Date: October 9, 2025
The Living Church Magazine for October 19, 2025, landed in my mailbox yesterday, and it is a particularly rewarding issue for our community. As always, we provide a complimentary copy of the magazine for every seminarian—you can pick yours up at the mailroom. This issue stands out not just for its range of thoughtful articles, but for the significant presence of Virginia Theological Seminary within its pages. It’s a joy to see our faculty and students contributing so meaningfully to the wider life of the Church.
One highlight is the delightful and favorable review of the Rev. Dr. Shawn Strout’s book, Bound Together. The reviewer writes that “Bound Together should be essential reading for every bishop, church leader, and parishioner who desires a deeper knowledge and practice of the sacraments.” This is high praise, and entirely deserved. Dr. Strout’s scholarship and ministry have long reflected a deep commitment to liturgical formation and the sacramental life of the Church, and it is gratifying to see his work recognized so prominently in a national publication.
And the good news does not stop there. Inside the front cover, readers are greeted by the smiling face of Josh House, whose warmth and joy radiate from the page. Even better, a few pages later his first-place student essay, “A Halo of Humility,” is featured in full. It is an engaging, thoughtful piece that reflects both intellectual depth and spiritual insight. VTS does well in this issue of The Living Church—and rightly so. This is, of course, how things should be.
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D.
Dean and President of Virginia Theological Seminary and the President of The General Theological Seminary