Tomorrow the Seminary is closed. We take the pause to remember the true significance of Good Friday. The etymology of Good here is from the contraction of God’s Friday – in much the same way as Goodbye is a contraction of God be with you. It is God’s Friday because we remember that God is […]
In my most recent sermon, I spoke of this Seminary’s commitment to adhere to the highest social and ethical values of the Christian tradition. I said it in an effort to inspire hope among those of us who, in these days read, watch, study, listen, examine and find it challenging to know the assurance of […]
Today we announce that VTS faculty member Dr. Colin Donnelly has accepted a position at the University of Oxford as Associate Professor of Reformation History. This is a terrific appointment for Dr. Donnelly and serves as a testament to his careful and compelling scholarship. The announcement is bittersweet for us at VTS. We are delighted […]
It is hard to observe Holy Week at Seminary. Classes need to continue. Contextual Ministry sites make certain demands. The space to pause and walk the week with Jesus is difficult to find. Yet it is Holy Week. It is the week when the ministry of Jesus reaches its climax. When the forces of sinfulness […]
I am not sure precisely why I found Evensong last night so moving. Perhaps the busyness of the day had caught up with me and the pause was precisely what I needed. Perhaps it was the season and there is almost a sense of relief that this late and interminable Lent is finally coming to […]
There are many moments that linger in my mind. I think one memorable moment was when the Rev. Dr. Vandiver draw our attention to the Latin for God in Imago Dei is of course D-E-I. I won’t forget that. And last night, listening to our esteemed alumnus navigate the complexity of moment with wisdom and […]
Tonight we will have the Mollegen Forum. There will be Evening Prayer at 5.15pm. Then the Mollegen Forum will start at 6.10pm. The list of recent Mollegen Forum speakers is impressive. In 2023, we had Bishop Poggo, Secretary General of the Anglican Communion; in 2022, it was Archbishop Justin Welby; in 2018, it was Senator […]
The fourth quarter normally has a bounce. The pattern of the academic year is that we enjoy the Fall – after all, we are all coming back from a summer away, pleased to see each other, and then flow into Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then January through March is harder – the weather is difficult and […]
I speak for the entire staff and faculty when I say that it’s always a delight to see former students return to Virginia Theological Seminary. Some return to us as lay leaders in the church, others as priests and pastors, and some even as bishops. This week we are thrilled to welcome the Most Rev. […]
This week we commemorate the martyrdom of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King was assassinated while participating in a campaign to support sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee in 1968. The Civil Rights Movement, including the Poor People’s Campaign that VTS supported by offering two of our dorms for hospitality to participants the same […]