Seminary in respect to those enslaved and treated under segregation, I am persuaded that the need to exercise memory is at the heart of the Christian Gospel.
Then Tim Sedgwick, our recently retired professor of ethics, sends me his excellent book, Saving Memory and the Body of Christ: A Moral Liturgical Theology, published by Fortress Academic. It is a delightful book, compelling, thoughtful, and right. The primary theme is the centrality of the Eucharist. This has been a major element of his previous work, however, the difference here is that there is a deep link between remembrance in the Eucharist and the formation of moral conscience.
One beautiful idea embedded in this book is the concept of living in the memory of God. This is the home of our piety. Through worship, we respond to the invitation to live within God’s grace and love and within God’s life in creation. Elegantly written, this is an extraordinary and delightful book. The erudite scholar touches both heart and head. Thank you Tim.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary