Feature Category
a moment of meditation
Apr. 1, 2020—As we explore what it means to be in community virtually, we’ve been meeting weekly on Mondays for a moment of poetry, song, and silence. Periodically, we’ll be sharing parts of those gatherings here, as a resource for you to center yourselves for 15 minutes wherever you are. Click on the links embedded below to...
Honoring our collective dead
Oct. 30, 2019—On November 1, in many Christian traditions, we observe All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, where we offer a “Requiem for the Dead” — a moving, often solemn remembrance of our faithful departed in song and prayer. Increasingly though, in many Christian communities, especially those with congregants from Latin American backgrounds, we have integrated...
Staff transitions
Sep. 12, 2019—A note from dean townes on staff transitions at Vanderbilt Divinity We are in a season of transitions as we begin a new academic year with a “new” building that has increased the Divinity School’s physical footprint that better reflects who we say we want to be based on our Purpose and Commitments. Living into...
VDS Building Dedication and Convocation
Sep. 11, 2019—View the building dedication and convocation writeup, here, and photos from the events below, by clicking on the image.
A Faculty Statement with Regard to Wage Theft
Sep. 4, 2019—Preface: We wrote this statement in light of a recent labor dispute, now resolved with support from Worker’s Dignity and the University and Divinity School. The conflict arose when a subcontractor of the primary construction company for the Divinity School renovation did not pay $66,000 owed to Armando Arzate and his colleagues whom the subcontractor had...
VDS Welcomes New Assistant Dean
Jul. 26, 2019—We are delighted to share that The Reverend Laura Mariko Cheifetz (pronouns: she/her) is joining the Vanderbilt Divinity Staff as Assistant Dean for Admissions, Vocation, and Stewardship. Laura’s first day will be August 15, 2019. Laura is currently the Campaign Manager for “Flint: The Poisoning of an American City,” a feature-length documentary, and adjunct staff...
2019 Distinguished Alumni Awardees
Feb. 1, 2019—2018-19 Vanderbilt Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion Distinguished Alumni Award recipients Divinity School Recipient: Dr. James A. Sanders Claremont, CA Vanderbilt Divinity School, Nashville, TN B.D.’51 Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN . B.A. ‘48 James A. Sanders was professor of intertestamental and biblical studies at the Claremont School of Theology (CST) from 1977 to...
There is no peace
May. 16, 2018—A statement from Emilie M. Townes, dean of Vanderbilt Divinity School, regarding the recent events in Gaza. I was shocked into speechlessness and a growing sense of horror, sorrow, and mourning when I opened up my Facebook feed on Monday morning. As the death toll and injury count of Palestinian protestors rose throughout the day,...
For Penny
Dec. 30, 2017—Remarks delivered by Ellen Armour, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Chair in Feminist Theology and Director of the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality at the dedication of the Nashville historical marker in Penny Campbell’s memory on December 8, 2017. We are here to honor Penny Campbell for her pioneering and courageous activism on...
READ THIS BOOK: November 2017
Nov. 13, 2017—The question of the “other” is a recurring one. Many scholarly volumes wrestle with this inquiry: who is the other? Toni Morrison enters the discourse with a decidedly reflective view of her own work alongside a plethora of writers who have produced both fictional and scholarly, literary and scientific contributions. Morrison’s particular reference to “origin”...