Vanderbilt Divinity School

From integrating literacy into music education to empowering teens to lead a more balanced digital life, seven innovative projects have been awarded funding through the fall 2024 cycle of the Community Engagement Collaboration Fund. Faculty and staff from 11 of Vanderbilt’s schools, departments and centers have joined forces with local nonprofits, schools and other community stakeholders to bring these initiatives to life.   Read More

With his deep understanding of nonviolent protest, the Rev. James M. Lawson (1928–2024) showed us the way forward for fighting injustice and left a legacy of courage and compassion. Read More

The Divinity Library has launched a new version of its popular Revised Common Lectionary website. The RCL is a collection of weekly Bible readings centered on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ adopted by numerous church bodies and individual congregations to read concurrently each Sunday throughout the liturgical year. Read More

The Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives has fully digitized the Rev. James M. Lawson Papers and made these materials available to the general public, giving students, scholars and historians a more complete picture of the distinguished activist’s life and legacy. The collection is available online through the JSTOR digital library of academic journals, books and primary sources.  Read More

WATCH: See how members of the Class of 2024 are collaborating in powerful and unique ways. Read More

Meet three members of the Class of 2024 who represent belonging in action, enriching the Vanderbilt community along the way. Read More

The distinguished faculty members and deans representing eight colleges and schools were presented with medallions that symbolize the attainment of their positions and will become part of their official academic regalia. Chair holders contribute their expertise to real-world challenges, including climate change, political inequality and access to justice, artificial intelligence and ICU trauma.   Read More

WATCH: He's graduating with a degree in medicine and divinity. See the path that brought Matthew Nettles to Vanderbilt and how he plans to use both degrees to better treat those in need. Read More

“Celebrating 50 Years of Antoinette Brown Lectures” will be on display in the second-floor gallery of the Central and Divinity Libraries Building. A preview of the exhibit will be from 2 to 4 p.m., with the grand opening and a reception at 8 p.m. The Divinity School’s 50th annual Antoinette Brown Lecture featuring ethics professor Grace Y. Kao will be at 7 p.m. at Vanderbilt Divinity School’s “The Space,” Room G-29. Read More

Don Abram, the visionary founder of Pride in the Pews, will be the next speaker in the Dialogue Vanderbilt faith leader series. His conversation with Vanderbilt Divinity School Dean Yolanda Pierce is scheduled for 5 p.m. March 6 at the John Seigenthaler Center. Read More

Vanderbilt Divinity School invites the community to a viewing of Gospel, a new PBS docuseries on the rich history of Black religious music and preaching, and a conversation with two of the program’s commentators on Feb. 13. The event, which begins at 6 p.m. in Sarratt Cinema, features Yolanda Pierce and Michael Eric Dyson, both of whom are in the docuseries. Read More

Recognizing the significant suicidality, post-traumatic stress, depression and moral injury endured by active military and veteran populations, Vanderbilt Divinity School has partnered with Integrative Mental Health, a national program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, to prepare chaplains for contemporary care challenges. Read More

Dialogue Vanderbilt recently hosted an insightful fireside chat between Rabbi David J. Wolpe and Vanderbilt Divinity School Dean Yolanda Pierce. The Jan. 18 event was part of a series organized by Dialogue Vanderbilt that aims to foster open discussions about faith and how it influences people dealing with pressing societal issues.  Read More

WATCH: Find out how former Commodore football player Cam Robinson is combining a passion for healing, a love of people, and his Divinity School education to change lives. Read More

Rabbi David Wolpe, whom Newsweek called “the most influential rabbi in America,” will visit Vanderbilt, joining Divinity School Dean Yolanda Pierce for a fireside conversation centered around Vanderbilt’s commitment to free expression, constructive dialogue and mutual respect. The free event, which is a part of the Dialogue Vanderbilt initiative, is open to Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff and will be at 5 p.m., Jan. 18; registration is required. Read More

The Divinity School’s storied history and reputation for theological education—including advocacy for racial and social justice—were key to Yolanda Pierce’s move to Vanderbilt for the deanship. Read More

Dean Yolanda Pierce has undertaken several community outreach efforts this fall, with the goal of making “radical hospitality” a cornerstone of her tenure at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Read More

Ellen T. Armour, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Professor of Feminist Theology, will discuss her new book, Seeing and Believing: Religion, Digital Visual Culture, and Social Justice, at Vanderbilt University’s Special Collections and University Archives from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28. The event is free and open to the public. Read More

Solidarity Circles are virtual peer-networks for faith leaders, organizers, clergy and members of the community interested in the cooperative and solidarity economy and its multiple relations to faith. Those interested in applying can expect a 9-month educational process grounded in community praxis, to help align your institution or community with the solidarity economy. Read More

Joseph C. Hough Jr., who led the Vanderbilt Divinity School from 1990 to 1999, died May 15 in Claremont, California, after a long illness. He was 89. Read More