Dear readers,
Perhaps you’ve noticed a pretty lengthy temporal gap between this edition of @ this point and the previous one. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the editorial board recognized how many of us were feeling especially burdened by the emotional costs of the pandemic and decided that we needed to simplify our lives and so put the journal on a bit of a hiatus. We took that time to do some re-thinking about the shape and purposes of @ this point going forward. Part of what we realized during that hiatus is that the traditional format of the journal may be overly restrictive during a time when more and more people are looking at more and more websites to gather wisdom for living. While we’re still in process of discerning the shape of the journal, we have at least discerned enough to feel like this new edition and its format is appropriate for this moment.
Indeed, perhaps this new edition and its format are especially appropriate because its very topic has to do with the changing shape of theological education in the 21st century. We’re all trying to imagine what the future looks like during times of rapid change and the increased pressures of political, social, technological, and environmental upheaval. Partly in light of those pressures, Columbia Theological Seminary’s 11th president, Victor Aloyo, hosted a “Presidential Symposium” at the occasion of his inauguration and brought scholars from a range of schools and backgrounds to reflect on the question of, “Shaping Christian Leaders for an Endemic Age.” The wisdom of those scholars was on full display at that symposium and we now bring it to you for your more deliberate and reflective engagement.
The editorial board is grateful to Pres. Aloyo and the Presidential Inauguration Steering Committee for allowing us to publish these presentations in this edition of @ this point. We trust that these presentations will be as nourishing and enriching now as they were electrifying when they were given during that symposium.
Thank you for your patience during our hiatus. We look forward to revealing new directions forward with the journal as we continue to discern how the Spirit is moving during this endemic age.
Peace,
Mark Douglas and the editorial board of @ this point
