Feature Category
Rattling Bones: A Eulogy for Dale P. Andrews
Oct. 26, 2017—RATTLING BONES Eulogy for Dale P. Andrews Emilie M. Townes 27 September 2017 Vanderbilt Divinity School Ezekiel 37:1-14 pastoral prayer if we die while being faithful, then death is not the end of life this redaction from an interview dale gave in 2011 was repeated many times on facebook and other social media in the...
Exploring Faculty Scholarship: Seven Years of Interviews
Feb. 6, 2017—We invited Christopher Benda, a theological librarian at Vanderbilt Divinity Library, to reflect on seven years of his audio interview series “Authorial Intentions.” Chris first joined the Vanderbilt Library system in 1997 and joined the Divinity Library staff in 2007. He and his colleagues are invaluable resources supporting student and faculty scholarship and research. This...
Advent 2016
Dec. 19, 2016—Editor’s note: This post was originally published in December 2015 and is reprinted here with the author’s permission. The long quiet has settled in the halls of the Divinity School. Students depart to visit family and friends across town and around the world. Faculty retreat to cozier spaces to grade papers and prepare for the...
The Danger of American Civil Religion
Nov. 1, 2016—The 2016 presidential election carries with it the enormous gravity of deciding not only who will be the next President of the United States—and, by extension, the leader of the free world—but also of determining if this culturally-constructed public theology that is manifested in the legacy of American Civil Religion (ACR) will undergo a desperately needed reformation. The...
A Reflection on Seven Years in the Divinity Library Exhibit Programs
Oct. 19, 2016—By Charlotte Lew, Exhibit Preparator and Collections Assistant The renovation of the Divinity Library in 2006 set the stage for the exhibit programs. At the completion of the renovation, the addition of six exhibit cases spotlighted the library’s potential as a suitable location where art and theological education are integrated. The library has an envisioned...
FIRST FRIDAYS Spouses and Partners Breakfast
Sep. 28, 2016—Beginning graduate theological education is an exciting time for new students, yet we know that Vanderbilt Divinity students don’t undertake this journey alone. Family members, friends, congregations, and many others walk alongside us through the “thick and thin” of professional school. Spouses and partners, in particular, often describe the unique joys and challenges of experiencing...
Restorative Justice
Sep. 21, 2016—In my roles as a professor at Vanderbilt’s Divinity School and as the director of the University’s Cal Turner Program for Moral Leadership, I often find myself in classrooms, talking about the meaning and nature of justice. We read Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Rawls together. It can be exhilarating. But I have also taught in...
The First Year Experience: An Extended Introduction
Sep. 14, 2016—By Amy E. Steele, MDiv, PhD Assistant Dean for Student Life The First Year experience at Vanderbilt Divinity School is an extension of the New Student Orientation. It is comprised of six sessions that focus on spiritual formation, stewardship, and vocation—or in other words, matters of spiritual grounding, money, and jobs. Perhaps these ideas seem...
Welcome from Luther Young, MDiv’2
Aug. 31, 2016—Each year, VDS invites returning students to offer words of advice to the incoming class. We hope these stories and lived wisdom will help you navigate your own path at Vanderbilt! You have made the decision to embark upon an exciting and challenging journey through theological discourse and spiritual practice—congratulations, and welcome to VDS! The...
Welcome from Lee Catoe, MDiv’2
Aug. 24, 2016—Each year, VDS invites returning students to offer words of advice to the incoming class. We hope these stories and lived wisdom will help you navigate your own path at Vanderbilt! To my siblings, It is with great joy that I welcome you all to this prophetic community that is Vanderbilt Divinity School. I often...