Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) has launched a new resource to help faith leaders navigate the current political climate.
Inspired by the sermon preached by VTS graduate the Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde at the Service of Prayer for the Nation, “Have Mercy” is a series of essays and accompanying discussion questions that examine how foundational Christian commitments take on political significance.
The initiative was created by three VTS faculty members with the aim of providing a resource for alumni, Christian leaders and the faith communities they serve to explore the power of the Gospel in the current moment.
Each essay takes one core Christian belief or practice, rooted in scripture, and examines its significance for our political context. An essay on a new topic written by a member of the faculty at VTS and The General Theological Seminary (GTS) will be published every week during the summer of 2025.
The series launched with an essay by the Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., Dean and President of VTS and President of GTS, based on a sermon he preached on the importance of inclusion and having a plurality of voices. It will be followed by essays on “Love your neighbor,” “Lift up the lowly,” and “God’s Weakness… God’s Power.”
Kyle Lambelet, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ethics and Director of the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice, said: “Jesus preached a Gospel of love that challenged the political leaders of his day, so much so that after his public protest in the temple he was promptly tried and executed by the Roman Empire. It should not surprise us, therefore, that the Gospel of Jesus continues to confront even as it consoles, to challenge even as it inspires.”
The Very Rev. Ian S. Markham, Ph.D., Dean and President of VTS and President of GTS, said: “Our goal is not to be shrill nor crudely partisan. Instead, we strive to bring the eternal verities to this moment. And, as Bishop Budde did in that powerful sermon, to remind our country and our world of the values embedded in the Gospel and emerging from the prophets of the Hebrew Bible.”
The initiative was launched by three VTS faculty, Kyle Lambelet, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ethics and Director of the Saint Nicholas Center for Faith and Justice, the Rev. Canon Altagracia Perez-Bullard, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Multicultural Ministries
and Assistant Professor of Practical Theology, and the Rev. Ruthanna Hooke, Ph.D., Professor of Homiletics, emerging from a conversation during the faculty’s annual retreat in January 2025. Wanting to affirm the courageous voice of Bishop Budde and to encourage others to speak with such clarity of conviction, the three faculty members invited their colleagues to contribute short essays. “There is a lot of confusion about whether and how Christians should engage a pluralistic public,” Lambelet said. “These essays offer guidance for those of us in the Episcopal branch of the Jesus Movement regarding how we can be ministers of truth, healing, and justice.”
You can read the essays here: https://vts.edu/have-mercy-initiative/