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Scriptural Reasoning Event

Date: November 14, 2023

Today we continue an important series of events: Scriptural Reasoning. This evening at 6:30 pm, faithful Christians, Muslims, and Jews will gather here in the Lettie Pate Evans Room and on Zoom to study each other’s sacred texts. You are invited to be among them. You may sign up here, but you are also welcome to just show up. Tonight’s topic is pilgrimage.

One of tonight’s texts comes from the Hebrew Bible, specifically Deuteronomy 16:16-20:

“Three times in the year, every one of your males shall appear before the Lord, your God, in the place He will choose: on the Festival of Matzoth and on the Festival of Weeks, and on the Festival of Sukkoth, and he shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed. [Every] man [shall bring] as much as he can afford, according to the blessing of the Lord, your God, which He has given you. You shall set up judges and law enforcement officials for yourself in all your cities that the Lord, your God, is giving you, for your tribes, and they shall judge the people [with] righteous judgment. You shall not pervert justice; you shall not show favoritism, and you shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts just words. Justice, justice shall you pursue, that you may live and possess the land the Lord, your God, is giving you.”

Conversations like these are important. The Center for Anglican Communion Studies works with Rumi Forum and Peace Catalysts to facilitate these events, and the collaboration deepens everyone’s understanding of what it means to be faithful to the Abrahamic tradition we are part of.  Moreover, SR is one of the ways we can address the crises and divisions afflicting our communities, build sustainable peace, and deepen shared wisdom.

If you have never been to a Scriptural Reasoning event, please do join tonight.

The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and President of The General Theological Seminary 

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