Dear alumni/ae and friends,
Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit. These words from the 12th chapter of I Corinthians particularly resonate at a place like the Vanderbilt Divinity School. The variety of gifts you encounter here on any given day is extraordinary: gifted teachers, preachers, and academic researchers, alongside gifted counselors, chaplains, and pastors. In the classroom, students are discerning and honing their gifts and talents, through the process of both education and formation. And faculty, through their teaching and research, are walking in their own vocational callings and gifts.
These gifts show up in a wide variety of ways: starting an organization to minister to returning citizens; creating a non-profit to mitigate food waste; providing spiritual care in hospice settings; running for elected office to represent the most vulnerable; walking with congregations from cradle to grave; gleaning ancient texts for contemporary relevance; and producing new forms of scholarship for the church and society.
With creativity and imagination, as well as through careful study and inquiry, VDS cultivates a wide variety of gifts, and acknowledges the Spirit that makes them all possible.
Best,
Yolanda Pierce, Ph.D.
Dean
University Distinguished Professor of Religion & Literature
University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies
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The Quantum Potential podcast, a twice-a-month series hosted by Provost C. Cybele Raver, explores groundbreaking collaborations across Vanderbilt University. In the Season 2 premiere, Professor Jaco Hamman joins the conversation for “AI and Hope,” reflecting on how faith, imagination, and artificial intelligence can work together to cultivate compassion, joy, and human flourishing.
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Professor Joerg Rieger is advancing conversations on global solidarity through research, teaching, and public engagement. Drawing on theology, economics, and lived experience across global contexts, Rieger explores how faith communities can move beyond “false solidarities” toward shared action for the common good. His work connects classroom learning with on-the-ground partnerships addressing ecological, economic, and social challenges worldwide.
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Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture and the Kelly Miller Smith Institute on Black Church Studies present Rooted Reflections: The Fabric of Self, a Black History Month exhibition featuring artist Nija Woods. The exhibition is open Feb. 19–March 26. Through immersive textiles, color, and sculptural form, Woods’ work invites reflection, care, and collective connection.
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The James Lawson Institute has been featured in recent coverage by The Tennessean. One article highlights the release of Rev. James M. Lawson Jr.’s memoir, Nonviolent: My Life of Resistance, Agitation, and Love, exploring his philosophy of nonviolence and its enduring impact. Another story reflects on the Institute’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day activities, where students engaged with prompts to consider the legacies of King and Lawson and learn more about the Institute’s work fostering nonviolent action and social justice.
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Dr. Michael Dyson and Rev. Royal Todd (MDiv'23) welcomed music executive Mathew Knowles to Vanderbilt on Feb. 11 for the AADS seminar “Beyoncé: Epic Artist, Feminist Icon.” The session offered students an in-depth master class on artist development, entrepreneurship, and Black excellence, and was featured in The Tennessean for its engaging insights and impact.
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Save the Date for the 2026 Antoinette Brown Lecture March 30, 6 p.m. at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Keri Day from Princeton Theological Seminary will deliver the lecture, “Spirit Power: Black Feminist Pneumatic Rituals of Wonder.” Drawing on Black women’s religious cultures, Day will explore how black religious practices of spirit power offer a way to think about the epistemic and social effects of wonder.
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The James Lawson Institute will host “We Live Here: Community Power and the Struggle for Environmental Justice” on Feb. 24 from 4–5:30 p.m. at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Part of the Community Over Chaos Speaker Series in collaboration with Dialogue Vanderbilt, the conversation will feature Sharon Lavigne and Shamyra Lavigne of RISE St. James. Together, they will reflect on grassroots organizing in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley,” environmental racism, and the ongoing fight for health equity and dignity in frontline communities.
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